Doing the research
Fieldwork, lab work, archives, interviews, data and analysis. Stage 4 of 6.
This is the long middle of the PhD, and it is where plans meet reality. Recruitment is slower than expected, experiments fail, archives are bigger than they looked, and analysis takes longer than anyone said it would.
None of this means you are doing it wrong. The students who come through this stage well tend to keep their data organised, log their decisions, tell their supervisor early when something changes, and write a little all the way through instead of waiting until the data is finished.
Milestones for this stage
Tick them off as you go. Your ticks are saved on this device.
0 of 6 done
Guides that matter most now
- Recruitment or access is taking much longer than I plannedFind where recruitment or access is actually stalling, widen your routes within your approval, and set a date to switch to a fallback.
- I'm preparing for fieldwork and want to be readySort out permissions, safety, data, money and your own wellbeing before you leave, and plan for what you'll do when things change.
- Something in my research failed or went badly wrongSteady yourself, work out what can be saved, find the cause and bring your supervisor options rather than only bad news.
- My data and files are disorganised and I can't find thingsSet up a folder structure, naming rules and backups you'll keep using, then clear the backlog in one afternoon.
- I'm buried in interviews, archival material or other textGet an overview of everything you have, build a simple catalogue, and analyse with your question in front of you.
- My analysis isn't working and I'm stuckStep back to what the analysis needs to show, rebuild from a simple version and get another person to look at it with you.
- I need to learn a new method or piece of softwareLearn enough of a new method to use it well and defend it, without disappearing into it for a year.
- My results aren't what I expectedRule out errors first, then take surprising or null results seriously and write them up honestly.
- I've lost my motivationFind your way back into work that has stopped feeling like it matters.
Tools for this stage
Also useful at this stage
- I need to get ethics approval for my researchPrepare an ethics application that comes back with fewer revisions, and plan your timeline around the review.
- I'm not sure my methods fit my research questionCheck the chain from question to data to analysis to claim, and get the right expert to look at it.
- My research question keeps changingTell useful refinement from drift, keep a record of each version, and agree when the question is settled.
- I can't get started on writing at allGet words onto the page before you know exactly what you think, and shape them afterwards.
- I'm writing a chapter and I'm unsure how to structure itWork out what the chapter has to do, then build an outline that follows the argument.
- I'm getting ready to submit a paper to a journalChoose a journal that fits, submit cleanly, and know what to expect once the paper is under review.
- I'm not sure whose name goes on the paper, or in what orderRaise authorship early and in writing, and know what to do if it starts to feel unfair.
- My paper was rejected or the reviews were harshWork out what kind of decision you have, respond to reviewers well, and get the paper back out.