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The most popular Products mentioned in /r/PhD:
The most popular Services mentioned in /r/PhD:
Zotero
Overleaf
Notion
Obsidian
Roam Research
Microsoft Forms
Zapier
ReadCube Papers
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Balabolka
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My PhD life changer was Zotero. It was my research assistant throughout my coursework and dissertation writing process. It helped me track everything I read, take notes, grab quotes, keep links, keep a PDF of the paper/article/chapter, and cite my sources. Invaluable!
One of the best books I have ever read is “Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded” https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199760241/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_6MpxCb2Y2PH49
The book is easy to read and has DRASTICALLY improved my science writing. I read this book with my undergraduate lab (like 4 years ago) and still reference now in my PhD program.
I do have a personal page (I don't want it associated with this account) that I created at the behest of my supervisor.
I don't use it a lot, and I'm pretty sure no one's ever contacted me because of it.
It was useful, though, to learn a bit of web tech. I used Jekyll to build it, and I think it turned out nice.
My experience is with the Kindle PaperWhite 3.
I hate reading articles on computer screens. I would love it if journals would release their articles as .mobi or .epub files. However, it seems that PDF is here to stay and this causes problems for e-readers. Most e-readers will display PDF files, but typically this means that you're displaying it at 100%, so the text becomes rather tiny to read.
There is software, such as k2pdfoft, that can convert journal PDF files into e-reader files. The idea is that it strips out all the header and footer data and can combine columns back into one piece of text. In my experience it's overly complicated and needs to be finely tuned for each paper. This makes it very time consuming and frustrating.
Sorry I'm not answering your question positively, I just figured that I'd let you know my experience so you could decide if you think it's worth the effort (hint: sadly, it's not).
> I have been reading a lot on my computer at work.
This is why.
I would suggest printing out what you are reading if you will be going very extensive reads. That's not eco-friendly though so you could try turning down brightness all the way.
And just get f.lux!
I'm on the computational side of things and not the biology side, but if you have any reservations about your computation skills it might be worth looking at https://www.freecodecamp.org/ too. It's a free site and they have courses on data analysis and visualization that might be useful preparation for the work you'll need to do later.
Glad to hear my post was helpful!
Xodo is really good, I actually wrote a blog post on this area :)
https://wordpress.com/post/overabiscuit.wordpress.com/109
I recently bought a 2in1 laptop would highly recommend! its basically replace my tablet now.
Like other have said, it seems that presentation was made in LaTeX using the beamer document class. If you are into scripting you could try it (there are also alternatives using other languages, I particularly find Rmarkdown and xaringan a very nice combo for presentations), otherwise you can get creative with animations in PowerPoint.
If you still want to give it a try, maybe check overleaf first and see what you think about it
Most likely, your document is improperly converted/saved to pdf. I had this issue with one of my pdf. Can you please attempt to do two things (please create a backup before you try this so that you don't loose any notes you already may have)?
- Use Zotero and Zotfile plugin to see if you can extract your annotations?
- Sometimes, I have had greater success with other pdf application https://okular.kde.org/
I highly recommend Zotero: https://www.zotero.org/
Benefits:
- Free.
- Browser add-ons allow for one-click import of references into your reference library, including webpage snapshots and PDFs (if available).
- You can add notes to an item in your reference library.
- Sync across devices with Zotero.org account or your own WebDAV server.
- Using WebDAV, you can also make a group and share your library with collaborators.
- Plug-in for Microsoft Word makes adding citations and generating works cited very easy. Editing existing citations is also easy and even changing the citation format.
- Many citation formats built-in. If yours is missing, someone else may have written a definition that you can load into Zotero to add it, or you can write your own.
Hi there, I like to read On Writing Well yearly to calibrate my writing (lhttps://www.amazon.ca/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548). It's a writing book that doesn't feel like a writing book.
That and of course elements of style... But that one feels like a writing book
The Headspace meditation app gives a massive discount to students that cuts the price down to $9.99 a year. (I use the app. No other affiliation with them.)
I've heard they also have a series on Netflix now, but I haven't looked at it yet so that's all I know.
I make $75-100 per week using swagbucks passively. You wont get rich but if you use it right you can make some pretty easy money. You answer surveys and watch videos and other small tasks to earn money. If you sign up through my referral code it'll give you a starting bonus and other good offers. I can also send you proof of the income I've earned if you're nervous or need tips. https://www.swagbucks.com/refer/swaguser21276774 (don't leave the page once you click the link or you will not get bonus)
You can also DM me for more info or help.
Check out ReadCube Papers (https://www.papersapp.com/) . It has a fee (~$3 per month), but they have a free trial. It works as a reference manager similar to others like Zotero. But they have a great PDF reader that works on web, laptops, and iPad app that allows for annotation.
