The road to acquiring a PhD degree is often fraught with challenges and self-doubt, especially since there’s no set guidelines to measure PhD progress. It requires a high level of intellectual ability, academic proficiency, and consistent hard work. Given that PhD students are expected to conduct original research and make significant contributions to their field of study, it is crucial for them to have a plan and map their academic progress toward obtaining a PhD degree.
This, however, is easier said than done. Interactions with PhD supervisors are often irregular and limited and there are hardly any formal assessments to keep track of a PhD student’s academic progress. So, it is common to find doctoral students struggling with ways to evaluate their PhD progress on a day-to-day basis.
4 Ways to help you track your PhD progress
Unlike other degrees, where students are given a specific set of courses to complete, doctoral students are expected to develop their own research projects and timelines. Therefore, it is essential to create a plan of action and closely track your academic progress. Given below are some tried and tested ways to measure your PhD progress. Pick and choose the ones that you think will work best for you.
1. Set timed benchmarks for your doctoral journey.
This is a great way to effectively manage your work and measure PhD progress. Break down your research project into smaller, achievable goals and put realistic timelines against each. Creating a journal or work diary to track and record all academic progress made on writing a literature review, collecting data, and analyzing your findings for example can be very useful. This allows you to reflect on your PhD progress and identify areas that need extra attention or improvement. It may also be a good idea to use the journal to write down challenges that you may face and explain how you finally overcame them. This will help to keep things in perspective, showcase your academic progress, and ensure you stay on track to complete your PhD within your desired timeframe.
2. Find an accountability partner.
While not always easy, finding an accountability partner and working with them is a great way to assess and benchmark your PhD progress. Working with an accountability partner can be mutually beneficial to both. It not only allows you to discuss potential challenges but also gives you the opportunity to brainstorm together to find possible solutions. You can create a meeting schedule based on mutual convenience to discuss updates and important aspects of your work, which will help you evaluate and measure your PhD progress.
3. Use online tools to stay organized and on schedule
There are a number of apps available today like Trello and GanttPro to help you keep track of your research work and PhD progress. Web-based project management tools can help you organize projects, schedule tasks, set deadlines, identify dependencies, and manage resources effectively. Researcher.Life’s Research Project Assistant, which is tailored to support academics, is invaluable for PhD students in planning their research, finding articles to read and cite, identifying journals, checking their submission readiness, and more. Using these digital tools to measure your academic progress can help you pinpoint areas of improvement and take corrective action to get back on track.
4. Seek regular feedback from supervisors and mentors
Getting timely feedback from your PhD supervisors, peers, and experts in your field is crucial for academic progress. Regular interactions and feedback on your PhD progress not only provide valuable insights on your research project, but it also allows you to keep up with the latest developments in your subject area and build your professional network. You can use these expert insights to enhance your research study and submission, which will in turn help you make steady academic progress toward obtaining your PhD.
Finally, do keep in mind though that while there are several ways to measure your PhD progress, everyone’s journey to achieving a PhD will be different. It may take several years to achieve your doctoral degree, which makes it essential to have effective monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure consistent academic progress. While it may be tempting to compare your PhD progress against others, set your own pace and goals and keep your eyes on the finish line to ensure academic progress and eventually PhD success.
