Welcome to
The PhD Knowledge Base
__
Free tools to help you complete your thesis
We’ve got the perfect resources to help you deliver brilliance
Search The PhD Knowledge Base or click on a section below to explore our guides, templates and tutorials
This is not a normal blog subscription
Each day we send a short, thought-provoking email that will make you think differently about what it means to be a PhD student. They’re designed to be read in thirty seconds and thought about all day.
How to improve the quality of your writing
Writing a PhD is hard. Writing a PhD clearly and concisely is even harder. Here we offer advice on how to write with greater clarity and purpose.
What is the difference between a PhD thesis literature review and theory framework?
Lots of students struggle to understand the difference between a PhD thesis literature review and theory framework. In this guide, we clear up the confusion.
80 things I wish I knew when I was doing my PhD
Often, the difference between unnecessary worry and successfully muddling through is having someone on your side who can tell you that what you’re feeling is normal and reassure you with good, practical advice that speaks to the core of you. That is the goal of this article.
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.
Impressing the Examiners: How to Prepare for Your PhD Viva
Completing your PhD thesis is a huge moment, but there’s still another hurdle to clear. Read on to learn how to prepare for your PhD viva.
What to do if you lack motivation in your PhD
Motivation is elusive. Some days you have it and others you don’t. Well, having fluctuations in your motivation is normal and to be expected. If you took ten PhD students, how many do you think would say they’re highly motivated all the time? Not many, I imagine.
‘It is a special time’ – 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 them. Over the course of a week, over sixty PhD students answered a simple question: How has coronavirus affected your PhD and how have you adapted?
10 Things You Can Prioritise If You’re A Self-Isolating PhD Student
Whilst being based from home and self-isolating will undoubtedly have a big impact on how you work, it doesn’t mean your PhD comes to a stop. There are other things you can work on once you re-prioritise your workload and shift your projects around.
What you should know if you are self-isolating during your PhD
This post has been published in direct response to recent calls by governments around the world to encourage more people to work from home. We wanted to create a resource that talked specifically to PhD students in order to advise them on steps they could take to ease the transition to home-working. Towards the end of these guidelines are specifically tips for those who currently teach as part of their PhD workload.
6 Things New PhD Students Should Know
Noting can ever fully prepare you for the intellectual, physical and emotional assault that comes with doing a PhD. Everyone does a PhD for very personal reasons, and everyone finds them challenging in unique and varied ways. What for one person may seem like a death-blow may to others be nothing more than a minor inconvenience. However, in this post I want to discuss the six things that every new PhD student should know. They’re things that I learnt the hard way during my PhD, and which I’ve seen time and time again in my career as an academic, PhD thesis proofreader and PhD coach.
6 ways to overcome PhD loneliness
PhDs can be the loneliest places in the world. You may be part of a bigger cohort of students in your department, but ultimately it’s down to you to power on through, turn up every day, make decisions and deal with problems. It’s you that has to carry around the weight and anxiety that accompany your PhD, and it’s you who has to constantly find a way over what seem like insurmountable hurdles, problems and sticking points.
The 9 most effective ways to achieve PhD success
Writing a PhD is physically, intellectually and emotionally daunting. You may spend each day doubting yourself, not sure if you’re making the right choices and unsure whether you’ve got what it takes. During my life, I’ve helped thousands of PhD students like...
How Moments of Mindfulness Can Thwart the PhD Blues — The Science of Mindfulness for Students
PhD students are six times more likely to experience depression or anxiety than the general population — that’s what a recent survey of over 2,000 graduate students found. To those of us currently on our PhD journey, perhaps this won’t come as a surprise. Doctoral...
What makes a good PhD supervisor? Top tips for managing the student-supervisor relationship.
We explain what makes a good PhD supervisor, what they should and shouldn’t be doing, and how to make the most of your supervision meetings.
39 PhD Mindfulness Exercises To De-Stress Your PhD
Research has shown how mindfulness exercises can be important in lowering PhD stress. Here we present 39 mindfulness exercises to help you towards a successful submission.
Seven tips for clear and concise writing in your PhD
At the heart of a PhD is a goal to make the examiner happy. Clear, concise writing is an important component of achieving that goal.
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.
People like me will never do things like that: PhD imposter syndrome and academic anxiety
To those who think they’re not good enough I say two things. First, good enough for what? To be an academic? Well, you are one. You’re a trainee. Second, you’re not good enough yet. There’s a big distinction.
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.
PhD Mental Health: The importance of self-care during the writing process
‘Am I doing it right?’ ‘Others are so much better at writing than me.’ ‘I have to please my supervisor.’ ‘My future career, my life, depends on how well I write this thesis.’ Sound familiar?
Writing your PhD begins with writing fieldnotes
For anyone writing ethnography – or doing any participant observation at all – writing a thesis begins in earnest in the field, with notes: an absolute heap of them.