Sure! It's simple to use and allows me to sync across my laptop and phone. I'm using one of the paid versions, so storage for now is sufficient. I can drop most things into it (links, screenshots, PDFs, photos from my mobile), and I can share notes with others.
That said, none of those functions is unique to Evernote. I guess Google docs or OneNote and any number of smaller platforms would work just as well.
I used to use Dokuwiki on a stick, that worked okay but was cumbersome and only worked on the PC it was locally installed on. So coming from that, it's definitely a step up :)
I'm the author of Polar...
I'm torn about providing an API for this directly into Polar. Are all the papers copyrighted or are some of them free/public domain?
I did some research and about 40% of the PDFs people add to Polar have DOIs so we're going to add metadata lookup using various service to provide addition data on the users collection of PDFs.
However, some people have just a DOI so it would be nice to have DOI fetch from multiple providers.
I’ve happily used Nisus writer pro together with Bookends for a decade. MS Word is an absolute fucking pile of dogshit and should never be used by anyone for anything ever.
My wife bought me the best thing I could’ve gotten as a gift, a Tumi backpack (link). It’s fashionable, high quality, and can contain all my things (laptop, hard drives, iPad, credentials, documents… etc), the best thing is that I really needed such gift and I’m using it every day!
A few things have really helped me be productive writing (and I’m not wildly productive, but I’ve submitted at least a couple first authored papers each year, and then been a coauthor on at least two others each year, so definitely an OK pace for right now).
1) being in a writing group! My PIs organized one, but students could also organize one. We all do something with behavioral health, but within that our areas are pretty different, so it’s not essential to all be writing on the same topics. 2) in our writing group we have been reading (very slowly), discussing, and using the tips from Sarnecka’s The Writing Workshop (pdf is available out there somewhere but here’s the Amazon link to take a look at the description): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1733484604/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_B33YB9D7FB23MEH4Y3W8
3) a group writing log! I don’t write in the log every day, but every few days I catch up and put down whether I wrote or not each day for the previous few days. I do write almost every day, but literally one minute of writing counts as writing that day. Maybe I added a tiny bit to an outline, maybe I got into stata and fixed something with my analysis, maybe I just tracked down a citation I needed and stuck it in there, or maybe I wrote three pages - it’s all over the place. But having the group accountability of the log, AND seeing my progress written down on the log makes me feel much more on track.
4) regular (weekly) check ins with my advisor and regular writing groups (every other week) also keep me on track and give me a rhythm to my week. I don’t do great without some structure to my schedule, even if that structure is self-imposed and I kind of need to make it up every week after my meetings.
Obviously everyone is very different! This stuff has worked for me to make me modestly productive as opposed to totally unproductive and stuck :) hopefully it’ll help you rocket into the modestly productive realm too!
How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking – for Students, Academics and Nonfiction Book Writers https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1542866502/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-iWoFbAP4ZDFH
Should be required reading, IMO.
We have a podcast regarding issues like that called the PhD in Progress Podcast. I hope this helps. This episode might be up your alley: http://phdinprogress.com/productivity
If you enjoy the format of this show, I was inspired to create it by quite a few other shows that you might like:
HBR Ideacast (Harvard Business Review)
Beyond the To-Do List
The Accidental Creative
The Entreleadership Podcast (I'm a bit ambivalent on Dave Ramsey but this show has a lot of material)
All of the hosts have just recently wrapped up their PhD work but we're working on new episodes now.
EDIT:
And also, some books that I've found helpful are Die Empty by Todd Henry, The War of Art by Steven Pressman, Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo. These are obviously not directed to PhD studies, however they have helped me on the higher level thinking.
For productivity/time management, Getting Things Done is a constant (good) struggle for me.
I had an course on that topic. Professor recommended this book: https://www.amazon.de/Conducting-Research-Literature-Reviews-Internet/dp/1544318472/ref=asc_df_1544318472/?tag=googshopde-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310805965906&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15297856078240291495&hvpone=&hvptwo=&a...
Maybe you can find something similar and helpful.
This book is deceptively simple, and didn't necessarily teach me any one thing I didn't already know, BUT it emphasized HOW, WHEN, and WHY to use each technique, and my writing has immensely improved as a result.
I've recently read through the book "They Say/I Say", and it's a book that was literally written to answer this exact question. If you don't have time for the book, there's a great summary of the templates it presents (and the reasoning behind them) at this link here.
Pretty much guarantee if you use that list as a checklist and ensure you're covering those points you'll end up with a strong section.
Also: Detox your Writing by Pat Thomson
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Detox-Your-Writing-Pat-Thomson/dp/0415820847?sa-no-redirect=1
He's got a stellar chapter on imposter syndrome.
Not a PhD myself, but I have noted down a few things that others might find useful.
