Hi,

I thought I'd respond to this very interesting article as a bit of an
audit. I am currently working towards a doctorate, and have over 40
research publications outside of it.

>
> 1. Submit an incomplete, poorly formatted bibliography
>

As I use RefWorks this is a Sin I often commit by relying on it and
the citation importers too much!

> 2. Use phrases such as “some academics” or “all the literature” without mitigating statements or references
>

I can commit this Sin, but someone over cite to compensate for it! My
proof reader insists one using "it is thought" to express my own
opinions, whereas others say it is find to use the 'I' pronoun.

>
> 3. Write an abstract without a sentence starting “my original contribution to knowledge is…”
>

Something I will do!

>
> 4. Fill the bibliography with references to blogs, online journalism and textbooks
>

I am in the area of trolling, and I am convinced one of my
contemporaries did this. Her PhD answered the same research questions
as one of my earlier book chapters and the published work she did was
mainly hyperlinks. Having done research methods training at Kingston
University I am a bit of a citation snob - I won't even cite
newspapers (grey media) - only mention them in passing!


> 5. Use discourse, ideology, signifier, signified, interpellation, postmodernism, structuralism, post-structuralism or deconstruction without reading the complete works of Foucault, Althusser, Saussure, Baudrillard or Derrida

I have read Baudrillard and Derrida, and it took me a long time to
fully get to grips with the latter! Shall consider the others.

The sentence " structures does not mean it is structuralist" is a bit
patronising though. Structuralism is little about structures in the
normal sense of the term. If we all start with a blank slate in term
of our own research paradigm we will all end up as Structuralists
because our research paradigm will guide how we think to the point
that if something we look at can't be deduced from that paradigm then
it clearly doesn't fit. You know when you're a Structuralist because
you deny being one and complain about others who are!

>
> 6. Assume something you are doing is new because you have not read enough to know that an academic wrote a book on it 20 years ago
>

Yes, like I mention above, a contemporary thought her research on
trolling completed in 2012 was new and so did her tutors and
examiners, even though I published the same study four years earlier!
I think if faculty complain if one "hasn't completed one's literature
review" is a worry sign. From my point of view one's literature review
should always be in flux.

All doctoral candidates are paranoid about others doing the same thing
as them. My advice is to publish your work as often as possible. I
have already done one poster on my doctoral research and will be doing
another one. Posters give you the chance to show early stage research
and stick your stake in the ground as having done it first. Conference
papers are good when you've got something substantial to talk about.
Journals are good when you've done the empirical part. I have had lots
of reviews published in journals which give one the change to review
the current state of play from a novel angle - which may be what one's
original contributions to knowledge may be. If a journal has published
it, surely its a bit difficult for an examiner to say its not novel??


> 7. Leave spelling mistakes in the script
>

Something to bear in mind.

>
> 8. Make the topic of the thesis too large
>

Something I have to work on! But then the other complain  when I cite
my own published work in order to cut out rewriting it! I have had
7,000 word papers back from review where reviewers have complained
about it not having certain information which is in the papers I have
cited!

> 9. Write a short, rushed, basic exegesis
>
Something I have to consider writing software as part of my doctorate!
>
> 10. Submit a PhD with a short introduction or conclusion
>
Noted!
>

Hope others found my comments useful :-)


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