Tag Archives: PhD

Writing to focus on your contribution

22 June 2023 by Steve Walton
No comments
I’ve given a workshop on how to write your thesis so that you focus on your contribution to knowledge for our postgraduate research conference at Trinity College Bristol this week. Here are the slides from the workshop, which will give you a flavour of what I’ve talked about. One slide is a link to a Beatles’ song, so I’ve given you the link to the YouTube video for your delectation.

Some helpful pieces on planning and study

16 September 2019 by Steve Walton
No comments
I’ve been finding a number of really helpful pieces on different aspects of planning, research and study recently, and here share three of my favourites. Here is a belter of a piece by the wonderful Katherine Firth about ‘Taking a critical distance break’, explaining the very helpful process of stepping back from a project you’re engrossed in, to give yourself time and head space to see what’s really going on, what’s most important, how things fit together, etc. Here is a very helpful piece on Continue reading →

Two helpful recent productivity and writing posts

22 May 2018 by Steve Walton
No comments
  Here are two recent posts which I’m finding helpful. The first is from patter (Professor Pat Thomson) about a new collection of short essays critiquing bad ideas about writing (which mostly seem to be US-based and derive from Strunk and White’s key book). Her summary is both clear and helpful (and a model of how to do so), and there is also a link to the book, which is freely available in digital format. The other is from the Nozbe team, and gives seven Continue reading →

Some useful blogs for study and research

26 March 2018 by Steve Walton
No comments
Here are a six of my favourite blogs which offer helpful material to help doing with study and research—and the organisation required to accomplish those things. I thought others might be interested; please share other blogs and websites you have found helpful in the comments. Study Hacks is Cal Newport’s blog. He is the author of the superb books Deep Work and So Good They Can’t Ignore You, and teaches and researches in Computer Science at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Cal is simply excellent at Continue reading →

Gabby Thomas on ‘The Gift of a PhD’

16 June 2017 by Steve Walton
One comment
The Revd Dr Gabby (Gabrielle) Thomas I recently read a fascinating piece on the excellent Thesis Whisperer blog by a Hindu lady (I presume, since she talks about the Bhagavad Gita), giving her reflections on the spiritual growth she is experiencing in doing a PhD, and that prompted me to wonder aloud on facebook what Christian reflection on the process would look like. A couple of people responded, and have kindly agreed to provide guest blog pieces. This is the first, by the Revd Dr Gabby Continue reading →