I found out about Obsidian through a PhD friend of mine. He takes a copious amount of notes for everything, and apparently this app is the only thing that has ever clicked for him after trying out many options through the years.
Plenty of anecdotes that STEM people wish that they had learn or started using LaTeX earlier than later.
This "10/10/10" mental technique that I wrote down from elsewhere. Basically:
> The 10/10/10 is the framing of the outcome of a decision across three time frames:
> How will I feel about the outcome 10 minutes from now? How about 10 months from now? How about 10 years from now?
> The answers to these questions provide a different perspective and usually help me to find the correct answer without being misguided by circumstances at the time of making the decision.
It's not very easy to help on this basis, as there's probably a limit to the amount of info you will (and should) be willing to share, but I suggest finding relevant chapters in Graziano&Raulin, a good book for all sorts of experimental social sciences https://www.amazon.com/Research-Methods-Process-Inquiry-8th/dp/0205907695
In the past I used CherryTree because it facilitates hierarchical note taking. However it has several drawbacks: it allows you to embed images/figures, but it becomes very slow over time as the XML file it writes to becomes larger and larger. It also has some other issues, like lack of support for including code snippets and LaTEX, and pretty counter-intuitive interface and limited import-export options.
Then I switched to Notable, which is great. It supports hierarchical note-taking using "notebook" tags, is blazing fast, and has everything I need. In addition, it stores everything as flat markdown files on your hard drive, no giant XML files or anything. It's great and it's been a tremendous productivity booster for me. It's also free.
I use TickTick. If you use it effectively, you can sync your tasks across all of your devices. Good with reminders. I have its widget on phone and reminder turned on for important stuff. You can put weekly and biweekly tasks for thesis.
You might check out Obsidian (https://obsidian.md/) (on reddit: r/ObsidianMD) and the related workflows for academics. It's a free app that sits on top of your pdfs, and allows you link concepts as you take notes. There are a bunch of alternatives.
I've been using it a couple of weeks and I'm already noticing a difference in my recall and grasp of material. I have a template for papers that I go through for each one (roughly abstract, keywords, themes, methods, applicability to my field, applicability to my research, and quotes which I yank from zotfile/zotero and paste in and then summarize in my own words briefly). When you follow a format like this, your words link to your other words in your other notes, and you create aliases and connections between ideas - it's fun and feels like you're buildng something, compared to previously, where I felt my notes and knowledge was scattered and not properly 'stacked together'. It was like I had a bunch of facts, but it hadn't aggregated towards something useful - I'm not quite there yet but I can see it happening.
If you do pursue it a word of advice - just get writing and using it, don't fret about optimizing a system, which can eat your time up.
You must read this book. Also, the market is down, if you think you’re getting an R1 tenure track position straight out unless you are beyond exceptional you are being naive. Jobs are getting hundreds of very qualified applicants.
https://www.amazon.com/Professor-Essential-Guide-Turning-Ph-D/dp/0553419420
Start from the ground. When your feet are flat your knee and upper thigh should be at right angles when sitting You may also like a stool or box to put your feet on to vary position
Then your arms should *hang from your shoulders and gradually curve down to your desk. Your wrists should not be bent (either up/down or side to side).
The monitor should be slightly below your eyeline so you look down just a bit. There should be no window or light source behind you to cause a glare on the screen.
Look for a split keyboard (that slits in 2 parts. I found one on Amazon, the Kinesis free style.) *Important the keyboard should slant downward away from you, NOT toward you as many manufacturers made (and caused a lot of carpal tunnel).
Source: Repetitive Strain Injury: A Computer User's Guide https://www.amazon.com/dp/0471595330/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_T8RMF0EFYY3MTWQ7DMYN
I can recommend Stephan King's book On Writing. Here is a summary of that book*:* <em>http://www.openculture.com/2014/03/stephen-kings-top-20-rules-for-writers.html</em>
​
Apart from that, lots of reading helps. I made it a point to read at least 1 hour per day.
Any markdown program can open any md files. You can open your vault with a verity of programs, not just Obsidian. I don't keep things attached in Zotero, but their discord is very helpful.
You might find this helpful.
https://www.overleaf.com/learn/how-to/Writing_Markdown_in_LaTeX_Documents
simply google:
[your school name here] latex thesis template
if none is available for your university, just pick any of the hundreds of templates on overleaf
If you live in a place with even half decent bicycle routes, buy a cheap bicycle and go explore. The best map to look for bicycle friendly routes is the 'cycle map' overlay on open street maps https://www.openstreetmap.org
Hey there! I’m a sociologist who happens to love grounded theory. I highly recommend Glaser and Strauss <em>The discovery of grounded theory</em>
A PhD doesn't have to be hard... but what you're describing is the dissertation, which is the bare minimum requirement for a PhD. You seem to be on track there (but don't under-estimate it - it's common to have to re-do data collection and analysis several times)
A successful PhD that will lead to a career requires a lot more work to build a publication/award/presentation record that will be competitive for research jobs, or a skill/project/internship record that will be competitive for PhD-level industry jobs.
