Guides for doctoral researchers

Practical guidance on the parts of a doctorate that are about process rather than method — getting approval, passing milestones, working with a supervisor, handling examination outcomes, and publishing alongside the thesis.

• Confirmation of candidature

  What the confirmation, upgrade or transfer milestone really tests, how to prepare the document and the talk, and what each outcome means.

  Candidature · 5 min read

• PhD by publication

  What a thesis by publication involves, how many papers are expected, what the linking chapters must do, and the co-authorship traps to avoid.

  Thesis format · 5 min read

• Publishing during your PhD

  When publishing helps a doctorate and when it derails it, how to choose what to publish and where, and how to handle authorship and rejection.

  Publishing · 5 min read

• Research ethics approval

  Why ethics approval takes longer than candidates plan, what committees actually check, and how to write an application that clears in one round.

  Candidature · 6 min read

• Supervision meetings

  Why supervision meetings drift, the agenda that fixes it, and how to keep a record that protects you when accounts of what was agreed diverge.

  Supervision · 4 min read

• Thesis corrections

  What each viva outcome means, how minor and major corrections differ, and a method for working through an examiner's list without stalling.

  Examination · 4 min read