It is extremely important to build a network of supportive sources during your PhD. I firmly believe that your thesis supervisors cannot and should not be your only source of guidance and mentorship.
If you’re looking for sources of support outside of your university, you may find the following helpful.
PhD Blogs
- The Thesis Whisperer – Inger Mewburn’s blog
- Patter – Pat Thompson’s blog
- Raul Pacheco-Vega’s blog – sadly now only available via the WayBack Machine
PhD Books
- Single, P. (2010). Demystifying dissertation writing : a streamlined process from choice of topic to final text (1st ed.). Stylus.
- Mewburn, I., Firth, K., & Lehmann, S. (2019). How to fix your academic writing trouble: A practical guide. Open University Press.
- Saldaña, J. (2025). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Research-related Videos
- Women in Research Small Wins Webinar Series
- Tara Brabazon – PhD advice
- Jarek Krikow – advice for qualitative researchers in particular
Academic Writing Podcasts
- Grad School is hard, but... – mindset stuff aimed at PhD researchers specifically (highly recommended)
- On the Reg with Jason and Inger – very long episodes. It can be hard to pull out actionable insights, but might be interesting anyway.
- Academic Writing Amplified – mindset stuff for later-stage academics but also a range of practical insights (especially in the back catalogue).
- Defend, Publish and Lead – practical, shorter tips and tricks on organising writing.
- The Academic Imperfectionist – more mindset stuff aimed at academics in general
Other websites with great resources
- ANU Guide to using Word to pull together your thesis
- Stephanie Evergreen – blog is a great source of information if you want to use visualisations well in your thesis and associated presentations
Academic Coaches
I’ve purchased various products and services from the following academic coaches and found them invaluable (non-affiliate links – just a genuinely happy customer). If this is something your budget stretches to, I can highly recommend it.
- Dr Katy Peplin – a range of offerings aimed at cost-sensitive PhD students
- Dr Cathy Mazak – higher budget offerings aimed at more established academics
Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash
