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PhD Rising Standards

The approach for getting a PhD has always remained the same. With the passage of time, we see more and more PhDs on the domain and it is unarguable true that it is difficult to get a degree than it was ever before. Research is getting more and more review centric. To add to it, the kind of competition that is there in the academic world. Often these days, editors are seen accepting and rejecting the manuscript on the grounds of the contributions that have been offered in the paper. The greatest of academic careers are built on the basis of the published papers which serve as the ladder for climbing up on higher designations. The number of authors that compete for the same publishing space are higher than ever before and consequently finding space in a top tier journal is a challenge that not many are able to accomplish. It is important to be very clear about two things in the nascent stage of you academic career. Rather, I would say, do not start your academic career till the time you are not sure of these two things. They are:

Have a clear vision about the contribution your PhD is going to make. The more focussed and narrower your vision be, the better it is.

Develop the approach to learn to think like a reviewer or editor. You can do that by staying abreast with notes that the editors of the top tier journals keep updating. Do not leave any opportunity to meet the editor of journals in conferences and seminars. In fact, it should be on your list of priority when you go to attend any academic event. To add to it, grab opportunities to review others work. It is the best way to sharpen your own skills.

Writing a Conference Paper! Here You Go…..

It took me a long time to write my first conference paper. I was meaning to write it for a long time and couldn’t somehow just do it. Now that I have done it, I thought might as well reflect on it. Like I said, it was my first attempt and I drew a lesson … Continue reading “Writing a Conference Paper! Here You Go…..”

It took me a long time to write my first conference paper. I was meaning to write it for a long time and couldn’t somehow just do it. Now that I have done it, I thought might as well reflect on it.

Like I said, it was my first attempt and I drew a lesson from each attempt I made and every mistake I committed. In my writing process, the first tip I have for myself and all others is to not focus on writing right but rather focus on writing in itself. Never also underestimate the amount of time you would need to complete a certain task at hand. I ended up spending a lot of time on data transcription and so found hardly any time to do the other component of the document.

Planning is very important for writing a paper and I would say, all the more better is to write your plan so that you no longer have to stare at a blank page and get jitters before starting to write. A big help that the plan would do is to make you feel that all that is needed to be done is to fill the gaps in between the plan. Not that the task becomes simpler but when you think it is simpler, there is a psychological push to go ahead with it and the hurdles are overcome with a greater zest. The boost and confidence keeps your spirits high. A very useful advice is , don’t be critical in the beginning only, first just get written. Leave the correction work for later. Some for yourself and the rest for your supervisor and peer. They should also have some constructive contribution in your document.

Sometimes most of our energy gets consumed in writing and we have no interest and inclination left in reading the paper again. Then it so happens that we give the document to the reviewer with some very silly mistakes because of which there is a lot of embarrassment to face at a later stage. So do read what you have written.

Make sure that in this entire process, you do not forget your deadline and then in the end, do not forget the most important rule of the game. Yeah, this is IMPERATIVE. After submission, go and enjoy life and do not moan over the quality or standard of the submitted document. After all it is the fruit of your hard work and dedication so it is your baby and you got to be proud of it.

Who Is a Perfect Advisor?

It Is Very Difficult to Define a Perfect Advisor. However, Very Informally I Can Categorize Advisors into Two Categories: The One who manages more: How can I define an over ambitious advisor. Perhaps someone who is young, highly enthusiastic and has the energy and the inclination to simultaneously contribute towards each and every effort and … Continue reading “Who Is a Perfect Advisor?”

It Is Very Difficult to Define a Perfect Advisor. However, Very Informally I Can Categorize Advisors into Two Categories:

The One who manages more: How can I define an over ambitious advisor. Perhaps someone who is young, highly enthusiastic and has the energy and the inclination to simultaneously contribute towards each and every effort and work that you do. He has the capacity to work extra hours and be involved whole heartedly in all your endeavours. The downside if having an advisor like this is that like the way he works insane hours, his expectations from you also remain the same. With an advisor like this, he may want publish early and so pressurize you also to work towards early publication. With an advisor like this, you would surely graduate with an outstanding profile.

