How to do your PhD: In a nutshell

We are regularly approached by prospective PhD students who would like us to be doctoral advisors for their work. We select on average one doctoral student per year, and do so after careful consideration. A PhD is a long journey, and several things have to come together for the journey to go smoothly and to have a positive outcome. We realized that often the intensity of the process of conducting a PhD is not appreciated by those who want to pursue it. Neither are various key considerations, such as how to write a research proposal, select appropriate research methods, understand what a theoretical contribution is, and prepare research for publication. We therefore decided to write a brief, in-a-nutshell guide on these important aspects of applying for, and conducting a PhD. The book is designed to be read swiftly, within 2 hours. It represents our accumulated experience of firstly doing a PhD and then spending many years working with our PhD students. Each chapter suggests relevant further readings via the footnotes that expand on the points made, for those who want to dig further. We hope that you will find our pointers useful in your own pursuit of a PhD. ABOUT THE AUTHORSLoizos Heracleous is a Professor of Strategy and Organization at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick and an associate fellow at Green Templeton College and the Said Business School at the University of Oxford. More information about his work can be found at his website www.heracleous.org, and on his Twitter feed @StrategizingNajat El Mekkaoui is a Professor of Economics at PSL Université Paris Dauphine, LEDA-DIAL and a Research Associate at the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, University of Oxford. More information about her work can be found at http://leda.dauphine.fr/fr/membre/detail-cv/profile/najat-el-mekkaoui-de-freitas.html and at her Twitter feed @NajatMekkaoui