How to finish a PhD

‘Completing a PhD is probably one of the most stressful and rewarding things that you’ll ever do,’ says Angela Russell, a medicinal chemist and PhD supervisor at the University of Oxford, UK. The final year can feel like a hectic rush, scrambling to collect those last results and drawing years of work together into a thesis. But there are a number of other key steps involved in finishing a PhD and here the experts share five tips to help you navigate this frantic final push.

Make a plan

‘Understanding your institutional requirements and the deadlines that are associated with those is really important,’ says Russell. It’s also worth planning out a timescale for key personal milestones in your final year, whether that’s drafting a thesis chapter, completing a stage of practical work, arranging the viva or leaving the lab for the final time.

In particular, creating a rough thesis outline ahead of time – planning the chapters, headings and subheadings – can help you make the most of your remaining time in the lab says former PhD student Jessica Reynolds. ‘That really helps you crystallise what you’re actually trying to say in that chapter and also what you have left to do,’ she explains. ‘By planning six to twelve months before you leave the lab, you can use that time to backfill any missing results or extra work you need for that section.’

Handle the admin early

The end of a PhD is surprisingly bureaucratic and typically every formal stage will involve supporting paperwork, says Russell. Forms for thesis submission, ethical and authorship declarations, and examiner selection often need multiple signatures from staff across the department so it’s useful to begin this process well ahead of the deadline to avoid unnecessary stress later. Certain projects, particularly those involving sensitive information or external partners, can often require additional bureaucratic steps too, warns Russell. ‘If you’ve generated IP but not filed for a patent you need to restrict your thesis from being disclosed, or if you have an industrial sponsor for your PhD, often the thesis needs to be cleared with them [before submission],’ she says.

Smooth the transition

Leaving the lab for the final time is emotional, whether you’re desperate to get out or sad to be saying goodbye, but making this transition as seamless as possible benefits everyone. Ideally you want to minimise the physical burden of your departure while making it as easy as possible for someone else to continue and publish your project, says Reynolds. ‘So wash up, tidy your workbench and make sure all your raw data is saved in one place!’ Leaving an outline of your progress and what else needs to be done before publication will help ensure the work is completed and published quickly after you’ve gone.

In many research groups, individual members have specific roles or responsibilities to support the day-to-day running of the lab so outgoing students also have a duty to pass on those skills, adds Reynolds. ‘The group knowledge needs to carry on when you leave so if you’re in charge of a certain piece of equipment, make sure that you create a protocol or teach someone while you’re still there,’ she says.

Think about the future

A chemistry PhD opens lots of doors, but different skill sets and academic milestones will carry different weight across different careers. Both Reynolds and Russell suggest researching your options as early as possible. This doesn’t mean committing to a particular career path, stresses Russell, but having an awareness of where you might like to go after your PhD means you can begin to take small steps towards that goal. ‘For example, if you’re thinking about an academic career, you can talk to your supervisor about opportunities to disseminate your science and translate it into publications,’ she says.

Understanding what’s available can also help you build relevant additional skills, adds Reynolds. ‘The more time you have knowing what you might want to do, the more chance you have to do a course, meet people, earn qualifications, or anything else that you might need to do to take the next step towards that career.’

Be kind to yourself

A PhD is a marathon, not a sprint, and in the final stretch it’s absolutely essential to dedicate time to looking after yourself. ‘It’s exhausting and all your emotions are exaggerated so giving yourself time to take a break and engage with other people is so important,’ says Russell. Leaving some flexibility in your plans allows you to adapt your working style and routine to whatever is most productive for you in that moment, whether that’s working alone at home or writing up surrounded by people in the lab. ‘There’s no right way to do it and be aware that there will be good days and bad days,’ says Russell. ‘Some days [the words] just won’t come and that’s okay. Remember to be kind to yourself.’