From PhD to Life

Recommended Reading

phd books

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This list is aimed at graduate students, postdocs, and other PhDs who are actively looking for paid employment or exploring career options. It includes both practical resources, books that combine advice with inspiration, ones that hope to advocate for better systems while also breaking things down for job seekers, as well as memoirs and novels. The focus here is on books written for graduate students and PhDs, but I’ve also included what I think as key or otherwise useful texts with a much broader intended audience.

What’s not on this list? Books that focus almost exclusively on graduate school itself are generally omitted (exception: Berdahl and Malloy, for its framing of the whole thing as part of your career). There are great ones in this category, including Jessica McCrory Calarco’s A Field Guide to Grad School , Malika Grayson’s Hooded: A Black Girl’s Guide to the Ph.D. , Robert L. Peters’s Getting What You Came For and Adam Ruben’s Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision to go to Grad School . See also Gavin Brown’s How to Get Your PhD: A Handbook for the Journey , which features an essay by me! Similarly, books that focus on academic careers (once you’ve got one) aren’t included (example: Timothy M. Sibbald and Victoria Handford, eds., The Academic Gateway ), nor are books that focus on navigating a career beyond the ivory tower. There are lots of books about academic writing and publishing, conducting and producing research, doing a dissertation, and related stuff. These aren’t included either.

Something missing? I occasionally update this list, so let me know what you think I should add or change.

Books for PhDs

This list is in alphabetical order by author’s last name. Some of these books are inexpensive; others are not. Most should be available via your university or local library, or even from your institution’s career services centre.

Fawzi Abou-Chahine, A Jobseeker’s Diary: Unlocking Employment Secrets (2021).

The short guide is directly aimed at PhDs, especially folks from STEM disciplines. Folks in the UK seeking roles in the private sector will certainly benefit from this book.

Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius, “ So What Are You Going to Do with That?” Finding Careers Outside Academia (3rd ed., 2014)

The best guide to figuring out your life post-PhD written by two humanities doctorates who’ve been there, done that. Includes many profiles of fellow (former) academics who’ve transitioned to careers beyond the tenure-track.

Loleen Berdahl and Jonathan Mallow, Work Your Career: Get What You Want from Your Social Sciences or Humanities PhD (2018).

I loved the authors’ emphasis on getting clear about what you want, and the advice to reflect at each stage of the graduate school process whether continuing on is the right one. It is refreshing to read a book on graduate school that neither presumes academia is the desired career outcome nor implies it ought to be. Instead, the authors encourage readers to keep their options open and rightly point out the benefits of varied work experience, training, and professionalism to careers within and beyond the Ivory Tower.

Natalia Bielczyk, What Is Out There for Me? The Landscape of Post-PhD Career Tracks (2nd ed., 2020).

A Europe-based computational scientist turned entrepreneur, Dr. Bielczyk offers an important perspective on PhD careers, one explicitly aimed at STEM folks. The book benefits from Bileczyk’s personal experiences, extensive research — including interviews with dozens of PhDs — and includes lots of specific advice and suggestions. You can subscribe to her YouTube channel and interact with her on social media.

Jenny Blake, Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One (2017)

From the description: “ What’s next? is a question we all have to ask and answer more frequently in an economy where the average job tenure is only four years, roles change constantly even within that time, and smart, motivated people find themselves hitting professional plateaus. But how do you evaluate options and move forward without getting stuck?”

Richard N. Bolles with Katharine Brooks, What Color is Your Parachute? 2021 : Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success (50th anniv. ed, 2020)

If you read only one book on how to get a job and change careers, make it this one. Bolles has an idiosyncratic writing style but his advice is spot-on. Read my review of the 2019 version here .

The 2021 edition was thoroughly updated by Katharine Brooks, EdD, who is the author of You Majored in What? (below). Great choice! An excellent way to bring a classic up to date, and at a time when good advice and guidance is particularly needed.

William Bridges, Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes  (40th anniv. ed., 2019)

Think you’re taking too long figuring out what’s next? You aren’t! In the pre-modern world, the transition—a psychological process as opposed to simply a change—was understood as a crucial part of life; not so nowadays. But to successfully navigate a transition, an individual has to experience an end, go through a period of nothingness or neutrality, and finally make a new beginning. No part of the process can be skipped or sped through. There are no shortcuts. (Bridges can relate to being post-PhD or on the alt-ac track: He’s got an ivy league PhD and was an English professor until going through an important transition of his own.)

Katharine Brooks, You Majored in What? Designing Your Path from College to Career (updated, 2017)

Dr. Brooks is a long-time career educator who (as of 2020) directs the career center at Vanderbilt University. This book is aimed at a broader audience of students, but don’t let that dissuade you from checking it out. Starting from the assumption that there are plenty of useful clues in what you’ve done and who you are, and filled with great exercises to help you parse them out, the book will take you through the career exploration process and set you up for a successful job search that is based on a sound understanding of what you want to do and how to make a strong case to employers.

Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-lived, Joyful Life (2016)

From the description: “In this book, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans show us how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.”

Christopher L. Caterine, Leaving Academia: A Practical Guide (2020)

Just published. Dr. Caterine is a classics PhD who transitioned into a career in strategic corporate communications. One thing that’s cool about this book is just that: He’s working in the private sector. Humanities PhDs are much less commonly found in the business world compared to academics with other backgrounds, and I think that’s a shame. Chris shows us it’s possible and how you can do it too. (But it’s fine if you’re looking elsewhere.)

Christopher Cornthwaite, Doctoring: Building a Life With a PhD (2020)

Dr. Cornthwaite is the Canadian religious studies PhD behind the blog and online community called Roostervane . He shares his story in hopes of inspiring those struggling to move forward with hope and strategies to build a career. Check out the online community too, useful for folks searching for non-academic positions as well as individuals launching side hustles or businesses as consultants of various kinds.

Leon F. Garcia Corona and Kathleen Wiens, eds., Voices of the Field: Pathways in Public Ethnomusicology (2021)

A friend of mine contributed a chapter to this. From the description: “These essays capture years of experience of fourteen scholars who have simultaneously navigated the worlds within and outside of academia, sharing valuable lessons often missing in ethnomusicological training. Power and organizational structures, marketing, content management and production are among the themes explored as an extension and re-evaluation of what constitutes the field of/in ethnomusicology. Many of the authors in this volume share how to successfully acquire funding for a project, while others illustrate how to navigate non-academic workplaces, and yet others share perspectives on reconciling business-like mindsets with humanistic goals.”

M.P. Fedunkiw, A Degree in Futility (2014)

I started to read this novel one day and just couldn’t stop until I finished. So many feelings! The main character defends her dissertation (history of science, U of T) at the beginning of the book, and the story ends a few years later. Fedunkiw has drawn on her own post-PhD experiences to write this wonderful book about a group of three friends navigating life, love, and work in and out of academia. Do read it.

Joseph Fruscione and Kelly J. Baker, eds., Succeeding Outside the Academy: Career Paths beyond the Humanities, Social Sciences, and STEM (2018)

Edited volume of contributions, primarily from women in humanities and social science fields. From the description: “Their accounts afford readers a firsthand view of what it takes to transition from professor to professional. They also give plenty of practical advice, along with hard-won insights into what making a move beyond the academy might entail—emotionally, intellectually, and, not least, financially. Imparting what they wish they’d known during their PhDs, these writers aim to spare those who follow in their uncertain footsteps. Together their essays point the way out of the ‘tenure track or bust’ mindset and toward a world of different but no less rewarding possibilities.”

Patrick Gallagher and Ashleigh Gallagher, The Portable PhD: Taking Your Psychology Career Beyond Academia (2020)

From the description: “Each chapter in this book offers tips and key terms for navigating various kinds of employment, as well as simple action steps for communicating your talents to hiring managers. Your ability to conduct research, to understand statistics and perform data analysis, and to perform technical or scientific writing are all highly valuable skills, as are the insights into human nature you’ve gained from your psychology studies, and your ability to think innovatively and work cooperatively in a variety of contexts.”

David M. Giltner, Turning Science into Things People Need (2017)

From the description: “In this book, ten respected scientists who have built successful careers in industry reveal new insights into how they made the transition from research scientist to industrial scientist or successful entrepreneur, serving as a guide to other scientists seeking to pursue a similar path. From the student preparing to transition into work in industry, to the scientist who is already working for a company, this book will show you how to sell your strengths and lead confidently.”

Alyssa Harad, Coming to My Senses: A Story of Perfume, Pleasure, and an Unlikely Bride (2012).

An English PhDs lovely memoir of discovering the wonders of perfume and embracing who she really is. A story of how one intellectual got back in touch with her feelings, a crucial step on the road to post-PhD happiness and fulfillment. Read an excerpt over at the Chronicle .

Leanne M. Horinko, Jordan M. Reed, James M. Van Wyck, The Reimagined PhD: Navigating 21st Century Humanities Education (2021).

This text appeals to both individual PhDs and graduate students figuring out their own pathway forward and faculty members and other university staff working to improve programs and professional development offerings at their campuses. I’m glad to see it out! (I was at the 2016 conference that inspired this book.)

