Resources for Aspiring PhD / Doctoral Students

First created: Nov 15, 2021

Last edited: Jan 03, 2021

Welcome!

<aside> ℹ️ This is a collection of resources for anyone who is interested in learning more about pursuing a PhD / research-based doctoral degree (AKA "Doktorat" in German-speaking parts of the world). I will be using those terms interchangeably, even if they are not exactly equivalent. The information listed here is obviously not exhaustive – additions and criticism are always welcome. The bulk of it focuses on PhDs in Germany in Psychology-adjacent fields. If you would like to contribute to this page but do not have editing rights yet, ****feel free to send me (Adani) an email: [email protected]

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Cautionary Note

<aside> ⚠️ There are substantial differences between countries when it comes to the duration of, content/tasks associated with, and requirements for obtaining a PhD. There may even be differences among universities within the same country! Thus, you should always do your own (additional) research whenever you identify a specific place and institution that interests you. However, I have tried to outline some of the most basic discrepancies in the section (Some) Differences Between Educational Systems.

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What does a PhD Student / Researcher do?

First of all, what even is a PhD Degree?

A PhD (abbreviation for "Doctor of Philosophy", sometimes also "DPhil", or "Ph.D.") is the highest academic degree one can obtain. It does not require having studied philosophy 😄 – if you're interested in the history of the nomenclature, there's an interesting summary here:

Note that countries where the main language is not English may award a PhD title using different designations, depending on your discipline, such as "Dr. rer. nat." in Germany (doctor of natural sciences). However, not every doctoral degree is a PhD, and not every doctoral degree is research-based – for example, the title "Dr. iur." is a doctor of law (a research-based doctoral degree, which is not the same thing as a JD in the US! [1]), and the title "Dr. med." is a doctor of medicine (translating to "M.D." in English-speaking countries). Please note that all information on this page targets research-based doctoral degrees, specifically in Psychology and adjacent fields such as the Learning Sciences.

What do you do as a Doctoral Student / Researcher?

PhD studies usually involve 3 (+2) main tasks:

Conducting, evaluating, and (ideally) publishing research, both in relation to your own project(s) and those of your "host" research group and/or advisor
Coordinating research assistants and interns helping with your research, and depending on the size of your lab, also those that help your broader research group
Complete a small amount of relevant (advanced) coursework yourself. In Germany, this often includes around 15-30 ECTS, but the exact number differs across doctoral programs.

Lastly, also depending on whether or not your doctoral studies are fully based at a university:

Supervising bachelor and master theses of students (it seems this is optional in most cases, but welcomed / encouraged)
(Assisting with) teaching lectures, seminars, and tutorials at university, as well as marking/grading exams and homework, usually related to the main research theme of your group, but this may also include more general courses such as statistics and research methodology

Circumstances of Doctoral Programs

The circumstances of your doctoral program, i.e. the associated monthly salary, total duration, and graduation requirements will differ based on the institution and country you're in (see (Some) Differences Between Educational Systems). However, I would argue that there are a few aspects that are universally desirable:

Your position should be paid (i.e., you get a monthly salary as you would in any other job) or fully funded (i.e., you do not have to pay any study fees, and your living costs are covered, at least in part – this is not necessarily a given, so make sure to check!)
Your doctoral advisor should be knowledgeable and experienced in your area of research, so that they can advise you effectively on your project and topic (provided you run your own project as opposed to joining an existing one)
The requirements for the completion of your PhD degree should be well-defined beforehand (e.g., "you need to help with X tasks, submit a dissertation containing X amount of words, within X years, and defend it until X date with persons X, Y, and Z sitting on your committee")
On average, in European countries, doctoral studies take around 3-4 years to complete [2]. If you encounter a program that takes much longer (say, 7 years), make sure to check there are clear reasons for this (e.g., lab rotations, extensive coursework, a more extensive dissertation, ...).

[1] "Juris Doctor" in the US, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Law#United_States

[2] OECD Institute for Statistics (2015), p. 98, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264228368-en

Resources to read up on things by yourself

<aside> ⚠️ It is always best to read up on things yourself, because even when two people read the exact same thing, they may arrive at completely different conclusions. In that sense, while I hope my collection of resources is helpful to you, ****I want to stress that you should not just take my word for it – please also do your own research and consider the more "official" resources below! Ideally, you can then come back to add your own conclusions to this resource collection, so that it becomes more "complete" and representative with an increasing number of informed contributors.

