The book THE RESEARCH STUDENT'S GUIDE TO SUCCESS

Editions of the book 'The Research Student's Guide to Success'

The first edition of my book for research students was published in 1996; the second in 2000; and the third in 2006.

2006 is of course some time ago. So you may wonder why there has not been a fourth edition. The reason is that I haven't thought it necessary. I explain why after the Contents List:

Contents List of the 3rd edition of The Research Student's Guide to Success

Why and how to use this book
Exploring routes, opportunities and funding for postgraduate study and research
Making an application
Producing the research proposal
Settling in and taking stock
Interacting with supervisors
Reading round the subject: working procedures
Reading round the subject: evaluating quality
Handling ethical issues
Managing the pervasive influences of personal circumstances
Adapting to postgraduate research outside your home country
Planning, monitoring and recording your skills development (PDP)
Planning out the work
Getting into a productive routine
Co-operating with others for mutual help and support
Producing progress reports
Giving presentations on your work
Transferring registration from MPhil to PhD
Coming to terms with originality in research
Developing ideas through creative thinking
Keeping going when you feel like giving up Job seeking
Producing the thesis
Preparing for the examination and conducting yourself in the oral/viva/thesis defence
Afterwards!

References

Books are increasingly being superseded by the internet - hence this website.

The challenges that face students on research projects have not changed - and meeting such challenges successfully is what the book is about. There is no shortage of reviews on the internet as a search will quickly reveal.

Although teaching technology has changed dramatically with smart boards, digital projectors and flash drives replacing blackboards, overhead projectors and rewritable CDs, these do not figure in the challenges faced by students on research programmes. Neither does the burgeoning tick-box culture of administrative requirements.

So, as far as suggestions and advice for research students are concerned, the 3rd edition of 'The Research Student's Guide to Success' should still meet most of students' general, non-discipline specific needs. The Contents List is shown in the box with a good indication of what is in various chapters.

* 'Supervisor' is a shorthand for 'research degree supervisor', 'advisor' or 'tutor', and applies to varying extents for all research degrees: PhD, DPhil. MPhil, Prof Doc and even undergraduate and masters' projects. In some countries, notably the USA, a 'supervisor' is known as an 'advisor'.