7 Ways To Beat PhD Writer’s Block
Then the deadline grows shorter. You start to worry, “I’m so far behind. Can I ever catch up? I’m a good student. So why haven’t I been more productive?”
A System That Helps Makes Academic Writing Less Boring
Let’s be honest, PhD theses can be boring. The subject matter and technical language is necessarily complex, so writing one that remains engaging can be tough. It’s worth it though.
Learn how to write a PhD proposal that will stand out from the rest
When stripped down to its basic components, the PhD proposal explains the what and the why of your research. What it will be about and why it will be important.
Easily understand how to write a thesis introduction
Get the introduction right and the rest of your dissertation will follow. Mess it up and you’ll be struggling to catch up. The introduction is the place to factually recount what it is you will be discussing in the thesis. Learn more in this detailed guide.
Last impressions count – writing your PhD thesis conclusion
The conclusion is the last thing your examiner will read before they write their viva report. You need to make sure it stands out.
What is a dissertation abstract and how do I write one for my PhD?
Don’t underestimate how hard it is to write a PhD thesis abstract. When I wrote mine I though it’d be straightforward. Far from it. It’s tricky.
You have to condense hundred of pages and years of work into a few hundred words.
Russian (dolls) to the rescue – how to structure an argument in your PhD
At the core of the PhD are arguments. Lots of them. Some more important and some very specific. When you understand how to structure an argument, your thesis reads clearly and logically. If you don’t the reader ends up confused and your thesis suffers.
Drowning in a sea of authors – How to be critical in a PhD literature review.
Don’t get lost in a sea of authors when you write your PhD literature review. Instead be critical. In this guide we explain how.
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.
Jump to a different section to read more
Hello Doctor…
Sounds good, doesn’t it? Be able to call yourself Doctor sooner with our five-star rated How to Write A PhD email-course. The only PhD thesis writing course of its kind – it’s everything your supervisor should have taught you about planning and completing a PhD. Learn to write more, worry less, graduate sooner.
Now half price. Join hundreds of other students and become a better thesis writer, or your money back.
How to increase your productivity and stay motivated
Writing well is one thing, writing efficiently and staying motivated while you do so is another. Read our guides for tips on how to up your productivity game.
How to Stop Procrastinating and Complete Your PhD Thesis: 10 Strategies to Consider
“I’ll do it tomorrow…..” Stop saying and start doing with these strategies on how to stop procrastinating your PhD thesis.
80 things I wish I knew when I was doing my PhD
Often, the difference between unnecessary worry and successfully muddling through is having someone on your side who can tell you that what you’re feeling is normal and reassure you with good, practical advice that speaks to the core of you. That is the goal of this article.
Impressing the Examiners: How to Prepare for Your PhD Viva
Completing your PhD thesis is a huge moment, but there’s still another hurdle to clear. Read on to learn how to prepare for your PhD viva.
What to do if you lack motivation in your PhD
Motivation is elusive. Some days you have it and others you don’t. Well, having fluctuations in your motivation is normal and to be expected. If you took ten PhD students, how many do you think would say they’re highly motivated all the time? Not many, I imagine.
10 Things You Can Prioritise If You’re A Self-Isolating PhD Student
Whilst being based from home and self-isolating will undoubtedly have a big impact on how you work, it doesn’t mean your PhD comes to a stop. There are other things you can work on once you re-prioritise your workload and shift your projects around.
What you should know if you are self-isolating during your PhD
This post has been published in direct response to recent calls by governments around the world to encourage more people to work from home. We wanted to create a resource that talked specifically to PhD students in order to advise them on steps they could take to ease the transition to home-working. Towards the end of these guidelines are specifically tips for those who currently teach as part of their PhD workload.
6 Things New PhD Students Should Know
Noting can ever fully prepare you for the intellectual, physical and emotional assault that comes with doing a PhD. Everyone does a PhD for very personal reasons, and everyone finds them challenging in unique and varied ways. What for one person may seem like a death-blow may to others be nothing more than a minor inconvenience. However, in this post I want to discuss the six things that every new PhD student should know. They’re things that I learnt the hard way during my PhD, and which I’ve seen time and time again in my career as an academic, PhD thesis proofreader and PhD coach.
What makes a good PhD supervisor? Top tips for managing the student-supervisor relationship.
We explain what makes a good PhD supervisor, what they should and shouldn’t be doing, and how to make the most of your supervision meetings.
39 PhD Mindfulness Exercises To De-Stress Your PhD
Research has shown how mindfulness exercises can be important in lowering PhD stress. Here we present 39 mindfulness exercises to help you towards a successful submission.
Five tips to improve your PhD thesis
Regardless of what stage of the writing process you are at, there are five overarching tips you need to keep in mind if you want to improve your PhD thesis.
