Fulfilling the Potential of Your Doctoral Experience

Pam Denicolo, Julie Reeves, Dawn Duke

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781473974791, 9781473974784
• eBook ISBN: 9781526416940
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Research & Methodology
• Index: Social Sciences

Do you want to thrive in your doctoral research? Do you want to do more than just survive? If so this is the book for you.

Focused on empowering the doctoral researcher, it is packed with advice on how to make the best of opportunities and enjoy your research experience while dealing with challenges. Whether you need to find sources of constructive feedback, are facing an unexpected disturbance to your project, or have ambitions beyond your academic goals, this book provides practical, flexible tips for conducting effective research and engaging with the complex world of academia, including how to:

• Maintain momentum through each stage of the research process
• Make the most of available resources, training, and support
• Explore new technologies, networks, and dissemination strategies
• Maximize the value of assessment
• Use this project as a springboard into further research and career opportunities

Acknowledging that every doctoral experience is unique, this book goes beyond a script for success and instead offers a full studio of flexible, creative tools and adaptable action points that equip you to compose your own distinctive story of research success. 

About the series
The Success in Research series, from Cindy Becker and Pam Denicolo, provides short, authoritative and accessible guides on key areas of professional and research development.  

Avoiding jargon and cutting to the chase of what you really need to know, these practical and supportive books cover a range of areas from presenting research to achieving impact, and from publishing journal articles to developing proposals. They are essential reading for any student or researcher interested in developing their skills and broadening their professional and methodological knowledge in an academic context.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Publisher Note
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• Illustration List
• Table List
• Sidebar List
• Sidebar List
• Sidebar List
• Sidebar List
• Sidebar List
• About the Authors
• Acknowledgements
• Prologue: Who Will Benefit from the Book and Why
• Part One Engaging with the Process
• 1 What is the Point of a Doctorate in the 21st Century?
• 2 How Can You Make a Good Start?
• 3 How Can You Develop Your Role as an Evolving Researcher?
• Part Two Success is in the Detail
• 4 What Makes a Good Research Story?*
• 5 What are the Potential Resources and Opportunities and How Can They Best Be Utilised?
• 6 How Can Relationships Be Developed to Enable Constructive Feedback and Support?
• 7 How Can You Prepare for Successful Formal Reviews During the Doctorate?
• 8 What are the Criteria and How Can You Prepare to Do Well in the Final Assessment?
• Part Three Progressing with Confidence
• 9 What is Impact and How Can it be Built into Current Research to Enhance Future Opportunities?
• 10 How Can You Make the Most of Your Research Experience at a Personal Level?
• 11 How Can You Make the Most of Your Research Experience for Your Professional Career?
• 12 What are the Key Features for Transitioning into a New Role?
• Appendix I A sample Gantt Chart
• Appendix II Summary diagram of the Researcher Development Framework (RDF)
• Appendix III Non-verbal communication
• Appendix IV Advice on final assessment A. Summary of criteria used by many examiners for assessing the written thesis
• Appendix IV Advice on final assessment B. Top tips for preparing for a viva
• Appendix V Policy information about impact
• Appendix VI Authors’ doctoral experiences
• Glossary
• Index