In this post, SGSAH blogger Garry Mac discusses a controversial topic - reference management software! While everyone has their own thoughts on this, if you're drowning in a sea of sources, this article might just convince you to get a little software help. PhD research requires a lot of reading and citation of sources – … Continue reading Why you should consider using a reference manager
Like so many of us, I didn’t see a global pandemic coming when I started my PhD in 2019. I was going to use oral history and creative methods to document refugees and asylum seekers’ experiences of everyday life in Scotland. I planned convivial zine-making sessions, walks across the landscape of Glasgow deep in conversation, … Continue reading The poetry of everyday life
In this final blog post for Mental Health Awareness Month, Alix Gallagher writes about compartmentalisation of the many, varied roles we often find ourselves engaged in while we're conducting PhD research. She looks at some practical ways in which she has been able to divide those roles and prioritise, especially during a part-time PhD. Photo … Continue reading Navigating Hyphenation and Mental Health
In this post for Mental Health Awareness Month, current blogger Garry Mac talks about social anxiety, a condition that can be debilitating and which can have all kinds of effects on your PhD research. He'll discuss his own experiences with the condition, dig into why ‘networking’ events can be crisis-inducing for those with social anxiety, … Continue reading My Life in Research: Coping with Social Anxiety
Week 3 of our Mental Health Awareness Month posts come from Jodie Russell, a 3rd year PhD researcher at University of Edinburgh whose research explores the intersection of mind and medicine. In this guest post, she explains how our concept of the self can influence mental health. Мышь 2 by George Shuklin is licensed under … Continue reading The Person That I am and How that Affects My Mental Health
During May, the SGSAH blog will focus on mental health in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month which runs from 1st to 31st May. In this first post, blogging intern Garry McLaughlin introduces the concept of mental health and how to look after yours while you study. Mental health is the overall state of a … Continue reading Mental Health and PhD Studies: Broad Strokes
Sometime in early 2020, when it sunk in for everyone that the pandemic was not just going to be a weeks-long affair, many PhD students and ECRs were suddenly scrambling to replicate some semblance of the office environment. I’m one of those people. I love the office environment. Pre-pandemic, I loved going into the office … Continue reading An Ode to Virtual Writing Groups
In this guest post, University of St Andrews PhD researcher Kate Mackenzie discusses the upcoming UK Supreme Court decision on the Scottish Government's Rights of the Child Bill and explains how child laws in Central Africa could set a precedent. It is perhaps a feature of the life of a PhD researcher that, even when … Continue reading Interpreting the Rights of the Child: Look South (a lot further than Westminster)
Hello everyone! I am Neil Ackerman and am going to be running the SGSAH blog for the next six months. Firstly, a big thanks to Chiara for the last six months of excellent and thought-provoking posts. Also, thanks to the SGSAH team for their support in getting things all set up for me. I guess … Continue reading Greetings from the Northern Isles
PhDs are relentless, and they can obviously be very stressful. It's a good idea to take a break regularly. As my therapist said, you have to rest before you burn out to avoid burnout! So here are some ideas for decompressing days out near the main HEIs of Scotland, going north to south. If I … Continue reading Take a Break!
