As some of you may know, last week kicked off a series of SGSAH-organised writing retreats in Hospitalfield, Arbroath. The instructions for participants were clear: Have something to work on, set manageable goals – and most importantly: forget about the outside world for three days.
In our digitally saturated age it is easy to forget that for 94.2% of the past half a millennium the western world has been reliant on the printed book as our predominant "information technology". What does this mean for us as scholars? For one thing it means that any of us working in a historical perspective will probably want to have some understanding of how the book developed as a technology and of how we can make use of that in our research.
Spoiler alert: No, this blog post will not encourage plagiarism.
It’s International Women’s Day! What better occasion to talk about the impact women have had in academia in the past, present, and will continue to have in the future.
The SGSAH annual research showcase is just around the corner. This might be just the opportunity for you to present your work with funding of up to 1000£ for related costs, regarl. But how can you best capture your (PhD-)life’s work to attract attention and garner interest in your topic? Here are three tips to make your work stand out and get most out of the showcase.
Doing a PhD inevitably means staying in university longer and not being able to rinse off the student-status. This can at times feel a bit awkward when friends and people around us seem to be in completely different life stages. They might be getting a dog and a mortgage, while you’re trying to convince a prospective landlord that you are technically a professional even if you’re officially a student. You’re neither fish nor fowl, navigating the grey area of work, bureaucracy, and life.
Every PhD journey is unique. In the coming and borrowed lines, I would like to share my experience with research trips and how flexibility and resilience have been key to adapting and developing this core part of my research plan.
You either have it or you know someone who does: Imposter syndrome. Spreading like a viral disease across campus and beyond, it may be the reason you become your own biggest enemy. It’s the internalised fear of being outed as a fraud at any moment and could, at worst, stunt your own growth. Let’s talk about it.
It’s not a secret that branding, marketing, and showcasing your research online can boost your academic career. You might have noticed that you will find most researchers and PhD students all over Twitter, where they can share their work, establish their relevance in the field, and grow their networks. Perhaps the one or other might even have their own research blog or podcast. Recently however, there has been a slow shift to TikTok as a platform to promote research.
Doing a PhD can be hard sometimes. While undergraduate and taught postgraduate students have regular courses to attend, group assignments, clear milestones, and a cohort with whom they share many facets of their university experience, PhD students often find themselves rather isolated on their unique journeys. Thankfully there are blog posts with life hacks for every walk of life – like this one, specifically curated for the PhD experience.
SGSAH Blog 