Hillary Hutchinson and Mary Beth Averill, Scaling the Ivory Tower: Your Academic Job Search Workbook (2019)

Two long-time academic coaches wrote this fantastic guide and workbook for the academic job market. They take you step-by-step through the process of understanding how hiring works — and how it works differently for specific types of positions and kinds of institutions, getting sorted for your search, where to find job ads and other crucial information, staying organized, creating all your materials, prepping for interviews, and other considerations. The book also takes a clear-eyed view of academia and it’s challenges for job seekers, both in the US and around the world. This book is an essential companion to your academic job search. Buying the e-book version? Download and print the worksheets here .

Natalie Jackson, ed., Non-Academic Careers for Quantitative Social Scientists: A Practical Guide to Maximizing Your Skills and Opportunitie s (2023).

If you’re at an institution, check to see if you have free access to this ebook via Springer.

Kaaren Janssen and Richard Sever, eds., Career Options for Biomedical Scientists (2014).

From the description: “This book plugs the gap by providing information about a wide variety of different careers that individuals with a PhD in the life sciences can pursue. Covering everything from science writing and grant administration to patent law and management consultancy, the book includes firsthand accounts of what the jobs are like, the skills required, and advice on how to get a foot in the door. It will be a valuable resource for all life scientists considering their career options and laboratory heads who want to give career advice to their students and postdocs.”

Karen Kelsky, The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide to Turning Your Ph.D. Into A Job (2015)

Dr. Kelsky is dedicated to telling the truth about the academic job market. This book expands on and collects in one place her huge archive of advice and information for PhDs — particularly those aiming for tenure-track positions at US universities. There is advice and resources for “leaving the cult” (part X), a section heading that gives you a sense of where she’s coming from! Academic is its own beast, and its idiosyncracies and unwritten, untold norms and rules belie claims of meritocracy. If you’re going to aim for a tenure-track position, make sure you know what you’re going into and how to increase your chances of success where positions are scarce.

Peggy Klaus, Brag: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn without Blowing It (2004)

In my experience, PhDs are excellent at not tooting their own horns, for lots of reasons, good and less-good. Here’s how you can talk about yourself appropriately in hopes of moving forward in your career. Great book.

Kathryn E. Linder, Kevin Kelly, and Thomas J. Tobin, Going Alt-Ac: A Guide to Alternative Academic Careers (2020).

If you’re doing or have a doctorate and want to be meaningfully employed in or around higher education, you must read this book – and do what it says. It’s full of clear, practical advice and example jobs where PhDs excel. I was impressed with the depth of knowledge and wide-ranging, thoughtful advice presented, useful for career explorers and seasoned professionals both (and everyone in between). It it’s been a while since you’ve taken a long, hard look at your professional situation, this book will help you revisit your goals and provide smart strategies to move your career forward in just the right way for you.

Kathleen Miller et al. (eds), Moving On: Essays on the Aftermath of Leaving Academia (2014)

Featuring an essay by your truly and many other contributions. By the women behind the now-defunct site How to Leave Academia.

Rachel Neff, Chasing Chickens: When Life after Higher Education Doesn’t Go the Way You Planned (2019)

From the description: “So, you have your PhD, the academic world’s your oyster, but teaching jobs, it turns out, are as rare as pearls. Take it from someone who’s been there: your disappointment, approached from a different angle, becomes opportunity. Marshaling hard-earned wisdom tempered with a gentle wit, Rachel Neff brings her own experiences to bear on the problems facing so many frustrated exiles from the groves of academe: how to turn ‘This wasn’t the plan!’ into ‘Why not?’”

M. R. Nelson, Navigating the Path to Industry: A Hiring Manager’s Advice for Academics Looking for a Job in Industry (2014)

Melanie Nelson’s useful guide is aimed at STEM PhDs who already know where they’re headed. She earned a PhD in the biosciences and has worked as a hiring manager in industry for over a decade.

Rebecca Peabody,  The Unruly PhD: Doubts, Detours, Departures, and Other Success Stories   (2014)

A collection of first-hand accounts and interviews with people who’ve travelled in, through, and beyond graduate school. Read my review here .

Katie Rose Guest Pryal, The Freelance Academic: Transform Your Creative Life and Career (2019).

Read this book! Katie Pryal provides helpful advice for getting started with the practical stuff, as well as grounding yourself in the reality of the gig economy. It’s particularly good for arts and humanities PhDs and similar academically-focused folks who think business isn’t for them. Take it from Dr. Pryal (and me): You can do this.

Tom Rath, StrengthsFinder 2.0: Discover Your CliftonStrengths (2017)

Take this one out of your local library to read the descriptions and learn about the concept of (work) strengths. If you want to take the assessment, you can purchase the book outright or do that on Gallup’s website . If you’re newer to the world of work beyond the academy, this book and the description of strengths will give you all kinds of useful words and phrases to use to understand what you enjoy, what you bring to a workplace, and effectively communicate all that to potential employers and professional colleagues. Embracing strengths will give you a positive, forward-looking way of approaching career building, and it can change your life for the better.

Katine L. Rogers, Putting the Humanities PhD to Work: Thriving in and beyond the Classroom (2020)

From the introduction: “This book invites readers to consider ways that humanities graduate training can open unexpected doors that lead to meaningful careers with significant public impact, while also suggesting that an expanded understanding of scholarly success can foster more equitable and inclusive systems in and around the academy.” Good. Do read this one if you’re currently a student or if your work has anything to do with advising students or creating and maintaining the graduate training ecosystem within and beyond institutions.

Martin E. P. Seligman, Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being (2011)

An update to his bestselling book Authentic Happiness (also worth reading), this introduced me to the concept of PERMA: that to flourish in life and work, you need to consider and evaluate how frequently you experience have positive emotions (P), feel engaged (E), have positive relationships (R), feel what you’re doing is meaningful (M), and have a sense of accomplishment (A). This isn’t about careers specifically, but it might help you reframe what counts as success in your work life, and that’s particularly crucial for career changers.

Melanie V. Sinche, Next Gen PhD: A Guide to Career Paths in Science (2016)

From the description: “Next Gen PhD provides a frank and up-to-date assessment of the current career landscape facing science PhDs. Nonfaculty careers once considered Plan B are now preferred by the majority of degree holders, says Melanie Sinche. An upper-level science degree is a prized asset in the eyes of many employers, and a majority of science PhDs build rewarding careers both inside and outside the university. A certified career counselor with extensive experience working with graduate students and postdocs, Sinche offers step-by-step guidance through the career development process: identifying personal strengths and interests, building work experience and effective networks, assembling job applications, and learning tactics for interviewing and negotiating—all the essentials for making a successful career transition.”

Don. J. Snyder, The Cliff Walk: A Memoir of a Job Lost and a Life Found (1998)

A marvelous memoir written by a former tenure-track professor at Colgate University who was suddenly let go. This is the story of his journey through unemployment. You will relate. What’s neat is to look up what he does now — but do read the book before you do! I quote from the book in this post .

Matteo Tardelli, Beyond Academia: Stories and Strategies for PhDs Making the Leap to Industry (2023)

This book takes readers through a 4-step process to reflect on what they want, explore job options, apply for roles, and conduct job interviews and negotiate offers. This is Dr. Tardelli’s second book for PhDs moving to non-academic careers; his first one is partly a memoir about his own journey: The Salmon Leap for PhDs (2020).

Anna Marie Trester, Bringing Linguistics to Work: A Story Listening, Story Finding, and Story Telling Approach to Your Career (2017)

My friend and colleagues Dr. Anna Marie Trester is the expert on careers for linguists, and more broadly is a great resource for thinking creatively and expansively about the value of your social sciences and humanities education to the wider world of work and career development. Check out her website for more offerings, CareerLinguist.com .

Jennifer Brown Urban and Miriam R. Linver, eds., Building a Career Outside Academia: A Guide for Doctoral Students in the Behavioral and Social Sciences (2019)

From the description: “This career guide examines the rewarding opportunities that await social and behavioral science doctorates in nonacademic sectors, including government, consulting, think tanks, for-profit corporations, and nonprofit associations. Chapters offers tips for leveraging support from mentors, conducting job searches, marketing your degree and skill set, networking, and preparing for interviews. This expert guidance will help you decide what career is the best fit for you.”

Julia Miller Vick, Jennifer S. Furlong, and Rosanne Lurie, The Academic Job Search Handbook (5th ed., 2016)

Pick this one up for trustworthy job market advice and info — the first edition was published in 1992! — and the dozens of sample cover letters, CVs, and statements of various kinds. It covers an array of fields, from professionally-oriented doctorates to STEM and humanities. This book is a beast, and might be overwhelming. Tackle it bit by bit and keep it as a reference as you gear up for the job market, prepare and submit applications, and move along the hiring process toward negotiation and acceptance.

Susan Britton Whitcomb, Resume Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer (4th ed., 2010)

This was the book I found most useful when I was researching how to write a good resume (as opposed to an academic CV).

phd books

Mastering Your PhD

Survival and Success in the Doctoral Years and Beyond

  • © 2022
  • Latest edition
  • Patricia Gosling 0 ,
  • Bart Noordam 1

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ASML (Netherlands), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Is packed with highly valuable insights for doing or considering a Ph.D., especially in natural sciences

Features a now essential guide to remote learning, virtual meetings and conferences, and online collaboration

Covers everything from choosing the right programme to navigating group dynamics and publishing scientific papers

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About this book

This bestselling book guides PhD students through their graduate years and beyond. Filled with practical advice on getting started, communicating with your supervisor, staying the course, and planning for the future, this book is an indispensable guide for graduate students who need that extra bit of help getting started and making it through.

