How to Write a PhD in Biological Sciences

This book is a guide specifically for writing a PhD in the biological sciences, providing practical, up-to-the-minute guidance to getting started and consolidating this with the nuts and bolts of writing.

John Measey is Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Stellenbosch University. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 peer reviewed scientific papers and book chapters, and five books. This includes How to write a PhD in Biological Sciences: a guide for the uninitiated, also published by CRC Press. He was the Editor-in-Chief of an ISI journal for 9 years, and currently serves as Associate Editor for 4 other journals. He has graduated more than 20 postgraduate students, and his blog on writing and publishing in biological sciences is read by thousands globally. British born and educated, he lives and works in the beautiful Western Cape, South Africa.

PART 1 RIGHT FROM THE VERY START 1 Introduction 2 So you are doing a PhD? 3 Reconciling yourself to doing things you've been avoiding 4 Communicating by email 5 The scientific project and scientific living 6 Keeping track of your mental health PART 2 GET WRITING 7 How to get started with writing 8 How to write a hypothesis 9 Being aware that you can get it wrong 10 What happens if you don't have a hypothesis? 11 What's the big idea? 12 Writing a paragraph 13 Construct a logical argument in your writing 14 Storytelling in science? 15 Why do you need to cite? 16 Literature databases 17 Reference managers 18 What software should I use to write my PhD? 19 What to do when faced with a paywall? 20 Scientific names and taxonomic authorities 21 Writing style 22 Retaining your own voice when writing 23 Writing concisely 24 Writing a PhD if English is not your first language 25 Making sure that you don't plagiarise 26 Academic phrasebank 27 Why critical reading is crucial for improving your writing 28 What is needed for your research proposal? 29 Making a presentation from your chapter, paper or proposal 30 Starting out transparent 31 Generating funding for your PhD research 32 Fear of submitting written work 33 Why use a formula to structure each chapter or paper? 34 Data Management PART 3 THE FORMULA OF A CHAPTER 35 Writing the sections that make up your data chapter 36 Title page 37 The Abstract 38 The Introduction 39 The Materials and Methods 40 The Results 41 The Discussion 42 The Acknowledgements 43 The References 44 Tables 45 Figures 46 Who did what? 47 Supplementary Material PART 4 COMPLETING THE THESIS 48 Now that you have finished your data chapters 49 How to introduce your PhD chapters 50 How to conclude your PhD 51 Formatting your thesis 52 The obligation to publish your work