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Relevant Websites / Resources

Specific to Germany: DAAD Info Site on "Doing a PhD and Research in Germany"

Doing a PhD and Research in Germany

Specific to Germany: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research – General Info Site/PDF for PhD Students

Info for PhD students

Doing a PhD in Germany

Global Scope (with some UK-specific advice): How to apply for PhDs

How to apply for PhDs

Global Scope: Pros and Cons of doing a PhD

Pros and cons of doing a PhD (personal experience)

Global Scope: Psych Research List – Info Site all about pursuing Graduate School in Psychology

Psych Research List

Scholarships for Doctoral Students

<aside> ⚠️ Since you are not guaranteed to receive (sufficient) payment and/or funding for your doctoral studies and research, you may want to look into scholarship options. In many cases, the university itself also offers merit- and need-based programs that help with financing your research and livelihood. You should thus always also check university-/program-specific offerings and options.

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Specific to Germany: DAAD Stipendiendatenbank ("Scholarship Database")

Stipendiendatenbank - DAAD - Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst

Books about / written by PhD Students

Yes, there are people who write books about doing (or having done) a PhD... If you like reading these sorts of books, the following works might interest you 🙂

Good Work if You Can Get it (Jason Brennan)

Good Work If You Can Get It: How to Succeed in Academia (English Edition)

A Field Guide to Grad School: Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum (Jessica McCrory Calarco)

A Field Guide to Grad School: Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum (Skills for Scholars) (English Edition)

(Some) Differences between Educational Systems and their Doctoral Programs

Europe

Contributors needed!

USA

Contributors needed!

Asia

Contributors needed!

Looking for a PhD Position / Program

What type of PhD Program is right for me?

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research provides a great overview graphic [3] to help you answer this fundamental question:

Screenshot 2021-11-27 at 15.49.18.png

[3] https://www.research-in-germany.org/website/public/epapers/doing-a-phd-in-germany/#17

How and where do I even begin searching for PhD positions?

<aside> ℹ️ There is no right or wrong way to look for PhD positions, but there are a couple of tricks and tools that will make your search easier. Generally, you should spare no effort in your search so that you can narrow down the list of places you want to apply to (this way you won't waste any time putting together application materials for programs you ultimately end up not applying for because you later notice they don't really fit you). I have listed some tricks and tools known to me below, and also included a few doctoral programs that explicitly target topics related to the Learning Sciences.

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What should I look for to judge whether a Doctoral Program fits me?

<aside> ⚠️ A personal note: It can be tempting to look towards university rankings for help (e.g., the THE World University Ranking, or the QS World University Ranking), but keep in mind that the (subjective) ranking or reputation of a university will tell you nothing about the quality of support and insight you will get from your advisor. Moreover, just because a university is high up in the rankings does not mean that the environment is a great fit for every person and every research discipline.

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Generally speaking, there are at least three main aspects you want to consider in judging program fit:

Regardless of whether you have your own project or assist with an existing one, you want it to match your research interest(s)
Since you will be spending multiple years working with the respective person, you should also try and find out how you get along with your supervisor / advisor (at the very least work- and research-wise)
You want to make sure there is a fit with the institution you will be working at, as well as your social environment (think the city the university is located in, the general setup of the lab and the people in it, and so forth)

→ Professor Michelle Ellefson, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, has put together a great compilation of questions you may want to ask yourself and/or your potential future doctoral advisor to help judge the fit of any given PhD program:

INSTRUCT Lab - Prospective Students

Websites / Places to Look for Doctoral Programs

Global Scope: Look where the authors of the research papers you find interesting are located!

<aside> 💡 If there are any particular academic research papers or book chapters you found very interesting when you first read them, you should look up where the authors are located. In most cases, you will find the authors are employed by a university, usually as part of a research group that hosts doctoral students. This approach can help you find places where you can assume that at the very least the fit of research interest(s) is a given!

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Global Scope: Related Research Societies (subscribe to their mailing lists and look at their job posts!)

International Society of the Learning Sciences

Home - CDS

Global Scope: Google (this is not a joke – good googling helps tremendously. See the link below for tips to google more efficiently)

20 Google Search Tips to Use Google More Efficiently

Global Scope: “Find A PhD” Search Tool

PhD Programmes, Research Projects & Studentships in the UK & Europe

Germany: DAAD Database for PhD positions

PhDGermany - Datenbank

Global Scope: Grad School Wiki for Graduate Programs in Psychology

Psychology Grad School Wiki