Who  should  read  this  book? Any student currently in, or curious about, a PhD programme, be it in the physical and life sciences, engineering, computer science, math, medicine, or the humanities — this book tackles the obstacles and hurdles that almost all PhD students face during their doctoral training. Whether you’re at the very beginning of your research, close to the end, or just feeling frustrated and stuck at any point in between…it’s never too early — or too late — to focus on your success!

This third edition contains a variety of new material, including additional chapters and advice on how to make the most of remote learning, collaboration, and communication tools, as well as updated material on your next career step once you have your coveted doctoral degree in hand. Some of the material in the third edition appeared as part of a monthly column on the ScienceCareers website.

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phd books

A PhD Is a Journey, But Where Will It Lead?

phd books

Surviving and Thriving in Academia: Obtaining Balance, Health, and Clarity

“your skills are valuable and you likely have many options after your phd”.

  • Managing Graduate School
  • Graduate Student Guide
  • Organizing PhD Work
  • Guide for PhD Students
  • Planning a PhD Thesis
  • Social Networking for Graduate Students
  • Wikipedia for Department
  • Virtual Scientific Conferences
  • Remote Research Collaboration
  • How to Write a Scientific Paper
  • How to Get Research Funding
  • Peer Review Process
  • First-Year Evaluation
  • Career Outside Academia
  • Non-Academic Career Opportunities
  • Should I Stay PhD

Table of contents (25 chapters)

Front matter, choosing a research group: pluses and pitfalls.

  • Patricia Gosling, Bart Noordam

Getting Started

Setting goals and objectives, how to think like a scientist, designing good experiments, charting your progress month by month, dealing with setbacks, mentors, leadership, and community, how to get along with your labmates, et al., group dynamics: dealing with difficult colleagues, the art of good communication, mastering presentations and group meetings, searching the scientific literature, your first international conference, remote collaboration, from data to manuscript: writing scientific papers that shine, celebrate your success, how to make the most of your annual evaluation, the final year: countdown to your thesis defence, authors and affiliations.

Patricia Gosling

Bart Noordam

About the authors

Dr. Patricia Gosling has worked in several science-related fields since earning her PhD in organic chemistry, including medical publishing and medical communications. After many years as a medical writer in the Clinical Sciences and Regulatory departments in the Pharma and Biotech industry, she currently works as a freelance science editor.

Prof. Dr. Bart Noordam has supervised close to 10 PhD students in experimental physics. He is currently Senior Vice President Strategy at ASML in the Netherlands, manufacturing complex machines for the production of computer chips. He has also worked as the Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam, McKinsey & Company, and as chair of a regional audit organization.

Bibliographic Information

Book Title : Mastering Your PhD

Book Subtitle : Survival and Success in the Doctoral Years and Beyond

Authors : Patricia Gosling, Bart Noordam

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11417-5

Publisher : Springer Cham

eBook Packages : Physics and Astronomy , Physics and Astronomy (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022

Softcover ISBN : 978-3-031-11416-8 Published: 29 November 2022

eBook ISBN : 978-3-031-11417-5 Published: 28 November 2022

Edition Number : 3

Number of Pages : XII, 197

Number of Illustrations : 10 b/w illustrations, 1 illustrations in colour

Topics : Science, multidisciplinary , Engineering, general , Life Sciences, general , Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, multidisciplinary , Mathematics, general , Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

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The Ultimate Guide to Doing a PhD

Have you ever considered doing a PhD, but have no idea where to start? Or are you doing a PhD and feel like you're losing the plot?Deciding to do a PhD is going to be one of the most impactful choices you'll ever make. It's a multi-year commitment that can really shape your career and your life. Yet as important as the PhD is, there's not much collated information about the process as a whole: this is where this book comes in!It explores every aspect of doing a PhD from application to graduation, and the whole mess in between. There are chapters on the motivation to do a PhD, the application process itself, questions around workload, time management, mental health, (peer) pressure, supervisor (mis)communications, teaching, networking, conference attendance, all the way up to publishing your thesis, and preparing for the next steps. And no, the next steps don't necessarily mean continuing to work in academia. This book addresses both career pathways, whether leaving or staying in academia, equally.This book aims to take a PhD student or prospective student by the hand and outline the entire PhD process, answering every question you might possibly have along the way.

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20 Best Research Methodology Books for Ph.D. Students

20 Best Research Methodology Books for PhD Students..

As a Ph.D. candidate, research methodology is of the utmost importance for the completion of your degree. Books on research can be an invaluable resource to Ph.D. students. These will help you with researching books, improving your planning, and help you to identify the most professional dissertation writers. If you would like to learn more about the best research books for Ph.D. students, then the following article will be your guide. 

1. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 4 th Edition

The hallmark of this textbook is that it describes and compares the three main types of research methodology as well as the writing involved. This makes it quite different to many other books and services targeting Ph.D. students. The world’s changing and most dissertation writing from Ph.D. writers from EDUbirdie are not focused on singular methods anymore. And that is what you will find in this book – insights, and support for any method that you are pursuing.

 This makes it far easier to understand and select the concept that fits your study best. The textbook goes one step further by also having a philosophical conversation about research methodology. As such, it explores ethical and moral concerns, in addition, to logistical ones. This makes the book a great deal more well-rounded than its literary counterparts. 

2. The Craft of Research, 3 rd Edition

Even works produced by top Ph.D. writing services can be difficult to understand, particularly for layman readers. This is because the thesis and resulting work haven’t been properly explained. This textbook helps to correct this by showing you how to properly outline your argument and the supporting evidence. In doing so, you will find that you are better equipped to write a more compelling paper. 

3. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches, 3 rd Edition

If you are focused on qualitative research methodology, then this textbook should be at the very top of your list. It breaks down the main five approaches to a qualitative inquiry by looking at the fundamental elements of each one of them. The author offers even more support by giving you guidelines on constructing your ideas as well as improving the standard of your work. 

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4. Doing Your Research Project (Open Up Study Skills), 5 th Edition

This is the textbook that you should be reaching for if you want to get on the same level as good Ph.D. writing services. It is especially useful for those who have only just begun their Ph.D. journey. This textbook contains crucial information on the most basic of skills . This includes preparing for your research, drafting your paper, and putting the finishing touches on it. 

6. The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project, 2 nd Edition

If you are feeling rusty regarding any of your research methodology, then this textbook can help you out. This is undoubtedly one of the more comprehensive books on research. All the stages of the research process are broken down and the text even includes summaries, glossaries, and much more. 

7. Naturalistic Inquiry, 1 st Edition

If your research topic is based on the field of social science, then this is a top book for Ph.D. students. For one thing, it challenges traditional approaches and proposes more progressive and accurate forms of study. Following the concepts and advice of this book could lead to more accurate results. 

8. Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation, 4 th Edition

This book offers the latest insight into qualitative research. As such, you will be able to move your study and thesis into a new era. The text should also give you better insight into researching books for your thesis, creating a modern approach to your work.

9. The Research Methods Knowledge Base, 3 rd Edition

This is a great textbook, regardless of the field that you are in. It offers up comprehensive coverage of both qualitative vs quantitative research methods. The language in the book is equally accessible to both novices as well as professional dissertation writers. This book will help to clear up any questions or confusion you may have. 

10. Introducing Research Methodology: A Beginner’s Guide to Doing a Research Project 2 nd Edition

As the name suggests, this is an excellent guide to those who are just starting out with their research project. Whether you need to brush up on the subject matter, improve your overall approach, or would like to create a more structured concept, this book will help you in all these areas. It will be like hiring your own dissertation writing services. 

11. The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research, 4 th Edition

There is no denying that research needs to be more diverse than ever before. If this is a concept that you would like to include in your work, this textbook can help you. Here, qualitative research is given a social spin and is applied to more real-world terms. As such, it can improve the quality and accuracy of your current and future work. 

12. The Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and Perspective in the Research Process

There is quite a bit of variation in schools of thought, terminology, and more when it comes to social research. This textbook takes the trouble to break all these down and discuss the discrepancy. In turn, this makes it far easier for you to get a more comprehensive understanding of your next step in researching books. 

13. Essentials of Research Design and Methodology

If you want fuss-free assistance on selecting research and creating an efficient research plan, this textbook will help you out. There is a lot of information available in data collection, assessment strategies, interpretation methods, and more. 

14. Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods: An Investigative Approach

In case you are having trouble grasping various concepts of quantitative research methods, you will find this book rather useful. This is because the authors take a different approach to handling these topics. They tackle each concept like detectives and use real-world problem-solving schematics. Thus, it functions as an excellent Ph.D. writing service. 

15. Research Justice 

For research to be applicable to a real-world scenario, it must appeal to all demographics. This book shows you how to create a thesis and carry out research so that you are creating a more diverse group of participants. In doing so, you make your research far more relevant by modern standards. 

16. Single Case Research Methodology, 3 rd Edition

It doesn’t matter if you are a Ph.D. student, researcher, or even a professional practitioner. This book will guide you through all aspects of single case research methodology. With the help of this text, you can conduct single-case design studies, interpret findings, write proposals, and a whole lot more. 

17. Qualitative Dissertation Methodology: A Guide for Research Design and Methods, 1 st Edition 

One of the more useful aspects of this book is that it is based on actual students’ experiences. Thus, it adequately tackles all the obstacles that you may come across when researching books, writing proposals, or doing actual research. The book breaks down all elements of qualitative research into smaller parts, making it more manageable for students. 

