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.

How to edit a PhD thesis (without going mad)

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

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.

Ten Reasons Why You Need Your PhD Proofread

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

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

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

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
literature review theory framework PhD

Mastering your theory and literature review chapters

In this collection of resources, we’ll explain all you need to know about planning and writing an effective literature review.
plan PhD chapters

How to structure and write every chapter of the PhD

In this collection, we’ll walk you through each chapter of your thesis. You’ll learn what goes where and how it fits together.
PhD motivation

How to stay motivated and productive

In these resources, we discuss the emotional challenges of doing a PhD, and offer tips to help you stay engaged and motivated.
PhD writing fluency

Techniques to improve your writing and fluency

Writing’s not that easy. Here you’ll learn simple techniques to write more effectively and convincingly.
PhD mental health

Advice on maintaining good mental health

PhDs can be lonely, isolated places. These resources will be useful if your PhD impacts upon your overall wellbeing.
ESL PhD students

Resources designed 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.
How to write a literature review

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.

PhD writing template

A free one-page PhD structure template

Using this free PhD writing template, you can quickly visualise every element of your thesis.