How to deal with post-viva PhD thesis corrections
We like to think that the viva is the end of the doctoral process; the final step in the long journey to a PhD. But, for most, it isn’t the final hurdle. The outcome of the viva in most cases is another three to sixth months work to deal with corrections.
People like me will never do things like that: PhD imposter syndrome and academic anxiety
To those who think they’re not good enough I say two things. First, good enough for what? To be an academic? Well, you are one. You’re a trainee. Second, you’re not good enough yet. There’s a big distinction.
Writing your PhD begins with writing fieldnotes
For anyone writing ethnography – or doing any participant observation at all – writing a thesis begins in earnest in the field, with notes: an absolute heap of them.
7 Ways To Beat PhD Writer’s Block
Then the deadline grows shorter. You start to worry, “I’m so far behind. Can I ever catch up? I’m a good student. So why haven’t I been more productive?”
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.
A Template To Help You Structure Your PhD’s Theoretical Framework Chapter
In this guide, I explain how to use the theory framework template. The focus is on the practical things to consider when you’re working with the template and how you can give your theory framework the rockstar treatment.
How To Structure A PhD With Our PhD Writing Template
Our PhD Writing Template allows you to visualise your PhD on one page. Here we explain how to fill it in and how it can help you structure each chapter.
Eureka! When I learnt how to write a theoretical framework
The theoretical framework is so important, but so misunderstood. Here we explain it is in simple terms: as a toolbox.
Jump to a different section to read more
Need a writing check up?
If you’re struggling to write your thesis in fluent, error-free English you can either keep struggling or get expert support.
We’re the world’s most popular PhD thesis proofreaders. With our help, your thesis will read as if a native English speaker wrote it. That way, you can maximise your chances of success by making sure your thesis is fluent, error free and right first time.
Over 6,000 students from around the world have trusted us to help them graduate and 80% of our clients are referred by friends and colleagues.
Click the red button to see why hiring us to proofread your thesis may be the best investment you ever make.
How to plan and structure a PhD thesis
Our guides can show you the best way to structure every element of your thesis and give you the confidence to shine.
Five tips to improve your PhD thesis
Regardless of what stage of the writing process you are at, there are five overarching tips you need to keep in mind if you want to improve your PhD thesis.
What are you doing and how are you doing it? Articulating your aims and objectives.
How long does it take the person reading your thesis to understand what you’re doing and how you’re doing it? If the answer is anything other than ’in the the opening lines of the thesis’, keep reading.
Learn how to write a PhD proposal that will stand out from the rest
When stripped down to its basic components, the PhD proposal explains the what and the why of your research. What it will be about and why it will be important.
Easily understand how to write a thesis introduction
Get the introduction right and the rest of your dissertation will follow. Mess it up and you’ll be struggling to catch up. The introduction is the place to factually recount what it is you will be discussing in the thesis. Learn more in this detailed guide.
Last impressions count – writing your PhD thesis conclusion
The conclusion is the last thing your examiner will read before they write their viva report. You need to make sure it stands out.
What is a dissertation abstract and how do I write one for my PhD?
Don’t underestimate how hard it is to write a PhD thesis abstract. When I wrote mine I though it’d be straightforward. Far from it. It’s tricky.
You have to condense hundred of pages and years of work into a few hundred words.
Drowning in a sea of authors – How to be critical in a PhD literature review.
Don’t get lost in a sea of authors when you write your PhD literature review. Instead be critical. In this guide we explain how.
Wrestling an elephant into a cupboard: how to write a PhD literature review in nine easy steps
When I was writing my PhD I hated the literature review. I was scared of it. I thought it would be impossible to grapple. So much so that it used to keep me up at night. Now I know how easy it can be and I’m sharing my top tips with you today.
A Template To Help You Structure Your PhD’s Theoretical Framework Chapter
In this guide, I explain how to use the theory framework template. The focus is on the practical things to consider when you’re working with the template and how you can give your theory framework the rockstar treatment.
How To Structure A PhD With Our PhD Writing Template
Our PhD Writing Template allows you to visualise your PhD on one page. Here we explain how to fill it in and how it can help you structure each chapter.
Eureka! When I learnt how to write a theoretical framework
The theoretical framework is so important, but so misunderstood. Here we explain it is in simple terms: as a toolbox.
Jump to a different section to read more
This is not a normal blog subscription
Each day we send a short, thought-provoking email that will make you think differently about what it means to be a PhD student. They’re designed to be read in thirty seconds and thought about all day.
How to stay mentally well during your PhD
In the pursuit of PhD perfection it is easy to let our mental wellbeing suffer. These free tips, guides, templates and resources are designed to help.
80 things I wish I knew when I was doing my PhD
Often, the difference between unnecessary worry and successfully muddling through is having someone on your side who can tell you that what you’re feeling is normal and reassure you with good, practical advice that speaks to the core of you. That is the goal of this article.