18. Research and Publications Planner: The Graduate Student’s Guide to Publishing Academic Research

This book is written by a graduate student. Thus, it appreciates the real-world struggles of coming up with research ideas and then executing your vision. The book guides you through every step of the way, making it easy for you to structure and organize your work so that you are creating a more cohesive document. 

19. Doing Academic Research: A Practical Guide to Research Methods and Analysis

This book is suitable for students that are looking for books on research in any field. It doesn’t matter if you are humanity, business, or social science – this book will appeal to you. As the title suggests, this is a practical guide. Therefore, it will provide you with relevant information and assistance every step of the way. 

20. Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods, 6 th Edition

If you are engaged in case study research, then you should check out this book. This is because it uses numerous real-world case studies to give you a clearer idea of how to write, analyze , and come to your own conclusions with your current work. The writer also offers up suggestions for improvements as well as how to improve the accuracy of your research. 

21. Research Methods: A Practical Guide for Students and Researchers 

This book allows you to do research in an organized and concise manner. It starts from the very beginning of your research process and gives you tips and suggestions that are useful at every stage. Furthermore, it gives you real-world examples to describe what is being explained in the book. This is a suitable option for students across all disciplines. 

These are the top research methodology books for Ph.D. students to invest in. It doesn’t matter what discipline you are in or what kind of research you are doing. You can guarantee that at least one of these books will give you the guidance and answers that you are looking for. 

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Tom Bennett Lab

The 7 Books Every PhD Student Should Read

By alex wakeman.

Let’s be honest. If you’re nerdy enough to be doing a PhD, you probably love a good book. Whether you’re looking for entertainment or advice, distraction or comfort, the seven listed here can each, in their own way, help you through your frustrating but uniquely rewarding life of a PhD student.   

  • Isaac Asimov – I, Robot   

“1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2) A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.  

3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.”  

The Three Laws of Robotics. Simple. Elegant. Watertight. What could go wrong? These three, now legendary rules are printed on the first page of ‘I, Robot’ then are immediately followed by a series of masterful short stories in which Asimov dismantles his seemingly perfect creation before your very eyes. With ‘I, Robot’ (and many of his other works) Asimov displays dozens of ways rules can be bent and circumvented. As it turns out, a lot can go wrong.   

In some ways, this collection of short stories about misbehaving robots acts as a training manual for one of the most essential skills any PhD student must develop: discerning truth. Has that experiment proved what you think it proves? To what extent does it prove that? Are you sure? You might be convinced, but will everyone else at the conference see it that way? At first glance, Asimov’s Three Laws seem like a pretty good crack at a clear and concise system to prevent anything from quirky, metallic shenanigans to an anti-organic apocalypse. Are you sure about that? Look at them again, have a think, test them as vigorously as you would any real-world proof. Then go and read ‘I, Robot’ and find out how wrong you were.  

  • Sayaka Murata – Convenience Store Woman   

You could probably be doing something better with your life, you know. Most people doing a PhD are a pretty effective combination of intelligent and driven. You almost certainly got a 1 st  or a 2:1 in a bachelor’s degree, probably a masters. Someone with this profile could certainly find a career with a starting salary above the RCUK minimum stipend level of £15,285 a year, likely one with a much more concrete future ahead of them as well. For most people it doesn’t make a lot of sense to do a PhD; it’s a huge investment of time and energy directed towards a very specialised end. But there are plenty of good reasons to do one as well and if you’re currently working on a PhD you are probably (I sincerely hope) aware of one of the main ones: it’s fun. It really can be fun, at least for a very peculiar type of person. But, of course, it’s not a particularly normal idea of fun. Most people have had their fill of learning by the end of school, or at most university, and it can sometimes be tough convincing a partner or family member that this genuinely is what you enjoy, despite the dark rings they’ve noticed forming under your eyes.   

Keiko would probably understand. She feels a very similar way. Not about PhDs or learning, making novel discoveries, or changing the world for the better; but she does feel a very similar way about her work in a convenience store. She enjoys everything about the convenience store, from the artificial 24/7 light to the starchy slightly ill-fitting uniforms, it provides her with enough money for rent and food and she wants for little else. Murata presents us with a tender and often hilarious portrait of a woman attempting to claim agency over her own, unique way of living, and convince others of the simple joy it brings her. If the average PhD student is twice as strange as your typical person, then as a PhD student you have twice as much reason to follow this proudly comforting story of an atypical person and her atypical interest.    

  • Viktor Frankl – Man’s Search for Meaning   

Suffering is relative. It is certain that I will struggle with my PhD. I am still in the early days of my studies, but I am aware that studying for a PhD is likely going to be the hardest thing I have done with my life so far.  In all the interviews I had for various funding schemes and DTPs, not one failed to ask a question that amounted to: “How will you cope?”. But at its worst my PhD still won’t cause me to suffer nearly as much as Viktor Frankl did. Don’t think I’m recommending this book to remind you to ‘count yourself lucky’, or any similar nonsense; Frankl isn’t concerned with pity, or one upping your struggles, he just wants you to feel fulfilled, even in the worst moments when nothing’s going right and you’re starting to doubt if you’re even capable of completing a PhD.   

The first half of ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ is a stark, sometimes unpleasant autobiographical account of Frankl’s time imprisoned in various Nazi concentration camps. But the difficulty of the subject matter is worth it for the fascinatingly unique perspective of the author: Viktor Frankl was one of the 20 th  Century’s foremost neurologists. The first-hand experience of one of Europe’s blackest events – viewed through the lens of a Jewish psychiatrist – could quite easily paint a rather bleak and hopeless image of humanity. This, however, is not the case. Instead, Frankl uses the second half of the book to explain in layman’s terms the psychological basis behind his biggest contribution to his field: Logotherapy. Frankl emerges from the immense suffering of the holocaust to clearly and kindly encourage us to find meaning and joy in all parts of life. Far from being a depressing read ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ is instead likely to leave you feeling inspired, cared for, and capable of getting through whatever nonsensical data, failed experiments, and frustrating failures your PhD might throw at you.   

  • John Ratey – Spark!   

We’ve all had times in our lives when we felt that we couldn’t afford to exercise, when life is just so overwhelmingly occupied, there’s too many important things going on. At some points in your PhD, when you feel too busy to take a break, see friends, or cook a proper dinner, having a go at the ‘Couch to 5k’ certainly doesn’t look like it’ll be getting any of your valuable hours any time soon. But after several decades of researching the human brain, Professor John Ratey is here to argue that you can’t afford  not  to exercise.  

I’m sure it isn’t a great revelation to you that exercise is vital for your physical health, but ‘Spark!’ instead implores us to think of exercise as an essential activity for our brain. With an abundance of examples from modern publications in psychiatry and neuroscience, Ratey explains the effects of regular exercise on the human brain. Better memory, improved problem solving, better pattern recognition, longer periods of focus, reduced procrastination and improved mood; I struggle to believe there’s a single human being who would not benefit from every one of these and the countless other benefits discussed throughout the book. But for PhD students, whose work is especially dependent on the functioning of their brain, the effects are potentially even more transformative. You wouldn’t dream of mistreating the expensive lab microscope. You’d never work with equipment that had been left dysfunctional due to lack of care: why treat your own brain any differently? 

  • Hermann Hesse – The Glass Bead Game  

 PhD students are students. Sometimes this is painfully clear, sometimes it is easy to forget. But nevertheless, learning is at the centre of a PhD and learning is a two way-street. There is no learning without teaching, even if the learner and the teacher are the same person. ‘The Glass Bead Game’ is a novel about learning and teaching, it is a realistic portrait of two sides of the same coin, simultaneously superimposed upon one another. 

The story takes place in an imaginary European province in which experts, scientists, scholars, and philosophers are allotted unlimited resources and are permitted to follow any interest or whim to their heart’s content. In many ways this place may sound utopian compared to the current state of academia, so ruthless in its limitation of funding, and so stringent in its selection processes. Yet this is not a utopian novel. But neither is it a dystopian one. Hesse somehow manages to create a world that feels genuine and authentic, despite its fantastical premise. Though he uses the extreme concept of a country entirely focused on pedagogy to explore the nature of learning, this extremity never becomes fanciful with regards to the positives and negatives of such a way of living. Rather than leaving the reader with a melancholic longing for a fantasy world where the streets are paved with postdoc positions, the realism of ‘The Glass Bead Game’ is more likely to help you find a balanced appreciation for life in academia, better able to accept it’s many blemishes, and in doing so more able to appreciate it’s many joys.  

  • Plato – The Last Days of Socrates   

A PhD is a doctor of philosophy. As PhD students we are all therefore philosophers-in-training. We are learning how to ask precise questions, and how to answer them in a convincing, conclusive manner. We are learning to fully understand the nature of evidence and proof, to recognise when something is proved and when it is not. The word itself comes from the Greek ‘philos’ (loving) and ‘sophia’ (wisdom), an apt description of anyone willing to spend several years of their life researching one extremely niche topic that few others know or care about.   

Although the Classical philosophers arrived long before any concept of scientific method, and they often came to some conclusions that now seem laughable, a small understanding of their world can do a lot for any 21st century philosopher. This book in itself won’t come to any ground breaking conclusions that haven’t been long since disproved, or better communicated, but it’s place in this list is earned as an essential introduction to the history of asking questions. At a time in which more and more people are recoiling from the influence of experts, this story of a man being put on trial for asking too many questions remains as relevant as it was 2,000 years ago. And ultimately, this book would still earn its spot on this list solely as the source of the famous scene in which Socrates insists that the only reason the Oracle named him the wisest of the Greeks, was because he alone amongst the Greeks knows that he knows nothing – a statement that may haunt and comfort any PhD student, depending on the day.  