The one who manages less: An advisor who falls in this category is older and has a lot of commitments that go beyond his work periphery. He may have obligations that could be family related social or even administrative within the university. This kind of advisor would give you your space and time to work without actually showing up your presence on everyday basis. With the experience that he has earned over the years, he has the belief that a PhD is all about self-discovery and a researcher is always motivated and self-disciplined to excel.

There are more categories of advisors that could be extremes on either side of the continuum or a combination category of advisors. However, I am sure you would be able place your advisor in either of these two categories and it is very difficult to conclude who would be a perfect manager. As a scholar, it depends what matches with your style of working. For me, I think I would work better with a more active one, though at the same time I hold a lot of respect for the under mangers.

You need to be cautious of your physical and mental health when you work with the first category because the kind of pressure it would create can overwhelm you

Secrets for Negotiating an Academic Job Offer

The academic job market is not easy and people struggle with jobs here. You may get a job offer but you have to always negotiate it. Not everyone would agree with me, as there would be people saying that one should always accept a good offer and not explore negotiating opportunities as it may lead … Continue reading “Secrets for Negotiating an Academic Job Offer”

The academic job market is not easy and people struggle with jobs here. You may get a job offer but you have to always negotiate it. Not everyone would agree with me, as there would be people saying that one should always accept a good offer and not explore negotiating opportunities as it may lead to losing the offer altogether. But here I would give you a few tips that would help you to negotiate better.

In my first job offer I did not have the skill as well as the courage to negotiate. Though I had heard from the more experienced bunch that negotiation is always advisable, but, because it was my first time, I did not have any clue about from where to start so I consented on whatever the chair had to offer to me. I give myself the explanation that since it was my first academic job and I was any which ways very happy to have a job in the first place that not negotiating for a better package seemed quite justified.

If I may take the liberty to add some statistics here, only nine per cent of women negotiate on having a job offer as compared a much greater percentage of 60 men out of 100.

It took me a long time to realise that my salary was nowhere near to the competitive packages being offered in the market and the only way to get a raise was now to jump into the market to find another suitable job offer. In the process of getting my new job I got an opportunity to negotiate on a great number of perks that had been actually missing from my then current position all these years. It seemed like such exploitation.

I specifically asked for more resources in these categories, particularly:

Basic salary
Funds for research
Funds for attending seminar and conferences
Development fund
Moving allowance
Housing fund

I can tell you with experience that for each thing I demanded, I had to keep a justification ready and that helped. In you negotiation stage as well, keep a list of categories you believe you would negotiate upon and have a valid reason for each one. That makes your case stronger. Have a explanation ready for why you need research funds. Get a critical perspective on the justifications by few experienced people. That surely helps. I did not get all things I asked for but from the list, the chair did consent on some of my demands. Eventually I moved with a feeling of satisfaction and happiness that I could negotiate well and was switching some gains that I felt I was deprived off for a long time. The important lesson here is that you never know what you will get if you ask, but you can be sure that if you don’t ask, you won’t get anything.

Dilemma Between Whether to Do or Not to Do Online Research?

Online research is being used widely, across the globe; however, I have been in dilemma about its application and use, particularly in comparison to offline research which is more personalised. In my recent tryst with online research, I found something amiss and that was the completeness that comes with a personal interaction. It may be a conservative perspective, but I have always been of the belief that an unthreatening environment and the research methods are two essential requisites of any good research, particularly when I talk of qualitative research. The difference between online and offline research is same as the difference between a virtual meeting and meeting in flesh and blood. Given a choice we would always prefer to have an offline meeting with the ones we want to , vis a vis a virtual one.

One of the key challenges of online research is to keep the respondent engaged and involved without being able to accurately decipher the signals that the tone and body language can give. In an offline interview, a lot can be achieved and controlled by the means of posture and eye contact. This lack of control is not just in the case of behaviour and engagement but also spreads over to the research environment. The lighting, seating arrangement, air circulation and other such factors become completely out of control of the researcher when the interview or interaction is being done in an online mode. Qualitative research is not just understanding the respondent but also taking cues from his or her environment and deciphering information from the cues that the environment offers. In the light of my arguments presented above, the efficacy of the online research can be in question. Though it is convenient and at times the only solution but its use should only be limited to where I feel offline research cannot be reached. A judicious and wise use of online research is acceptable but I disagree with it becoming a replacement for offline research tool.