How to build your PhD research skills

phd.academy
As I’ve said in previous videos, the goal of a PhD is to develop and then demonstrate the skills of a professional academic researcher.
But one of the big difficulties of PhD research is that, in most cases, there isn’t a clear structure to help you improve your skills. And in the absence of that structure, many students I speak to just focus on setting challenging goals and working hard to achieve them.
The problem is that working hard towards a difficult goal doesn’t necessarily help you develop your skills, and sometimes the stress of working this way can actually make you less capable.
So in this video I’m going to break down 6 of the most common mistakes that hold back your skill development and I’ll talk about what you should do instead.
0:00 Introduction
1:08 Mistake 1: Too much ________
2:34 Mistake 2: Setting _____________ goals
4:49 Mistake 3: Trying to show ________________
6:11 Mistake 4: Multi-_______
7:11 Mistake 5: Working too ____
9:39 Mistake 6: Not taking ________________

[@XxAssassinYouXx]

I'm starting my PhD this fall in physics. I deferred a year, because I was burnt out in undergrad. I found your channel shortly after I graduated, I feel prepared to start this fall, because of your channel and many others similar. Definitely coming back to this video later in future. This is great advice.

[@y05609]

I want to thank you a lot for your helpful videos. I have been watching since a lot of time. At one point, I was quite frustrated and anxious about my numerous unfinished/failed projects in PhD and dreaded finishing. But your advice of taking it slow and observing each step has helped me a lot, specifically in increasing my confidence and knowing that even if my final experiment does not work, I have intermediate results to defend my efforts. Thank you and keep making the awesome videos!

[@lindadelalifiasam5878]

Thanks for sharing Dr Hayton 😊

[@rameshmahadeo1700]

Thank you, very good.

[@pharmclare]

Quality content here. Amazing message

[@TL-is8pk]

Thank you for your videos. They were so helpful as I was writing my dissertation. I had a lot of doubts during my PhD, but your videos and webinars helped me demystify a sometimes opaque process. I successfully defended in November of 2021 and graduated in December. My dissertation also received an "Honorable Mention" for Best Dissertation and my advisor said it was one of the best they'd read in their 20 years at the university. Thank you again.

[@James_Hayton]

Thanks, and congratulations!

[@user-pk7dr9dv9f]

Thank you for the video! I think the title of this video is misleading. I thought I would learn about which skills and ways to develop them during a doctoral study. But the video is about how to productively do the research. Nevertheless I totally agree with the mistakes mentioned.

[@thegirlchild6389]

Thank you. I can now start my PHD after the previous one flopped working on it for 13 good years. Help me God this time round.🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@James_Hayton]

What went wrong last time? And why do it again?

[@thegirlchild6389]

@@James_Hayton Hi. Was not allowed to toutch the equipments to use for the research, so had no idea how they work. Also I shiwed my weaknesses in that research area and was branded lazy and not serious, it is expected as a PhD student you should know everything or figure out how to get results. So I felt the environment is so toxic for me, finally got strength and walked away in peace. Some supervosors and/institution can send you to early grave or to mental hospital. Now I want to enroll for a PhD in another university on a different topic.

[@James_Hayton]

Ah yeah, that's a big problem in some labs... I briefly worked in one lab where even the technicians didn't know how the equipment worked, but they were the only ones getting data for the PhD students... It's good that you walked away, but obviously choose who you work with carefully next time!

[@thegirlchild6389]

@@James_Hayton Thank you again. 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@jamietvlogs]

Hey James! Could you shed some light on what you think the difference between a Masters and a PhD is? Im currently struggling with my Masters with only 5 months left to go (yikes), but I think its not as academically intense as a PhD. What are your thoughts?

[@James_Hayton]

It's a really difficult distinction to make, as there's huge variation in master's degrees, but as a general rule in a PhD you should be aiming to produce work of a publishable standard. For a master's degree the requirements vary a lot, so it's best to clarify with your department what they are looking for.

[@jp8556]

Hi James , thanks for this video . I’m determined to do my PhD , however being a parent of child with special needs, I am in a dilemma if PhD will be overwhelming with my job and personal commitments . I was advised about Phd by publication route by a friend . Please could you share your thoughts about the same. Thanks in advance!

[@James_Hayton]

The question I always ask is why you want to do it? If you just want to carry on learning, there are better ways to do it (instead of becoming over specialised in a highly stressful environment, you can learn anything you want). If you want just want the title, don't do it (it's not worth it). But if you want to become a researcher, then it's a good route. With your commitments, how much free time do you have? for a part time PhD we're talking 20+ hours per week.

[@jp8556]

Thanks for the quick response. I would like to know more about my child’s condition and the challenges as carers . Looking for a 20 plus hours is something I need to think about . Thanks for your suggestions.

[@Heyu7her3]

Zone of Proximal Development

[@James_Hayton]

yeah, that's what I was getting at with setting immediate goals within reach, but that's not all there is to it

[@anjalyb6935]

Can you do a video about ChatGPT in research

[@James_Hayton]

It's on the list, but I need to take some time to play with it. I know that you definitely shouldn't use it to generate lists of references--it makes up convincing looking fake citations. Do you have a specific question about it?