  • Walt Whitman – Leaves of Grass   

Perhaps you’re wondering how a book of 19 th  Century poetry is going to help you be a better PhD student. Unlike the other entries on this list, I will make no claim to its ability to help you think better, nor will it help you ask better questions, nor make you feel more justified in your choice of career path. ‘Leaves of Grass’ will not help you be a better PhD student in any way, because you are not a PhD student, you are a human being, and that’s enough. Not only is that enough, that’s everything. To Walt Whitman there’s nothing more you can be. It is quite easy for your view of the world (and therefore your place in it) to become narrowed. You spend all day working on your PhD. All, or most of your colleagues are doing the same, perhaps many of your friends as well. But your PhD is not your life. The success or failure of your research is not you. The accumulation of three Latin characters at the end of your name is not an indication of value. If you are to read any of the books that I have recommended here make it this one and there will be no problem over the coming years that you will not be prepared for, not because it will guarantee your success, but because it will assure you that whilst there are trees and birds and stars and sunlight there doesn’t need to be anything more – anything else that comes out of each day is a welcome (but unnecessary) add-on. Whatever happens during your PhD, whether your thesis changes the world, or all your plans come to nothing, or you drop out halfway through, or you take ten years to finish. Just be you, be alive, be human, and know that that’s more than enough. 

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  • PhD/Doctorate

5 must-reads for doctoral students

January 11, 2016

The decision to pursue a doctoral degree can be exciting and scary at the same time.

Good preparation will ease the path to writing a great dissertation. Reading some expert guide books will expand your knowledge and pave the way for the rigorous work ahead.

Capella University faculty, doctoral students, and alumni recommend these five books for doctoral students in any discipline.

1. How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading  by Mortimer J. Adler

“One book fundamental to my doctoral education that my mentor had my entire cohort read, and which I still recommend to this day, is  How To Read a Book , which discusses different reading practices and different strategies for processing and retaining information from a variety of texts.” – Michael Franklin, PhD, Senior Dissertation Advisor, Capella School of Public Service and Education.

Originally published in 1940, and with half a million copies in print,  How to Read a Book  is the most successful guide to reading comprehension and a Capella favorite. The book introduces the various levels of reading and how to achieve them—including elementary reading, systematic skimming, inspectional reading, and speed-reading.

Adler also includes instructions on different techniques that work best for reading particular genres, such as practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry, history, science and mathematics, philosophy, and social science works.

2. Dissertations and Theses from Start to Finish  by John D. Cone, PhD and Sharon L. Foster, PhD

This book discusses the practical, logistical, and emotional stages of research and writing. The authors encourage students to dive deeper into defining topics, selecting faculty advisers, scheduling time to accommodate the project, and conducting research.

In clear language, the authors offer their advice, answer questions, and break down the overwhelming task of long-form writing into a series of steps.

3. Writing Your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day  by Joan Balker

This book is recommended for its tips on compartmentalizing a large project into actionable items, which can be helpful when working on a project as mammoth as a dissertation. Balker connects with the failure and frustration of writing (as she failed her first attempt at her doctorate), and gives encouragement to students who encounter the fear of a blank page.

She reminds dissertation writers that there are many people who face the same writing struggles and offers strong, practical advice to every graduate student.  Writing Your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day  can be applied to any stage of the writing process.

4. From Topic to Defense: Writing a Quality Social Science Dissertation in 18 Months or Less  by Ayn Embar-Seddon O’Reilly, Michael K Golebiewski, and Ellen Peterson Mink

As the authors of this book state, “Earning a doctorate degree requires commitment, perseverance, and personal sacrifice—placing some things in our lives on hold. It is, by no means, easy—and there really is nothing that can make it ‘easy.’”

This book provides support for the most common stumbling blocks students encounter on their road to finishing a dissertation. With a focus on a quick turnaround time for dissertations, this book also outlines the importance of preparation and is a good fit for any graduate student looking for support and guidance during his or her dissertation process.

From Topic to Defense  can be used to prepare for the challenges of starting a doctoral program with helpful tools for time management, structure, and diagnostics.

5. What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: A Short Guide to Making Over Your Mornings—and Life  by Laura Vanderkam

According to author and time management expert Laura Vanderkam, mornings are key to taking control of schedules, and if used wisely, can be the foundation for habits that allow for happier, more productive lives.

This practical guide will inspire doctoral students to rethink morning routines and jump-start the day before it’s even begun. Vanderkam draws on real-life anecdotes and research to show how the early hours of the day are so important.

Pursuing a doctoral degree is a big decision and long journey, but it also can be an exciting and positive experience. Learn more about Capella’s  online doctoral programs .

What's it like to be a doctoral student?

Learn more about the experience, explore each step of the journey, and read stories from students who have successfully earned their doctorate. 

Explore The Doctoral Journey >>

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Should you be reading for pleasure in graduate school?

Think you only have time to read text books in grad school? That’s what I thought too. You have more time than you think. Your future self will tell you so (trust me). The 5-15 hours and $8-$35 it will take you to read any of these books will pay itself back in time and earnings many-fold throughout your student life and in your first job offer after graduation. Invest in yourself and reap the benefits later.

Don’t set out to read all these books at once. Order 2-3 to start and read them in small doses. Take the day to think about the pages you just read and how they can apply to your life. After you see the changes manifest, come back and find a few other books to continue your journey to becoming your best self.

Follow the links below to have these books in your hands in a few days with Amazon. These are referral links, which means that purchasing these items through these links results in a small percentage of the sale helping to support this blog at no cost to you. We appreciate your support so we can continue putting out helpful content and reviews to help you find the best tools for your research!

* Reminder: Prices on Amazon fluctuate and there are new, used and eBook versions. Follow the links to check the most current prices.

Books to improve your academic writing skills and research output:

How to write a lot: a practical guide to productive academic writing by paul silvia.

This book won’t make you a better writer. It’ll make you a more prolific one. By focusing on good writing habits and drawing clear boundaries between writing time and personal time, you’ll start to turn the excruciating blank page process into a series of small measured successes.

The 2 nd edition includes new sections for advice on grant writing and fellowship proposals, making it a favorite book of many post-docs and new faculty. He also deconstructs every excuse you could ever make for not writing, relying on binge-writing and otherwise procrastinating.

If you follow the advice in this book you should expect benefits to your mental health and work-life balance because you won’t always “feel like you should be writing.” Try it!

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How-to-Write-a-Lot

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

A bestselling classic about the writing process, writer’s block and the internal obstacles in the writer’s mind. Not specifically about graduate school or academia but is included in this list because it is so highly recommended in the writing community.

The title refers to a short story from her childhood about writing a paper about birds. Like the “How to write a lot” book above, this one encourages a steady and consistent process taking small tasks one at a time. You won’t find a lot of advice about how to write well in this book.

This is written for anyone who struggles with anxiety, perfectionism and paralysis when staring at the blank page and blinking cursor. It’s more of an introspection to ease your nerves with a few exercises to help you get started.

Bird-by-Bird

Several Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg

A unique book that can help snap you out of typical academic writing mode “…thus the present findings elucidate a novel method for exploring the behavior and interactions of…”

Almost poetic. Almost rhythmic. Straight to the point. The author explains in free form the fallacies and illusions of forming sentences and getting them onto the page. This will force you to re-think your mental process resulting in better sentences and better papers.

The end of the book covers examples of common sentences and calls out the superfluous wording, re-writing it with only the essentials.

Ever had trouble fitting a personal statement into two pages or a proposal into six pages? This is the book for concise and punchy writing. When you can convey more information than your competition, you gain the edge.

Several-Short-Sentences-About-Writing

Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis by Joan Bolker

If you’re lacking motivation, struggling to get started every day or are completely overwhelmed by the massive task at hand, give this book a look. It doesn’t offer any real advice on the details of a dissertation but instead aims to instill confidence in the reader. The author guides you through setting daily page goals, storing ideas and getting something…anything down on the page each day. Essentially a personal confidence coach for writing, applicable to more than just a dissertation.

Writing-Your-Dissertation-in-Fifteen-Minutes-a-Day

The Scientist's Guide to Writing: How to Write More Easily and Effectively throughout Your Scientific Career by Stephen B. Heard

A little-known but well-reviewed book on how to improve your science writing. This one also discusses the writing process but with a focus on structuring the story of your paper to clearly convey your experiments, results and conclusions. He often takes a whimsical tone that makes it a fun read. The author breaks down the structure of a scientific paper and the functions of each part. He also dives into the details on submitting, revising and coauthoring scientific papers. This is perhaps the most detailed guide to scientific writing in this list and the advice is reinforced with specific examples.

If you’ve ever written a critical literature review, you probably identified a handful of authors whose papers were just more enjoyable to read. This book can help you become that author. This book also makes for a great gift for a grad student about to dive into first-author writing.

The-Scientist's-Guide-to-Writing

Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded by Joshua Schimel

Great technical writing tells a story. If you’re wondering how experiments and data can be framed as a story, then this book is a must-read for you. This is one of the best books for writing fellowship proposals, research proposals and research grants. Dr. Schimel comes from a biology background but his experience on major government funding agency panels has given him the insight to know what gets funded.

