PhD writing resources for non-native English speakers
Writing a PhD when English isn’t your first language can throw up unique challenges. Here you’ll learn how to overcome them.
Starting a PhD in a foreign country? Here are some tips to help you on your journey…
Looking to start your new chapter in academia abroad? I wish someone had bought me a cup of coffee before my PhD journey and told me this.
How to edit a PhD thesis (without going mad)
Your thesis takes a lot of time to research, ideate, and write. Here’s how to properly edit a PhD thesis such that you impress your examiners and achieve even greater success.
Infographic: Strategies for ESL PhD Students
Writing a PhD when English is your second language is a challenge. We’ve put together an infographic that will help you to improve the way you understand the PhD writing process.
Writing Your PhD For A Western Audience When English Is Your Second Language
If you’re a PhD student for whom English is a second language, you may not realise the importance of writing for a Western audience.
The PhD only needs to be good enough, which is terrifying if English is your second language.
The hardest thing about doing a PhD isn’t the research, the literature review, the research design. They’re all hard, sure, but the hardest thing about doing a PhD is the constant worry about whether what you’re doing is ‘good enough’. The trouble is, we only have so much control over making it good enough.
Proofreading is cheating, isn’t it?
Record numbers of PhD students are having their dissertations proofread. Should it be counted as cheating? Sometimes, yes.
Ten Reasons Why You Need Your PhD Proofread
Deciding whether or not to hire a proofreader for you PhD is a big commitment. Whichever way you look at it, it’s expensive. Plus, you may think that your English language skills are good enough. So why bother? Read our ten reasons why.
A Handy PhD Submission Checklist
Your work isn’t finished when you’ve written your thesis and had it proofread. There is still a surprising amount of administrative work to do before you are ready to submit. Don’t underestimate the amount of time it will take to turn your finished text into a final, bound copy.
Is English Your Second Language? Here Are 7 Ways To Improve Your Academic Writing
Writing a PhD when English is your second language is scary. It’s scary enough when English is your first language. 80,000 words, sometimes even more, in a technical language and at the highest level of academic rigour. Terrifying, right? We’ve proofread countless PhDs from people just like you and one thing stands out – you’re doing great.
Five Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Grammarly To Proofread A PhD
Grammarly, the free online grammar and spelling checker, claims to ‘make sure everything you type is clear, effective, and mistake-free’ and that ‘everything you write clear and effective all the time’. If that’s the case, then why spend money on a proofreader when Grammarly can do it for free? Put simply, Grammarly is terrible at proofreading academic texts.
Explore Other PhD Knowledge Base Collections
Eight collections of free resources to help you along the PhD journey
Mastering your theory and literature review chapters
How to structure and write every chapter of the PhD
How to stay motivated and productive
Techniques to improve your writing and fluency
Advice on maintaining good mental health
Resources designed for non-native English speakers
Explore our back-catalogue of motivational advice
Each week we send out a short, motivational email to over 4,000 students. Here you can sign up and access the archive.