‘Deep Work’: A Manual for Better Thinking
There are few tasks more cognitively challenging than researching and writing a thesis. As researchers, we must think and generate new insights at the absolute forefront of human understanding. And […]
Author: Anaise Irvine
Can You KonMari Your Thesis?
Being overburdened can kill productivity. Having too much (too much stuff, too many commitments, too much text) can be completely overwhelming. Paring back, reorganising, and reducing can be a great […]
What is your Thesis ‘In’?
As an undergrad, it’s easily to communicate what you’re studying. You ‘major in’ a particular subject. You take courses that are prescribed for that major, you graduate with a degree […]
Thank You: An Open Letter to PG Supporters
To anyone who has ever supported a research student, When someone you love tells you that they have decided to do a masters or doctorate, they are indirectly asking you […]
Designing a Winning 3MT Slide
By now, many of you will have entered this year’s 3 Minute Thesis competition. For the last few years, I’ve had the privilege of being AUT’s 3MT scorekeeper. I tally […]
The Fractured Postgrad Identity
“I am one of the lucky and privileged few to make it to this level; destined to sit amongst the top 1% most educated people in the world. My parents […]
Writing as a Not-Quite-Yet-Expert
It is incredibly tricky to nail the genre of thesis-writing. Books are written about it. Learning Advisors specialise in it. Almost all research students struggle with it to some extent […]
Tertiary Teaching in NZ: Work Conditions 101
If you’ve been following the news, you’ll be aware that primary and secondary school teachers went on a ‘mega-strike’ recently to protest against their pay and working conditions. Given that […]
An English PhD-Holder Reviews Grammarly
I’ve been resistant to software text editing tools for a long time. Partly that’s because my PhD is in English, and editing text is something I already do reasonably well. […]
What Affects your PhD Completion Time?
Editor’s note: this article, published in 2019, makes reference to a previous edition of the AUT Postgraduate Handbook that is now out of date. The most recent edition can be […]
Do You Use Measurements in Your Research? Read This.
Well knock my socks off and file this under: ‘things I never thought about until I was a researcher.’ Today, the definitions of metric units (including the kilogram, second, and […]
Why You Should Pick All the Cherries
On cherry trees, as in data, there will be some pieces of fruit that look great – so plump and red that you want to sink your teeth right in […]