I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author breaks down classical story structure and relates it to the segments of a strong research proposal. Don’t skip the exercises; they are the most valuable part of this book. He’s exceptionally good at exploring these ideas at all levels, from the macro to the micro, and I came away with a much clearer picture of how to write a cohesive and multi-level proposal.

It’s an easy weekend read that you should approach with a highlighter a notepad ready. If this one book helps you land even one grant, it will be paying itself back roughly 1000-fold.

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The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success by Lawrence Machi

I took a chance on this book before writing my literature review for qualifiers. We eventually published the review to a major journal in my field and it’s gained over 600 citations in the first 4 years! There’s definitely some great advice in here that helped guide me toward writing a well-received paper.

Starting your literature review is the hardest part. It feels like a daunting task without a clear path to success. This book helps break down each step in the process into achievable goals supplemented by strategies for efficiently and effectively approaching each one. The few hours spent reading this book will be paid back to you in saving time researching and writing later.  It will help save your sanity and reduce anxiety approaching your first literature review.

I recommend this book specifically for graduate students in their first two years of a Masters’ or PhD. It can easily be read in an afternoon but should be used as a reference throughout the process!

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Books to more clearly convey your research data to the reader

These three books below by Edward R. Tufte completely revolutionized my approach to creating graphs, figures and tables in both journal articles and conference presentations. I attended one of his full-day seminar courses around the country where Dr. Tufte works through the failures of that status quo in data presentation and showed gorgeous and enlightening examples of how good it can be.

I strongly believe this book series is the key reason why some of my journal articles have been so highly cited. Authors tend to cite papers that clearly convey a point and are more likely to reproduce figures that can stand on their own without wordy descriptions. See for yourself the difference these can make in your research career!

Beautiful Evidence by Edward R. Tufte

This book highlights innovative examples of data visualization spanning hand-drawn 17 th century charts to computer-generated “big data” presentation that will open your mind to forms of data visualization outside of your standard color-coded X-Y plots. The author also details strategies for identifying cherry-picked data and being a keen observer fraudulent data presentation.

This book is also the best gift for graduate students and post-docs on this list, making for a perfect coffee table book after fully reading through it.

phd books

Envisioning Information by Edward R. Tufte

This book walks the reader through a huge range of first-class graphical data representations and shows how each is well-suited to presenting the data at hand. Dr. Tufte makes you think about how different data types are structured and how those structures can guide you to the best methods of presentation.

The data visualization here is often layered so that your first glance gets the main point across but a closer examination unveils rich multi-dimensional data by cleverly using colors, shapes, sizes and alignments of objects and axes. These are the skills that create an ultimate, self-supporting figure for a journal cover or a winning poster that will hang for years on the walls of your institution without needing you there to explain it.

phd books

The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward R. Tufte

A timeless classic on data visualization that dives into the nitty gritty of optimizing your charts and figures. Tufte contrasts excellent charts with horrendous ones to point out bad habits that you may not know you have. He teaches you about efficient design and layout of plots, from the ratio of ink that makes up your data to how one should effectively use tick marks on the axes or box plots around your data groupings.

This book may at first seem outdated, but the principles inside do not change. If you want to truly master the art of effective data visualization, this book can’t be skipped over.

phd books

Books to increase your productivity and focus in grad school:

The miracle morning.

I’m not exaggerating when I say this book thoroughly changed my life. I reached a point where I was physically and mentally exhausted halfway through each work day and realized I was not cognitively performing at the level I needed to be successful. Within a few days of implementing this, I felt a noticeable change in my energy, mood and motivation each day at work. I only wish I had picked it up in graduate school. My research output probably would have doubled simply from the changes to my mood.

The premise is fairly simple. Hal Elrod was recovering from a near-fatal car accident that left him physically and mentally impaired. He took the six most popular morning routine practices (exercise, reading, journaling, visualization, affirmations and meditation) and started doing all of them every single morning before starting work or any other responsibilities. Over time, he refined the timing and intentions around each practice and started sharing it with friends. It eventually exploded by word-of-mouth and he decided to write this book to share the technique with the world.

Yes, you’ll have to wake up a little earlier. Ideally you set aside one hour to do all six practices but with practice you can get most of the beneficial effects in less than 15 minutes. The book isn’t completely necessary to implement this – you can read enough about it online. But by all accounts, you’ll have a much higher chance of follow-through if you purchase and read the book as I did.

I started the practice a few months ago and used my “reading” time to read this book a few pages per day. Starting each morning with this book was essential to helping me refine the other five following practices and approach them with intention for maximum benefit.

Most days I squeeze in all six practices. Some days it’s only four and on some weekends only one or two. The key is to keep trying and don’t miss on two days in a row. The extra time spent in the morning comes back to me in productivity and focus throughout the day.

I can’t recommend this book enough for anyone whose workday is self-driven and self-structured like a typical grad student research life. Read it sooner rather than later and witness the profound effects it can have on every aspect of your life!

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The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future by Ryder Carroll

Have you heard of Bullet Journaling? It’s a method invented by Ryder Carroll to design your life and live intentionally that in a few short years has spawned a global movement and thriving community. It helps cut through the unnecessary “busy” tasks to focus on what matters. The technique can be done in any standard notebook but involves quite a bit of symbols and shorthand one must learn to truly gain the full benefit.

This book is the comprehensive how-to guide recently written by Ryder. For added effect, he includes how this method can help to de-clutter your life and bring you greater peace of mind. If you’re a “BuJo” newbie, this book will take you from novice to professional in a few weeks of practice.

The technique can have a profound effect on productivity and design of your research tasks to cut through to results you really need. Research has so many moving parts from experiments to data analysis to writing and publishing that this method is incredibly well-suited to keep track of. You might want to pair the book with this symbol stencil and journal bookmark if you’re not already familiar with the technique.

phd books

Fun reads for any scientist or engineer:

Skunk works: a personal memoir of my years at lockheed by ben rich.

A popular and highly-rated classic about the top secret “Skunk Works” engineering projects at Lockheed Martin that helped win the Cold War, written by the head of the division for two decades. It covers the pinnacle of high-pressure, high-stakes ultra-secretive engineering projects and the technological game of chess that the USA was playing with the Soviet Union in the 1970’s and 1980’s. It includes anecdotes and testimonials from high-ranking government officials and pilots on revolutionary projects like the SR-71 Blackbird, F-116 Stealth Fighter and U-2 spy plane.

This book is an enjoyable and inspiring read for any grad student who has a true passion for problem solving and cutting-edge technology. The reader will also take away valuable lessons for managing technical projects and teams of scientists and engineers to achieve nearly impossible goals.

Check the price on Amazon

The Martian by Andy Weir

This is our all-time favorite book that any scientist or engineer will enjoy reading. For such a technical book, it’s got an incredible plot yet isn’t overly dramatized (except a little at the end). No other fiction book has captured this much popularity while running through exact calculations, estimations and scientific principles just to keep someone alive. You’ll be rooting for Mark Watney and inspired by the idea that your technical knowledge could one day save your life.

The-Martian

Looking for gift ideas for a grad student or researcher?

We've further curated several collections of our own inventions depending on the type of researcher you're looking for. See these more niche collections below for more ideas!

9 Unique Gift Ideas for Scientists

Gifts for Professors and Grad School PIs

Unique Gifts for Graduate and PhD Students

Gifts for Chemists and Chemistry Students

Gifts for Scientists and Engineers

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Rethinking PhD Training: A 21st Century Approach

Publisher description.

"Rethinking Ph.D. Training" is an insightful and transformative examination of the current landscape of Ph.D. education, calling for a significant overhaul to meet the demands of the 21st century. The book explores the traditional structure of Ph.D. programs, acknowledging their strengths in fostering specialized knowledge while also highlighting critical limitations. These include lengthy durations, limited exposure to non-academic careers, and a lack of emphasis on developing transferable skills. The author argues that the prevailing focus on deep specialization often hampers interdisciplinary collaboration, which is essential for addressing complex global challenges such as climate change and healthcare disparities. He advocates for a more holistic educational approach that encourages cross-disciplinary research and integrates broader skill development into Ph.D. training. Mental health and well-being of Ph.D. students are given considerable attention in the book. It addresses the high levels of stress, isolation, and work-life imbalance that many students face, urging for the creation of more supportive and inclusive environments that prioritize mental health and offer comprehensive support systems. The book also examines the disconnect between Ph.D. training and industry needs, suggesting that Ph.D. programs should foster closer collaborations with industry, promote interdisciplinary approaches, and enhance the development of transferable skills. This would better prepare graduates for diverse career paths beyond academia. Innovative approaches to Ph.D. education are proposed, including the integration of interdisciplinary coursework, a stronger emphasis on transferable skills development, and the establishment of industry and community partnerships. These reforms aim to make Ph.D. education more relevant to societal needs and improve the employability and career opportunities for graduates. Through case studies of successful innovations in Ph.D. programs, the book illustrates the benefits of these proposed reforms. It also discusses implementation challenges and offers solutions, such as addressing resistance to change within academia, securing adequate funding, and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. In conclusion, "Rethinking Ph.D. Training" is a compelling call to action for educational institutions, policymakers, and stakeholders to embrace innovative approaches to Ph.D. education. It emphasizes the importance of ongoing evaluation and adaptation of Ph.D. programs to keep pace with emerging fields, technological advancements, and the evolving demands of the job market. By doing so, the next generation of researchers will be better equipped to tackle complex challenges and make meaningful contributions to their respective fields.

