A PhD degree is the highest level of an academic pathway. However, a Phd is not the end but the beginning of the professional research career. This article provides some collected  opinions about common causes of failure in doctoral studies which may be useful experiences for yourself. 

 

1- You don’t like to do research

 

In fact, many people choose to study a PhD as a means of taking them further on their career path. This is a completely wrong choice, because during the PhD period for many years, it is inevitable to change the research journey, or the research results are not as you expect… If you are not really passionate and have the right qualities for a research career, you can hardly pass this time.

 

2- Misunderstanding the nature of doctoral research

 

Inaccurate assessment of the requirements, purposes of doctoral study including 'overemphasizing' or 'simplifying' the requirements of the research could also be the reason for a failure. Making major breakthroughs from research results is the expectation of many people, but most PhD research projects can only make a limited contribution, such as testing a proven theory. in another context. Trying to make a big discovery is welcome, but you need to remember: a PhD is essentially research training, the first step towards a professional research career, so don't set your expectations too high for the results of your doctoral research.

 

3- Problem with supervisor

 

Regular guidance from a supervisor from the very beginning is very important, because it will make sure that you don't go in the wrong direction. Although the PhD student himself is the one to explore and discover on his own. If the research topic lacks the guidance of the supervisor, many problems can arise. For example, changing the direction of research at the sprint stage makes the PhD student not able to write the thesis in time, or the thesis is concluded without the guidance of the supervisor, leading to the failure to obtain a PhD.

Another reason could be that the supervisor himself did not understand the nature of the study properly. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right supervisor for your field of study and especially to have the right guidance method to support both professionally and spiritually.

In any case, you should be proactive in keeping in touch with your supervisor, rather than letting the supervisor contact you.

 

4- Looking for a new job while writing your thesis

 

Another mistake that doctoral students often make is finding a new job when entering the thesis writing stage. Because once you've gone most of the way, having survey data, designing research processes, and collecting and analyzing data, it's hard to avoid thinking that the remaining work is just a small thing. However, as mentioned, the essay writing phase is one that requires a lot of work and concentration. So this is not the right time to start looking for a new job.