‘It is a special time’ – 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 them. Over the course of a week, over sixty PhD students answered a simple question: How has coronavirus affected your PhD and how have you adapted?
10 Things You Can Prioritise If You’re A Self-Isolating PhD Student
Whilst being based from home and self-isolating will undoubtedly have a big impact on how you work, it doesn’t mean your PhD comes to a stop. There are other things you can work on once you re-prioritise your workload and shift your projects around.
6 ways to overcome PhD loneliness
PhDs can be the loneliest places in the world. You may be part of a bigger cohort of students in your department, but ultimately it’s down to you to power on through, turn up every day, make decisions and deal with problems. It’s you that has to carry around the weight and anxiety that accompany your PhD, and it’s you who has to constantly find a way over what seem like insurmountable hurdles, problems and sticking points.
How Moments of Mindfulness Can Thwart the PhD Blues — The Science of Mindfulness for Students
PhD students are six times more likely to experience depression or anxiety than the general population — that’s what a recent survey of over 2,000 graduate students found. To those of us currently on our PhD journey, perhaps this won’t come as a surprise. Doctoral...
There’s no place for struggle-porn in academia
Ever slept under your desk? I have. I was proud of it. It was something to boast about the next day. People admired me because of the amount of work I was putting into my PhD. Awful, right?
How attached to your PhD thesis are you?
If you’re anything like I was, your PhD thesis is like your baby. You’ve bought it into the world and you’ll die for it. It’s tested you, pushed you harder than you ever thought possible and bought your to tears many, many times.
People like me will never do things like that: PhD imposter syndrome and academic anxiety
To those who think they’re not good enough I say two things. First, good enough for what? To be an academic? Well, you are one. You’re a trainee. Second, you’re not good enough yet. There’s a big distinction.
PhD Mental Health: The importance of self-care during the writing process
‘Am I doing it right?’ ‘Others are so much better at writing than me.’ ‘I have to please my supervisor.’ ‘My future career, my life, depends on how well I write this thesis.’ Sound familiar?
Jump to a different section to read more
Your one page PhD thesis
Visualise every element of your thesis on one page with our free thesis template.
Whether you’re writing up or starting out, use it to present your research in the most compelling way possible.
Resources for non-native English speakers
Writing a PhD in English when it isn’t your native language throws up unique challenges. Here we present tailored advice and resources.
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.
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.
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.
Russian (dolls) to the rescue – how to structure an argument in your PhD
At the core of the PhD are arguments. Lots of them. Some more important and some very specific. When you understand how to structure an argument, your thesis reads clearly and logically. If you don’t the reader ends up confused and your thesis suffers.
A Template To Help You Structure Your PhD’s Theoretical Framework Chapter
In this guide, I explain how to use the theory framework template. The focus is on the practical things to consider when you’re working with the template and how you can give your theory framework the rockstar treatment.
How To Structure A PhD With Our PhD Writing Template
Our PhD Writing Template allows you to visualise your PhD on one page. Here we explain how to fill it in and how it can help you structure each chapter.
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.
Jump to a different section to read more
A Daily Dose of PhD Motivation
Each day we send out a short, motivational email to over 2,000 students. You can find an archive below, but if you’d like to get yours delivered straight to your inbox click here.
Is everything perfect?
Things will never be perfect. There’s no magic moment where everything in your PhD is perfect, fixed, exactly where you want it. There will always be things wrong, and there will always be things that are imperfect.
Is everyone else submitting before you?
It’s easy in your PhD to look at others and compare your own expertise, study and progress. A particular challenge occurs when those in your cohort reach major milestones before you or, worse still, submit before you.
Reader advice on juggling the PhD
In yesterday’s email I spoke to those who were juggling a PhD alongside other responsibilities (childcare, employment, and so on). I shared a tip that one of the readers shared, and invited others to share their advice on how to keep momentum up in the PhD when it is one of multiple balls to juggle.
Is your PhD your baby?
Completing a PhD is much like nursing a child. It can sap all of your energy, eat into your time, and it can crowd out any other responsibilities, hobbies or interests you may have had. Completing a PhD is tough, and it can be incredibly isolating; worth it in the long run, but hard at the time.
How do you start your day?
Either you can wake up and start to think of all the stresses and strains that the PhD is trying to throw at you that day, or you can wake up and immediately focus on the positives, on all the things that are going right, that you’re excited about, or that you’re grateful for.
Your PhD may be a bit crap
Your PhD is going to be rough around the edges. There will even be bits of it that are a bit crap. And that’s okay.
Your one page PhD thesis
Visualise every element of your thesis on one page with our free thesis template.
Whether you’re writing up or starting out, use it to present your research in the most compelling way possible.