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Five Questions with Maho Shibata, PhD

Maho Shibata

Maho Shibata ’s worldview frames her approach to science and cancer research. Born in Japan, she came to the United States as a young child, returned to Japan, and then moved to Australia before obtaining her undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Virginia. On each continent, her love of science was fostered. Now, she is researching tumor heterogeneity to understand the differences between the tumors in different patients, with a focus on prostate cancer.

What’s your story?

I’m a Japanese immigrant. My family came to the U.S. for my father’s job. We moved around a lot, and my education and training took place in three different countries around the world: the United States, back and forth to Japan, and then Australia. I always loved science, perhaps because there was a written language barrier for other subjects that wasn’t there for science and math. I knew early on that I wanted to work in research. When it came time to go to college, I returned to the U.S. to study biology in English. My initial interest was in genetics, but then I moved into developmental biology, which aims to understand how organisms develop from a single cell and form embryos with specialized organs. My research applies knowledge from developmental biology to understanding how cancers form.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

When I was a graduate student, my father was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive subtype of bladder cancer. He had surgery and then chemotherapy, but the cancer recurred, and he died quite young in his late 50s. I had some encounters with cancer before this, but I had never really thought about studying cancer. As my father was undergoing his treatment, I realized how much more we need to learn about cancer.

I’m especially interested in understanding tumor heterogeneity and how we can improve treatments for patients, particularly for those who may have very rare subtypes of cancer. As a basic researcher, my day-to-day focus is on understanding how prostate cancer is not a single disease. What causes tumors to evolve differently? Why are there differences from patient to patient?

I’ve had very supportive mentors throughout my training, and I would like to contribute similarly to the next generation. My lab has a great student team, and I feel very fortunate to do interesting research every day.

What is that one book that has influenced you the most?

I’m going to bend the rules and name two. The first is The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee. It greatly influenced me as a cancer researcher, but it also provided me with the perspective of a cancer patient because my father was being treated for his cancer at that time. I was conducting my postdoctoral training at Columbia University Medical Center, where the author has his office and lab. Then, as a faculty member, I read it differently when the book was one of the assigned readings for the SPARC program. I am fascinated by the history of how different textile dyes were unexpectedly discovered to stain cells and tissues.

The other book is How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing (Paul J. Silvia). As a new faculty member, I realize how important written communication is, whether for grants or manuscripts. One strategy discussed in the book is forming writing accountability groups so you’re not in the process alone. I dedicate time every day to writing. It’s so important to communicate our research; this book has helped me become a better writer, which is a continuing goal.

What absolutely excites you right now?

I’m very excited about the new directions our research is taking, thanks to our collaborations with clinicians and other research scientists. To better understand prostate cancer, we also need to know how cells in the normal prostate are regulated. We are asking questions about the cell types that are important during the development and growth of the prostate. This organ is unique because it grows a lot during puberty. For a new study, we imaged immune cells called macrophages during prostate development. In addition to great teamwork from lab members, advances in microscopy and imaging technologies and support from the GW Nanofabrication and Imaging Center made this study possible.

What’s the most interesting thing we should know about you?

I have two daughters, who were very young—just two and five—when I started here at the GW Cancer Center. They’ve grown quickly! One just graduated from elementary school. The girls keep me busy.

In my spare time, I like to read autobiographies, especially those written by very accomplished women scientists. So now I’m going to recommend a third book, Breaking Through My Life and Science by Katalin Karikó. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 2023 for her work on mRNA vaccines. Like me, she’s an immigrant who came to the U.S. for opportunities to conduct research. I was inspired by the stories of her struggles and perseverance.

Latest News

Sharad Goyal, MD

Controversial U.S. politician sues UNB for releasing his widely criticized PhD thesis

Doug mastriano says unb leaked his thesis, resulting in lost potential revenue from book sales, speaking gigs.

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The University of New Brunswick has become the target of legal action by a Republican politician in Pennsylvania who's accusing the school of leaking his doctoral thesis and of participating in a scheme to discredit his research on a First World War hero.

Doug Mastriano, a U.S. Army veteran and state senator, is suing UNB and several of its faculty members following a wave of criticism directed at the thesis he wrote on Sgt. Alvin C. York that earned Mastriano a PhD from the university in Fredericton.

"Defendants embarked on a racketeering enterprise to deprive Col. Mastriano of his intangible property interests in his PhD, his books, and his speaking engagements," says the lawsuit, filed in Oklahoma by lawyer Daniel Cox.

The lawsuit also names UNB president Paul Mazerolle, David MaGee, vice-president and director of research, and Drew Rendall, dean of graduate studies at UNB.

It alleges the three conspired to publicly release Mastriano's thesis, resulting in "a substantial loss and deprivation of his intangible property interests."

A man with white hair wearing a suit and pink tie sits and smiles into the camera.

None of the claims in the lawsuit have been tested in court.

CBC News asked UNB for an interview with Mazerolle about the allegations.

In an email, spokesperson Marcia Seitz-Ehler said UNB is unable to comment because the matter is before a court.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. district court for the Western District of Oklahoma on May 31, and documents indicate notifications of summons were issued to the named defendants on July 2.

The lawsuit says it was filed in that court because James Gregory III, one of the named defendants, lives in that jurisdiction. The suit says all other defendants are subject to personal jurisdiction in that district, "because a substantial part of the events giving rise to the claims" occurred there.

CBC News attempted to contact James Gregory III, who is listed in the lawsuit as living in Edmond, Okla., but was unsuccessful.

James Gregory Jr. is a U.S. academic who was vocal in his criticisms of Mastriano's thesis.

CBC News contacted Gregory by phone in the state of Louisiana, where he resides. He said he had not been served notice of the lawsuit and therefore would not comment.

Critique prompted investigation

Attempt to reach Mastriano through his office were not successful.

Mastriano is a retired U.S. Army colonel who in May 2019 was elected a state senator for Pennsylvania's 33rd district.

Known for his socially conservative views, he rose to national prominence for his support for former president Donald Trump and the debunked conspiracy theory that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was rigged in favour of President Joe Biden.

Two men stand at a rally holding microphones.

With Trump's endorsement, Mastriano ran in 2022 for governor of Pennsylvania but was defeated by Democratic nominee Josh Shapiro.

In 2013, Mastriano received his PhD from UNB, with his thesis focusing on York, who achieved fame for killing 25 Germans on a battlefield in France. York's heroics inspired a Hollywood movie, with actor Gary Cooper in the lead role.

A year later, Mastriano used his thesis as the template for a book he published, even while his thesis remained under wraps, thanks to an unusually lengthy embargo on its release.

That didn't stop other academics, however, from questioning claims in the book, prompting calls for UNB to release his thesis publicly.

A statue of First World War hero Sgt. Alvin C. York, located on the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tenn.

In 2022, UNB conceded and published the thesis, which several academics have said is riddled with fabricated footnotes and unsubstantiated claims.

In spring 2023, UNB appointed a committee of three professors to investigate the allegations of academic fraud in Mastriano's thesis.

Under UNB policy, the investigation committee was required to submit its recommendations to the university within 60 days, but any findings the committee might have reached have not been released to the public. 

Mastriano seeking millions from UNB

While Mastriano's lawsuit takes aim at academics outside UNB who questioned his work, a key element of the lawsuit focuses on UNB's decision to release his thesis.

The lawsuit alleges its 2022 release, despite Mastriano's request to keep it embargoed until 2030, constituted election interference and allowed his work to be stolen by another academic, who at the time was also working on a book about York.

Fall foliage is in the foreground, with two red brick campus buildings in the background

An exhibit attached to the lawsuit shows a July 2022 letter from Drew Rendall, the UNB graduate studies dean, informing Mastriano that his thesis was being released immediately.

Rendall, in the letter, told Mastriano that university guidelines provide for a maximum embargo duration on graduate theses of only four years, adding that Mastriano's request "greatly exceeds" the school's embargo limits.

  • A controversy-courting U.S. politician causes stir on Canadian university campus
  • UNB releases controversial U.S. politician's PhD dissertation after months of refusals

Mastriano's lawsuit also alleges UNB participated in a scheme to deprive him of his "property interests" associated with his PhD thesis by opening the investigation into it.

UNB launched the investigation in spring 2023, and the lawsuit claims UNB notified Mastriano last December that the university was relaunching the investigation into it.

The lawsuit makes no mention of what the investigation determined, or whether it's concluded.

The lawsuit says Mastriano is seeking up to $100 million in damages from UNB, and a minimum of $1 million from each of the individually named defendants.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Aidan Cox is a journalist for the CBC based in Fredericton. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @Aidan4jrn.

Related Stories

  • UNB kept quiet about Mastriano controversy because of U.S. elections, president says
  • UNB to investigate fraud allegations against former PhD student with ties to Trump

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UMD History Alum Awarded 2024 German Non-Fiction Prize Prize from the Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung (Foundation for Book Culture and the Promotion of Reading)

July 16, 2024 History

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Christina Morina Wins German Non-Fiction Award

On the basis of personal testimonies, Christina Morina (PhD 2007) in her book Tausend Aufbrüche: Die Deutchen und ihre Demokratic seit den 1980er Jahren  ( A Thousand Departures: Germans and Democracy since the 1980s ) (Siedler/Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe, 2023) analyzed citizens’ ideas about democracy in East and West Germany since the 1980s. Her book highlights the limits of West German liberalization as well as the wide range of East German attempts to embrace democracy.

