Becoming a professional researcher

Shonil Bhagwat, Nadia Bartolini, Jim McGinlay

Faculty of Social Sciences

The Illustrated Guide to a PhD

“Every [year], I explain to a fresh batch of PhD students what a PhD is.It's hard to describe it in words.So, I use pictures.Read below for the illustrated guide to a PhD”

Source: Matt Might (Computer scientist at the University of Utah) http://matt.might.net/

Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge…

By the time you finish elementary school, you know a little…

By the time you finish high school, you know a bit more…

With a bachelor's degree, you gain a specialty…

A master's degree deepens that specialty…

Reading research papers takes you to the edge of human knowledge…

Once you're at the boundary, you focus…

You push at the boundary for a few years…

Until one day, the boundary gives way…

And, that dent you've made is called a PhD…

Of course, the world looks different to you now…

So, don't forget the bigger picture, but keep pushing!...

The Meaning of a PhD

Professor Derek PughOpen University Business School

Adapted fromEstelle M. Phillips and Derek S. Pugh

How to Get a PhD (5th edition)Open University Press, 2010

<www.derekpugh.com>

Command of subject

• At the most basic level it means that you have something to say that your peers want to listen to.

• In order to do this you must have a command of what is happening in your subject so that you can evaluate the worth of what others are doing.

• You must have the astuteness to discover where you can make a useful contribution.

Research methods and ethics

• You must be aware of the ethics of your profession and work within them.

• You must have mastery of appropriate techniques that are currently being used, and also be aware of their limitations.

Communication to diverse audiences

• You must be able to communicate your results effectively in the professional arena.

• All this must be carried out in an international context; your professional peer group is worldwide.

• All this is to be carried out in an ever changing environment in your field of research.

Questions for Nadia and Jim

• What was your PhD about and what did you do to identify your research questions?

• How did you choose your research methods?

• How did you communicate your research to diverse audiences during your PhD?

Questions for Nadia and Jim

• Since completing your PhD, how do you keep on top of your subject and keep in touch with new developments in your field?

• If you were to do your PhD all over again, how would you change your research design or the choice of methodologies?

• What experience have you had of communicating your research and establishing yourself as a researcher since completing the PhD?

Questions for Nadia and Jim

Other questions?