Your PhD and Covid
Worried about how covid will affect your PhD? We’ve put together a comprehensive list of resources that will help you at every stage of the PhD journey.
You’re not alone
As if completing a PhD isn’t stressful enough, you’re now being asked to work from home, stay away from labs, fieldwork, libraries and supervisors. To top it off, you’re still expected to keep up the momentum in your PhD.
We’ve created a collection of resources specifically oriented towards helping you navigate this pandemic and resume some semblance of normality.
Most are free, some cost a small amount, but all are designed around one purpose: to make your life easier and to introduce more certainty into your PhD journey.
For those who need a little extra support, we’re continuing to offer one-on-one virtual PhD coaching, expert language proofreading and our 5-star rated thesis writing course.
If we were to give one piece of top level advice it’s this: stress most often emerges when we want things to be different to how they are. There’s a lot outside of everyone’s control at the moment, and successfully coping with this pandemic will require you to shift your expectations and lean into the discomfort. You won’t be as productive as you were, and you likely won’t meet the deadlines you set yourself pre-covid. Wherever possible, you must learn to shift your expectations and re-evaluate what you are able to achieve.
Managing Emotional Challenges
Over the last few months we’ve published a number of motivational guides that seek to foster emotional resilience, self-care and positive development. Use them to understand your struggle, realise you’re not alone in feeling it, and learn what you can do about it.
Ten Things You Can Prioritise If You’re In A Lockdown
Whilst being based from home will undoubtedly have a big impact on how you work, it doesn’t mean your PhD comes to a stop. Read more.
Pandemics, PhDs and Blind Luck
Most people we asked rate tending to their emotional wellbeing as important to the PhD. In a pandemic which is prising apart every inequality you could care to name and making it worse, and drilling holes in mental health which no one can yet gauge but which many are saying are everywhere, and deepening. Read more.
Cut yourself some slack
Be more compassionate to yourself, give yourself the space and leeway you need, and think creatively about what this new normal means for you and your thesis. Read more.
Recognise that you are not alone
The PhD journey is often lonely, and there are times when you’ll feel isolated. There’s the more obvious isolation – the hours spent in the library or lab working in silence, or the time spent at your desk writing your thesis. But there’s the more subtle isolation – the feeling of disconnect you have from non-PhD friends and families who, however hard they try, will never be able to understand what you’re going through. Read more.
Focus on things you can control
If you’re finding yourself worried and anxious, recognise what it is you can control and what it is you can’t. Read more.
Overwhelmed? Break things down…
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed during your PhD. You’ve got an enormous job on your hands and often the path through isn’t entirely clear. Read more.
How to Stay Mindful During Covid As A PhD Student
In this post, we offer you 15 mindfulness nuggets for you to reflect on as you work on your PhD during Covid. They’re designed to ease some of the emotional pain that comes with completing a PhD at this time. Read more.
Read PhD student responses to the coronavirus crisis
We wanted to find out the effect that coronavirus was having on PhD students around the world. So, we asked over a hundred PhD students a simple question: How has coronavirus affected your PhD and how have you adapted? Read more.
Recognise when you’re overloading yourself
It’s important at this time to be aware of two things. First, you must be kind to yourself. Remind yourself that you’re busier than normal and that it won’t last forever. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you make mistakes or if you get in a bit of a muddle. Read more.
As the dust begins to settle, look within
As we get used to the practicalities of this new reality, we start to find our groove and get into a new routine. Sure, we don’t always get it right, but we’re adapting and it’s starting to feel more manageable. This is slowly becoming the new normal. And it’s an ideal time for emotional work. Read more.
Connect with a PhD coach
We recognise that some emotional challenges are more difficult to overcome. That’s why we offer one-on-one PhD coaching. If you’re struggling, need an accountability partner, or want to connect with someone who understands your struggle, click here to arrange a free introductory session.
Practical Guidance and Virtual Teaching Resources
The shift to online teaching and working from home is new for many. There are a range of free resources that can help, which we’ve listed below. Plus, our thesis coaches have considerable expertise in setting up and managing virtual teaching and learning environments, so get in touch if you’d like a virtual coaching session.
What you should know if you are locked-down during your PhD
This guide will ease the transition to home-working during your PhD. Towards the end of these guidelines are specific tips for those who currently teach as part of their PhD workload. Read more.
Tips for working from home during your PhD
For many people, working from home is new. For some, it’s a struggle. We’ve put together a small list of tips you can use to make the process easier. Click here to read them.
Times Higher Education Campus
THE Campus connects academics from around the world to share best practice in online teaching and learning. As universities adapt to the demands of online higher education, accelerated by Covid-19, THE, partnering with Cintana, ASU and Microsoft, is building a learning platform where everyone working at a university can find advice and share their expertise.
Teach from Anywhere
A temporary hub of information and tools to help teachers during the coronavirus crisis. Created in partnership with Google and The UN. Click here to visit.
Directory of Open Access Journals
Online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals. Click here to view.
Open Access Button
Aimed at finding open access versions of published journal articles, which may be added to your reading list in place of a subscription resource. Click here to visit.
Directory of Open Access books
The primary aim of DOAB is to increase discoverability of Open Access books. Click here to visit.
Openstax
Open textbook project from Rice University. Click here to visit.
CORE
The world’s largest collection of open access research papers. Click here to visit.
Get the Research
Select the “Open Access only” option under the search box. Click here to visit.
Unpaywall
Aimed at finding open access versions of published journal articles, which may be added to your reading list in place of a subscription resource. Click here to view. Click here to visit.
Open Textbooks Hub on OER Commons
Links to many different open textbook sites around the world in many disciplines. Click here to view.
Paid Resources
We recognise that some PhD students may need more hands-on support. That’s why we offer a range of services to help.
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Virtual PhD Coaching
Like a personal trainer, but for your PhD. Whether it’s managing the emotional challenges of lockdown, improving your virtual teaching skills, or staying on track in your thesis. We can help. Click here to find out more and book your free introductory session.
PhD Thesis Proofreading
Designed specifically for PhD students who speak English as a second language. All of our editors hold PhDs and we pride ourselves on high quality, ethical work. Click here for a free sample.
Virtual Thesis Writing Course
The only course of its kind. A comprehensive overview of how to plan, structure and write a PhD thesis. All delivered by email, 5-star rated and a 100% money back guarantee. Click here to get your first lesson in minutes.
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