The Prize Jury says her book is a "methodically sophisticated and eye-opening contemporary historical analysis based on letters, petitions and leaflets gives a voice to citizens of East and West Germany. With this book, Morina offers surprising and necessary insights to spur current social debate. Her book risks a great deal, but without polarising – democracy is a process, not a condition."

Christina has been a professor of history at Bielefeld University since 2019. She is particularly interested in the social history and remembrance of National Socialism, the political and cultural history of divided and reunited Germany, and in the relationship between history and memory.

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WATERSHED WORLDS: Eight Indigenous Models for Planetary Survival and Resilience

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WATERSHED WORLDS: Eight Indigenous Models for Planetary Survival and Resilience Paperback – July 13, 2024

  • Print length 226 pages
  • Language English
  • Publication date July 13, 2024
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  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ InnerWorld Publications (July 13, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
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  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1881717925
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  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.57 x 8.5 inches
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COMMENTS

  1. 20 Best PhD Degree Books of All Time

    The 20 best phd degree books recommended by Paul Bloom, Sam Wineburg and Alison Gopnik, such as The New PhD and Mentor Me Please. Categories Experts Newsletter. BookAuthority; BookAuthority is the world's leading site for book recommendations, helping you discover the most recommended books on any subject. Explore; Home; Best Books; New Books ...

  2. Recommended Reading

    A Europe-based computational scientist turned entrepreneur, Dr. Bielczyk offers an important perspective on PhD careers, one explicitly aimed at STEM folks. The book benefits from Bileczyk's personal experiences, extensive research — including interviews with dozens of PhDs — and includes lots of specific advice and suggestions.

  3. The Power of a PhD: How Anyone Can Use Their PhD to Get Hired in Industry

    - Camillia Smith Barnes, PhD, Google "A revolutionary book for both beginners and industry-experienced PhDs looking for change!" - Elisa Maria Guimarães de Souza, PhD, Johnson & Johnson"PhDs "PhD's beware, after reading this book, there's no excuse for not taking proven steps to achieve the career you desire."

  4. Mastering Your PhD: Survival and Success in the Doctoral ...

    This bestselling book guides PhD students through their graduate years and beyond. Filled with practical advice on getting started, communicating with your supervisor, staying the course, and planning for the future, this book is an indispensable guide for graduate students who need that extra bit of help getting started and making it through.

  5. The Ultimate Guide to Doing a PhD

    Details. Author Merle van den Akker. Publisher World Scientific Publishing Company. Publication Date 2023-03. Section College Guides. Type New. Format Paperback. ISBN 9781800613645. Have you ever considered doing a PhD, but have no idea where to start?

  6. PhD: An uncommon guide to research, writing & PhD life

    Using the principles of skill development as a foundation, this book provides a unique approach to the most common challenges of PhD research, including: Getting to know the literature in your field Developing your research ideas Becoming a better academic writer Coping with the stress and unpredictability of research Publications and ...

  7. The Ph.D. Process: A Student's Guide to Graduate School in the Sciences

    The Ph.D. Process offers the essential guidance that students in the biological and physical sciences need to get the most out of their years in graduate school. Drawing upon the insights of numerous current and former graduate students, this book presents a rich portrayal of the intellectual and emotional challenges inherent in becoming a scientist, and offers the informed, practical advice a ...

  8. 20 Best Research Methodology Books for Ph.D. Students

    Books on research can be an invaluable resource to Ph.D. students. These will help you with researching books, improving your planning, and help you to identify the most professional dissertation writers. If you would like to learn more about the best research books for Ph.D. students, then the following article will be your guide. 1.

  9. The 7 Books Every PhD Student Should Read

    By Alex Wakeman. Let's be honest. If you're nerdy enough to be doing a PhD, you probably love a good book. Whether you're looking for entertainment or advice, distraction or comfort, the seven listed here can each, in their own way, help you through your frustrating but uniquely rewarding life of a PhD student. Isaac Asimov - I, Robot.

  10. 5 books to help you with your PhD

    If you want a bit more of the conceptual basis behind the book, read this earlier post on why a thesis is a bit like an avatar. 4. The unwritten rules of PhD research by Marian Petre and Gordon Rugg. I love this book because it recognises the social complexities of doing a PhD, without ever becoming maudlin.

  11. PhD: An uncommon guide to research, writing & PhD life

    About the book. PhD: an uncommon guide to research, writing & PhD life is your essential guide to the basic principles every PhD student needs to know.Designed to be applicable to virtually any field of study, it covers everything from finding a research topic, getting to grips with the literature, planning and executing research, coping with the inevitable problems that arise, through to ...

  12. 5 must-reads for doctoral students

    Reading some expert guide books will expand your knowledge and pave the way for the rigorous work ahead. Capella University faculty, doctoral students, and alumni recommend these five books for doctoral students in any discipline. 1. How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer J. Adler.

  13. 10 Must-Read Books for Grad Students

    They gave me some great suggestions! I'm sharing the top 10 here. The following is a list of must-read books for grad students, recommended by grad students. I will include shoppable links to each book so this post may include affiliate links. Also, the descriptions will come from Amazon. subscribe on youtube.

  14. A PhD Is Not Enough!: A Guide to Survival in Science

    "A PhD is not enough" is the second book I read. The first one is "From student to scholar", which I believe you also have heard about. If I have to give a ranking, I choose the "From student" one as the best (in various academic survival books). This book certainly is good. It is short and informative.

  15. 11 books to help get you through grad school (in 2024)

    11 books between $8 and $35 that will boost your productivity, writing output and decision-making throughout your grad school and research career. This is the start of your journey in becoming your best self and improving your chances of landing that dream job after graduation.

  16. 20 Best Doctoral Degree Books of All Time

    The 20 best doctoral degree books recommended by Inger Mewburn, such as PhD 101, The New PhD, Mentor Me Please and Dissertation Mastery.

  17. The Power of a PhD: How Anyone Can Use Their PhD to Get Hired in

    - Camillia Smith Barnes, PhD, Google "A revolutionary book for both beginners and industry-experienced PhDs looking for change!"- Elisa Maria Guimarães de Souza, PhD, Johnson & Johnson"PhDs "PhD's beware, after reading this book, there's no excuse for not taking proven steps to achieve the career you desire."

  18. Graduated a few days ago, so here's a list of my favourite PhD ...

    I feel most PhD students struggle with reconciling quality and quantity of published work and this book has helped me in my (still ongoing) journey to find that balance. Mastering your PhD, by Patricia Gosling and Bart Noordam. Very readable book with good advice and a nice set of fictitious running case studies. Authoring a PhD, by Patrick ...

  19. Rethinking PhD Training: A 21st Century Approach

    "Rethinking Ph.D. Training" is an insightful and transformative examination of the current landscape of Ph.D. education, calling for a significant overhaul to meet the demands of the 21st century. The book explores the traditional structure of Ph.D. programs, acknowledging their strengths in fosteri…

  20. Download the Free Proper Human Diet Guidebook

    Download Dr. Ken Berry's free Proper Human Diet Guidebook and start your journey to better health today. Discover the benefits of PHD, including weight management and improved metabolic health, with our comprehensive guide. Get your free copy now!

  21. How to Get a Phd: A Handbook for Students and Their Supervisors

    A fantastic book that has completely changed how I view the PhD process: lots of clear guidance from the authors on how, and how not to get a PhD. Being a part-time PhD student means you miss out on so much of the networking and other help you would otherwise get (it's no surprise that 70% of part-time students fail to submit).

  22. Five Questions with Maho Shibata, PhD

    Five Questions with Maho Shibata, PhD. July 17, 2024. ... The other book is How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing (Paul J. Silvia). As a new faculty member, I realize how important written communication is, whether for grants or manuscripts. One strategy discussed in the book is forming writing accountability ...

  23. Controversial U.S. politician sues UNB for releasing his widely

    Controversial U.S. Republican politician Doug Mastriano is suing the University of New Brunswick, claiming it wrongfully released his PhD thesis to the public, thereby participating in a scheme to ...

  24. Sociology Ph.D. Candidates Win ASA and Russell Sage Foundation

    The Russell Sage Foundation and the American Sociological Association (ASA) awarded prestigious dissertation fellowships to two Graduate Center Sociology Ph.D. candidates.. Viktor Bensus is one of a select number of students from top universities to receive a $10,000 Russell Sage Foundation Dissertation Research Grant for his work, "Rezoning New York: Class and Racial Inequalities in the ...

  25. UMD History Alum Awarded 2024 German Non-Fiction Prize Prize from the

    Christina Morina Wins German Non-Fiction Award. On the basis of personal testimonies, Christina Morina (PhD 2007) in her book Tausend Aufbrüche: Die Deutchen und ihre Demokratic seit den 1980er Jahren ( A Thousand Departures: Germans and Democracy since the 1980s) (Siedler/Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe, 2023) analyzed citizens' ideas about democracy in East and West Germany since the ...

  26. WATERSHED WORLDS: Eight Indigenous Models for Planetary Survival and

    This book is not a return to the past but integrating proven practices into a modern future. Read more Report an issue with this product or seller. Previous slide of product details. Print length. 226 pages. Language. English. Publication date. July 13, 2024. Dimensions. 5.5 x 0.57 x 8.5 inches. ISBN-10. 1881717925.