My coursework leaves almost no time for research
Keep a small, steady research thread going through heavy coursework years, and make your courses work for the project.
In short
Start here, today. List the assignments due in your courses this term. Next to each one, write a line on how it could connect to your research topic, even loosely. This takes about 20 minutes.
After that, work through these steps. Choose one to jump to it.
Step by step
Tick each step as you finish it. Open a step for the how.
0 of 6 steps done
Protect one small research block
Choose two sessions a week of 60 to 90 minutes, at fixed times, for research only. The morning before classes, or the day with the fewest seminars, usually holds up best. Keep the blocks small enough that you can protect them in a bad week too.
Give the block work that survives interruption
Keep a short list of research tasks that can be picked up cold: reading one central paper and writing a paragraph on it, adding to a glossary of concepts in your area, sketching possible questions. Use Writing Sessions to note where to start next time, so you don't spend the first 20 minutes remembering where you were.
Point course papers at your project
When an assignment is open, choose a topic that builds towards your thesis: a review of one strand of the literature, a critique of a method you might use, a small analysis of public data close to your topic. Over two years of courses, these pieces can add up to the bones of a literature review.
Talk to instructors at the start of term
Ask early, not the week before the deadline, whether you can align a paper with your research. Most instructors are open to it as long as the work still meets the course's goals. Check whether your program has rules about reusing work across courses or in the thesis, and ask before you submit related material twice.
Use methods courses as rehearsal
If a course teaches a method you'll need, ask whether you can use data, texts or examples from your own field for the assignments. You'll understand the method better, and you may come out with code, a coding scheme or an analysis plan you can reuse.
Shrink the thread in crunch weeks, don't cut it
During exam and deadline weeks, drop to one 30-minute research session. It keeps the project in your head, and restarting a project you've touched every week is far easier than restarting one you left for a month.
Words you can use
Is this you? Signs to look for
- Weeks pass between readings, problem sets and marking without a single hour on your own project.
- You tell yourself the research will start properly once courses are over.
- You picked your course paper topics because they were convenient, not because they help your thesis.
- When your supervisor asks how the project is going, you end up talking about your courses.
Why this happens
Coursework comes with deadlines, grades and an instructor waiting for it. Your research has none of those yet, so it loses every time. That isn't a discipline problem. It is what happens to attention when one kind of work is enforced from outside and the other isn't.
The risk is finishing coursework with a good transcript and no project. Students in that position often lose a term getting started, just as comprehensive exams and the proposal arrive. A small, regular research thread during coursework, even two or three hours a week, means you reach that point with notes, a reading list and a half-formed question rather than a blank page.
Courses can also do more for your project than you might expect. A seminar paper can become part of a literature review. A methods course can be where you try out the analysis you'll need later.
Worth a look (3)
- List of Resources for Finding ETDsThis directory lists national and regional thesis collections around the world, from Theses Canada to Shodhganga. It's handy for finding past theses to see how others shaped theirs.
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses GlobalThis very large database of dissertations and theses is strongest for North American universities, and many records include full text. It's usually available through your university library.
- The Thesis WhispererInger Mewburn's long-running blog about doing a PhD covers thesis writing, supervision, productivity and life after the degree. It's warm and practical, with plenty of readers' stories.
When to bring someone in
If your course load is heavier than your program requires, or you're being asked to take courses that seem unrelated to your project, ask your supervisor and graduate coordinator which courses are compulsory and whether any can be substituted. If you also teach or hold an assistantship, check your contract for limits on paid hours.
Find the right person, or talk to Ify