Doctoral Researcher Resources

Published Resources

General

Bentley, P.J. & Kyvik, S. (2012). Academic work from a comparative perspective: a survey of faculty working time across 13 countries. Higher Education, 63 (4), 529-547.
This study is based on data about the allocation of working time between academic tasks at research universities in thirteen countries. It showed working time patterns differed significantly across countries. This suggests that conditions of academic work remain heavily dependent on national higher education traditions. Faculty members holding the highest professorial rank share more in common, with generally stronger interests in research and a greater time dedication to research over teaching. However, in countries with comparably steep academic hierarchies, professor positions typically entail significantly fewer teaching hours and more administration. (See also Jones et al, 2012 below)

Jones, G., Weinrib, J., Metcalfe, A. S., Fisher, D., Rubenson, K. & Snee, I. (2012). Academic work in Canada: the perceptions of early-career academics. Higher Education Quarterly, 66 (2), 189-206.
This paper examines work patterns (i.e., time spent on various activities) and satisfaction of tenured, and tenure track faculty in Canada through a national survey. Contrary to the initial expectations of the authors, little difference was found between the groups. This paper also provides a good overall description of the Canadian higher education structure and labour situation.

Gerdes, E. P. (2003). Do it your way: Advice from senior academic women. Innovative Higher Education, 27 (4), 253-275.
Senior women faculty and administrators gave advice for women students and women beginning careers in higher education. The advice was categorized as background information, cautions, facts of life, life choices coping with gender discrimination, good news, and personal wisdom.

Disciplinary Reading

Reading is done differently in different fields and is essential to developing your research focus. Ask your librarian for specific articles and other resources in your field. As a starting point, if you are in:

Humanities:
you might look at Green, R. (2000). Locating sources in humanities scholarship: The efficacy of following bibliographic references, Library Quarterly, 70, 201-29.
 

Social Sciences:
you could read Boote, D.N., & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars before researchers: On the centrality of the dissertation literature review in research preparation. Educational Researcher, 34 (6), 3-15. 
 

Science, technology, engineering, and math:
check out http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~cainproj/courses/HowToReadSciArticle.pdf
 

Medical Sciences:
you may find this useful https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2696241/

 

Dissertation Writing

Adams, P. J., & Buetow, S. (2014). The place of theory in assembling the central argument for a thesis or dissertation. Theory & Psychology, 24(1), 93-110. doi:10.1177/0959354313517523
This paper discusses how to apply theories in research theses and dissertations. Although based in psychology, it is helpful for students in all other social science disciplines. It outlines a six-layer model of theory use. The six layers correspond to six ways in which theories may be active in theses/dissertations or types of theorizing, including background theory, grand theory, translational theory, foundational theory, methodology, and theoretical concepts. The paper also identifies common challenges for novice researchers in using theories and provides strategies for handling them.

Aitchison, C., Kamler, B., & Lee, A. (Eds.). (2010). Publishing pedagogies for doctorate and beyond. New York, N.Y.: Routledge.
This inspiring book contains authentic publishing experiences of experienced and young scholars that doctoral students can learn from. It addresses real challenges that doctoral students face in publishing their research (e.g., premature publication, writing in a second/foreign language, time constraints, making sense of reviewer reports) and makes recommendations.

Bloomberg, L. D., & Volpe, M. (2008). Completing your qualitative dissertation: A roadmap from beginning to end. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
This is a highly practical reference for graduate students beginning with developing a rationale for a qualitative methodology and writing a proposal. Remaining chapters address the writing of each chapter of the dissertation.

Boote, D.N., & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars before researchers: On the centrality of the dissertation literature review in research preparation. Educational Researcher, 34 (6), 3-15. 
The authors argue for the primacy of the literature review in a doctoral dissertation as the necessary foundation of any useful research in the social sciences. Criteria to evaluate the quality of a dissertation literature review are identified. Implications for doctoral learning are drawn.

Hagaman, A. K., & Wutich, A. (2017). How many interviews are enough to identify metathemes in multisited and cross-cultural research? Another perspective on Guest, Bunce, and Johnson's (2006) landmark study. Field Methods, 29(1), 23-41.
This study addresses the sample size issue (number of interviews) in qualitative research, which novice researchers often find difficult to understand and handle. The authors argue that 16 or fewer interviews would be sufficient for a homogeneous research population, a conclusion similar to Guest et al. (2006). However, a larger sample size will be needed (20-40 interviews) for a heterogeneous population in order to identify meta-themes and reach data saturation. Interested readers may check out Guest et al.’s study (2006).

Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1-13. doi:10.1177/1609406917733847
This paper is an extension of the widely cited Braun and Clarke’s (2006) work regarding thematic analysis in qualitative research. Compared to the 2006 paper, this paper uses a real research project to illustrate how the six steps were applied to find themes and build trustworthiness.

The Oral Defense

Trafford, V., & Leshem, S. (2002). Starting at the end to undertake doctoral research: Predictable questions as stepping stones. Higher Education Review, 35 (1), 31-49.
This article summarizes 12 clusters of questions that are frequently asked in doctoral orals. The authors argue that preparation for the oral starts the first day of one’s doctoral study and thus the clusters of questions may serve as a guide for doctoral students to direct their work in the early stage of the doctoral study.

