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The different phases of a PhD student

The different phases of a PhD student. Nervous and scared You think you know nothing about your field Ecstatic and a ”bully” You think you know everything there is in your field Humble and depressed You have realised just how big your field is and thus how little of it you really know.

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The different phases of a PhD student

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  1. The different phases of a PhD student • Nervous and scared • You think you know nothing about your field • Ecstatic and a ”bully” • You think you know everything there is in your field • Humble and depressed • You have realised just how big your field is and thus how little of it you really know

  2. Make sure you know • Problem/research questions • State what problem you want to solve, and give a small example • Challenges: why and how • Why related work does not solve this problem, and thus fails the example • Approach • Novelty, Scientific • Why do you believe it will solve the problem? • Expected contributions • What do you expect to learn? • Validation • Show how your solution solves the problem, and illustrate it solving the example

  3. Write, write, …, and write • Write about absolutely everything you do: about the problems you faced, the failed solutions you tried, the decisions made on the way until a right/good one was found • You should write for three main reasons: • To structure your thoughts • To remember the justification for your decisions (so that you will always be able to tell why other alternatives did not work) • To very quickly write your thesis (because you have already mostly written it! )

  4. Practical issues … • Literature review • Ongoing effort • Enumerating is not enough … • Classify • Explain the difference • At the beginning of the paper/thesis to set the stage • Or at the end for in-depth comparison • Annotate and summarize the papers you read • Keep the references in a database

  5. And to not forget to… • Create a network of contacts in your field (seniors and other PhD students) • Take every opportunity you get to discuss your research – the only ”risk” is broadening your views • ... And, no matter what you do, have fun. Make sure you have a life beyond your PhD studentship 

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