Carefully structured to make it accessible and easy to follow, this thought-provoking book encourages the reader to facilitate a dialogue across disciplines so that mature and unconventional students are acknowledged and can discover a successful path towards admission and PhD completion. Based on real experiences of navigating the doctoral system, the guide includes insights from doctorates, candidates, supervisors, and examiners, who share their stories, insights, and advice. It covers key topics such as: Developing a research topic, conducting research, and research integrity Effectiveness, productivity, and progress Exploring key concepts and techniques through reading, writing, and networking Self-care and motivation Finding your academic voice This guide is a must-read for advanced academic researchers, advanced postgraduate students, and experienced professionals with vocational backgrounds who are seeking recognition for their knowledge and alternative pathways to contribute to the sector.

The 'Insider Guides to Success in Academia' offers support and practical advice to doctoral students and early-career researchers. Covering the topics that really matter, but which often get overlooked, this indispensable series provides practical and realistic guidance to address many of the needs and challenges of trying to operate, and remain, in academia. These neat pocket guides fill specific and significant gaps in current literature. Each book offers insider perspectives on the often implicit rules of the game -- the things you need to know but usually aren't told by institutional postgraduate support, researcher development units, or supervisors -- and will address a practical topic that is key to career progression. They are essential reading for doctoral students, early-career researchers, supervisors, mentors, or anyone looking to launch or maintain their career in academia. Accessible, insightful and a must-have toolkit for all final year doctoral students, the founders of the 'Thesis Boot Camp' intensive writing programme show how to survive and thrive through the challenging final year of writing and submitting a thesis. Drawing on an understanding of the intellectual, professional, practical and personal elements of the doctorate to help readers gain insight into what it means to finish a PhD and how to get there, this book covers the common challenges and ways to resolve them. It includes advice on: Project management skills to plan, track, iterate and report on the complex task of bringing a multi-year research project to a successful close Personal effectiveness and self-care to support students to thrive in body, mind and relationships, including challenging supervisor relationships. The successful 'generative' writing processes which get writers into the zone and producing thousands of words; and then provides the skills to structure and polish those words to publishable quality. What it means to survive a PhD and consider multiple possible futures. Written for students in all disciplines, and relevant to university systems around the world, this unique book expertly guides students through the final 6-12 months of the thesis.