The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research (Study Skills) (Paperback)

~ Gordon Rugg (Author), Marian Petre (Author) "You can't imagine, even from what you have read and what I've told you, the things I shall have to see and do..." (more)
Key Phrases: woodpecker story, instrumental behaviour, expressive behaviour, Bad Thing (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"A breath of fresh air - I wish someone had told me this beforehand." PhD student, UK

"If you are contemplating a PhD, buy the book and read it straight through to get the larger picture; then re-read each section in greater detail as you tackle each stage of your work.
I did the basic research for my PhD in about twelve months, then spent two years writing up the results - and producing possibly too much. It succeeded, but I think I might have made a better job of it if I had read a book like this first. But they didn't exist in those days." Mantex

This book looks at things the other books don’t tell you about doing a PhD - what it’s really like and how to come through it with a happy ending! It covers all the things you wish someone had told you before you started:

• What a PhD is really about, and how to do one well
• The "unwritten rules" of research and of academic writing
• What your supervisor actually means by terms like "good referencing" and "clean research question"
• How to write like a skilled researcher
• How academic careers really work

An ideal resource if someone you care about (including yourself!) is undergoing or considering a PhD. This book turns lost, clueless students back into people who know what they are doing, and who can enjoy life again.

About the Author

Dr Gordon Rugg has a BA in French and Linguistics and a PhD in Psychology. A former English Lecturer and field archaeologist, he is now based in the School of Computing and Mathematics at Keele University, and is editor of the journal “Expert Systems”. His research interests range from medieval crptography to software evaluation and why students underachieve.

Marian Petre has a first degree in Pyscholinguistics from Swarthmore College in the USA, and a PhD in Computer Science from University College London. Her career includes working in modern dance and the computer industry. She is Reader in Computing at the Open University, UK, where she set up the Centre for Informatics Education Research. She is currently researching expert behaviour and reasoning in the design of complex systems.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Open University Press; 1 edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0335213448
• ISBN-13: 978-0335213443
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #425,795 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent guide that really spells the PhD process out, February 24, 2008

By	textile fiend (Auckland, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

I read five guides to getting a PhD and this was the one I found the most helpful. I thought it was much better then the Phillips & Pugh "How to get a PhD".

All the books I read contained information on the actual academic process, and about the writing process, but where I thought this one was far superior was speaking about the informal areas of your research experience. It has excellent material about how to locate and build suitable people into different kinds of informal networks to help and support you. It has great infomation about the politics of academic life; how to survive and prosper if you are not naturally good at understanding (or playing in) the routes to power.

The book likens doing a PhD to an apprentice making a cabinet as their "master" piece. You need to display the right kinds of skills to demonstrate that you are an independant and sound researcher. This puts a slightly different spin to your work than just carrying out an independant research project. The book has lots and lots of useful short pointers giving the most helpful nuts and bolts of how to prove to your examiners that you know what you are doing, by explaining exactly what they are looking for in your thesis as that proof.

The book is packed full of pithy points for success; How much/often should I read? Exactly how many references do I need as a minimum? Are they going to be books or journal articles? How can I quickly tell a good journal article from a less-useful one? What's the best way to keep on top of an annotated bibliograhy? What does a successful thesis look like? If I'm trying to get a paper published, how many rejection letters can I expect to receive? If I want to lecture after I'm finished, how early in my PhD do I need to start teaching part-time?

Another part of the book that is different from the rest of the pack is the section on job hunting and interviews after you've completed the PhD. Because this is specifically aimed at an academic career it is more helpful than a generic book on interviewing.

The book also has really useful chapters covering the viva, conferences,and making presentations.

Throughout the book there are reminders about the goal - the PhD. The reader is continually nudged and steered back to the fact that the point of your whole research project is one particular kind of document, that needs to demonstrate particular skills. All the brilliance in the world won't help you if your thesis doesn't communicate it to the examiners.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone starting, or still doing, their PhD.