This site may also prove useful: https://www.vitae.ac.uk/doing-research/doing-a-doctorate/completing-your-doctorate/your-viva

Conference presentations and publications

Aitchison, C., Kamler, B., & Lee, A. (Eds.). (2010). Publishing pedagogies for doctorate and beyond. New York, N.Y.: Routledge.
This inspiring book contains authentic publishing experiences of experienced and young scholars that doctoral students can learn from. It addresses real challenges that doctoral students face in publishing their research (e.g., premature publication, writing in a second/foreign language, time constraints, making sense of reviewer reports) and makes recommendations.

Klingner, J.K., Scanlon, D. & Pressley, M. (2005). How to publish in scholarly journals. Educational Researcher, 32, 14-20.
This article provides advice on how to get published while in graduate school in education, but provides good general advice. Advice for working on publications is given in a step by step manner, starting with conceptualization all the way to what to do after acceptance or rejection.

Wineburg, S. (2004). Must it be this way? Ten rules for keeping your audience awake during conferences. Educational Researcher, 33 (4), 13-14.
This article provides dos and don’ts for effective delivery of conference presentations. It is particularly helpful for doctoral students who have not attended many academic conferences or who want to improve their presentation skills. 

Holschuh, J. (1998). Editorial: Why manuscripts get rejected and what can be done about it: Understanding the editorial process from an insider’s perspective. Journal of Literacy Research, 30(1), 1-7.
This article provides an interesting insider view of the journal editorial process by a graduate student editorial assistant for an education journal, focusing on reasons for rejection and how to avoid them. Good general advice on common formatting, stylistic, and conceptual mistakes by authors are discussed and detailed.

Being/Becoming a Scholar 

Kiewra, K. (2008). Advice for developing scholars. Educational Psychology Review, 20, 79-86.
This article provides advice on how to develop as a scholar based on what successful scholars in educational psychology have done, and framed in the context of educational theories, particularly on learning, expertise, and creativity. It provides advice in 5 sections: follow your bliss, spend and create time, build collaborative relationships, hone technique, and frame failure.

 

Online Resources

Academic writing

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ - large range of online writing resources

https://www.dur.ac.uk/writingacrossboundaries/writingonwriting/ - experienced social scientists writing about writing

https://thesiswhisperer.com/ - a blog-style resource which shares stories and advice regarding various aspects of thesis writing.

Websites with a particular writing focus

http://www.ease.org.uk/publications/author-guidelines - for scholars using English as an additional language

http://www.authoraid.info/resource-library - designed for those from the southern hemisphere

http://arts.uottawa.ca/writingcentre/en/hypergrammar - outline of English grammar usage (Oxford dictionary); lessons followed by interactive reviews

Other links

www.graduatejunction.net - provides online meeting place for young researchers from any research background in any part of the world so that you can find out what research is currently being done by others.

http://www.abdsurvivalguide.com - tips for surviving the PhD, and a monthly e-mail newsletter and other resources devoted to practical strategies for successfully completing doctoral dissertations.

Careers resources

It is likely that you already have your own favourite career websites; nevertheless, the list below may include some new sites for you to explore.

http://www.phdcareerguide.com/ - highlights the many career options available to PhD graduates.

https://www.roberthalf.com – a range of resources for job-seekers.

http://alis.alberta.ca/pdf/cshop/AdvancedTechniques.pdf – techniques for job seekers

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/work-career/finding-the-right-career.htm – advice on how to find the right career.

http://www.eui.eu/ProgrammesandFellowships/AcademicCareersObservatory/Jo... - European University Institute, job and funding resources

http://researchiscool.com/ - UK-based website aimed to help early career stage researchers to acquire, develop and make use of their research skills by helping them find vacancies for research jobs, such as postdoctoral fellowships, and postgraduate courses, such as PhD studentships or Masters’ courses.

http://www.phds.org/career-resources - helps science students to prepare for the changing demands of today's job market and to provide a voice for early career scientists, includes job listings, career information.
 

Job listings

http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/ - job listings from Science

http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/ - job listings from Nature

http://biocareers.com/job-seekers - leading online job board and career service for life sciences graduates

http://www.researchgate.net/ - a networking site which has job postings, and facilitates networking and communication with other researchers

http://www.universityaffairs.ca/search-job/ - this jobs’ database is Canada's number one source of job listings for the higher education sector

http://www.higheredjobs.com - job postings in Higher Education.

http://www.HERCjobs.org  - US consortium for national job searches; there are regional affiliates as well (metro New York, greater Chicago, mid-Atlantic, etc.). The regional websites are listed on the home page.

www.academic360.com - links internationally (US & Canada) to human resources sites for colleges and universities.  Users can go to a geographical listing, search for schools by name, or by discipline.

http://www.academickeys.com - job-seeking database

http://www.universityjobs.com - job-seeking database including academic-related university positions

http://www.wihe.com: women in higher education (right-hand block directs you to a data base)

Professional careers specifically

https://versatilephd.com/ - a community on non-academic jobs and development

https://www.findaphd.com/advice/doing/phd-non-academic-careers.aspx - explores the decision to leave the academy and raises awareness of the skills developed through PhD study.

http://www.lse.ac.uk/intranet/CareersAndVacancies/careersService/PhDsRes... – resources for doctoral candidates and PhD graduates seeking professional careers.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240721 – professional networking tips for startup companies.