This book is written for any student undertaking research for the first time. Although the book seems to be written from the perspective of social sciences, there is good information for science and engineering students in it as well.The first…
I've been experimenting with Focus Booster over the past days, and wanted to share some of my thoughts on this.Focus Booster is a simple software tool to use with the Pomodoro Technique . You can start a Pomodoro with this,…
Here's the list of what I currently have in my Google Reader:About writingAliventures: Ali Luke's blog in which she shares ideas and strategies for better writing.Explorations of style: On academic writingUseful tips and adviceaddictivetips: Useful tips and tricks with regard…
I recently heard someone complain about the amount of time it takes to write out formulas in a Word report. My response to it was to frown and say: "It's not that bad, right?". She then told me it takes…
I have to admit something: I continuously question myself, asking "Who am I to speak up?".- Who am I to write a blog and give advice on the process of doing a PhD? I'm just a second year PhD student…
Writing a doctoral dissertation is a large task, but not the only large task to face during the PhD. A few examples include:- writing an article,- preparing a research report,- the literature review itself,- developing a method,- ...One way to…
Roughly 3,5 months have passed since my last post on mindfulness.FactsI try to practice daily, but in reality I practice roughly 1 out of 2 days. By now, I'm able to sit in silence and concentrate on my breathing for…
During the 4th quarter of the year, an important course of our research group is taught. Part of the course is a case study which the students have to carry out. The task of us PhD students is to assist…
After reading some thoughts on the upcoming reforms in the Belgian/Flemish secondary school system, I was particularly upset by reading that Latin has to be replaced by technical courses. And more technical courses are required because our society requires more…
Over the past week, I’ve been trying out a software package for structural engineering which combines a traditional calculation program (Codeform) with preprogrammed spreadsheets for all Eurocodes (Codeproof). Over a 1000 prefabricated formulas are available in the Eurocode library.When I…