If you're in doubt read "A PhD is not enough" (aimed at research scientists)
Check out "The Great Ocean Conveyor" by Wally Broecker for a more gentle intro into the subject. Journal articles are tough to follow if you don't know the basics already.
Since you mention you‘re in the humanities, I would recommend you choose a setup with Markdown (plenty of programs to choose from) and export to Word using Pandoc as soon as you need to send something out. Saves you a lot of hassle, is very easy to learn and in my opinion the superior solution. LaTeX (and thus Overleaf, since it also uses LaTeX) is way too complicated for just writing text.
I recommend especially Zettlr since it attempts to make all of that very painless, but disclaimer: I am its developer. Good alternatives are Obsidian and logseq, some use Scrivener (however that is also closed source and comes with a pricetag).
https://www.notion.so/ changed my life; try out referencing software before you commit to one, but once you do, commit to it fully and try to be as thorough with collecting references as possible (e.g. EndNote is terrible on mac, so experiment with your own setup); make sure your literature notes are searchable; sometimes it is better just to get started with something practical if you're nervous about it; good luck!
Thank you for sharing!
In principle it is similar to mine, but with more focused sections, rather than the generic "Summary" and "Comments" that I have been using.
An additional section that I have at the end is also "Useful References" which is a good way to take note of some citations to look into in the future.
I also have a "Read log" at the top to keep track of re-reads and the properties "last read" (date of last read of that work) and relevance (tag to indicate relevance to my work on a scale 1->5)
I think I'll try out merging your layout with mine. I expanded it into this :)
This is a fantastic book if you don't mind spending the money: https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Mediation-Moderation-Conditional-Analysis/dp/1462534651/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?keywords=Introduction+to+Mediation%2C+Moderation%2C+and+Conditional+Process+Analysis%3A+A+Regression-Based+Approach+Third+Edition&qid=1640885308&sr=8-2-fkmr0
THIS CHAIR THIS CHAIR THIS CHAIR SIHOO Ergonomic Adjustable Office Chair with 3D Arm Rests and Lumbar Support - High Back with Breathable Mesh - Mesh Seat Cushion - Adjustable Head & Reclines(Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BDFW1Y7/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_KKH2FJKY0QMGXB3JRWZF?psc=1
A gaming chair is good but since you mentioned your neck might I also suggest a wearable back brace and posture corrector
Like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SQZD4XM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_G3Q058ZSFBEEZWS88PSJ
It can be worn under clothes and there are former versions and lighter versions than the one I linked. I have a few and wear it when I’m home on the computer. I wear under it sweaters too. A chair definitely helps and thus will only support it. But these are pretty cheap in comparison and I think every academic should have one
Inkscape! It's a little annoying to get used to but its free and really very versatile. I use it combined with powerpoint and if needed along with pdfCropMargin (a python tool suggested by my boyfriend)
Digital = I use https://www.notion.so/ for this as an interactive notebook. I have created a note research papers, simply add it from Chrome with the link. I can also write a brief summary so I can use it later for lit reviews.
I am in a totally different field, but I think I get your idea.
I personally fell in love with Obsidian. You write your paper notes in a simple markdown and you can connect papers and concepts.
For me, a concept is a task, dataset, or a model the paper is tackling. For you, it could be disorders or whatever fits your thinking line. The drawback for you might have in your case is that you can't really (afaik) make connections to specific sentences. You can attach a pdf to your paper notes, but it can't be edited directly from Obsidian (afaik).
I'm attaching a few screenshots of the graph view of my literature with and without concepts and example of a note.
Try to use Overleaf then it's the easier way to get used to LaTex Ctrl+I converts to italic mode. As for chemistry it is some nice packages https://www.overleaf.com/learn/latex/Chemistry_formulae another is the mhchem package that I use more often
Edit: I noticed that you've tried Latex but maybe these packages will make your live easier
Secure Shell, it's used to make secure connections to remote systems usually through a command line interface. I use MobaXterm to connect to a CentOS high performance computer cluster where all my files and programs are stored.
FWIW, there's a fork of MPC-HC that is in maintenance mode but gets updated periodically (see https://github.com/clsid2/mpc-hc, https://portableapps.com/apps/music_video/mpc-hc-portable). You can: 1) configure hotkeys via View > Options > Player > Keys. 2) jump forward/backward in small/medium/large/keyframe steps using hotkeys.
I mainly use canva.com as a template and then reproduce the great designs they presented there to get inspired and make my own presentations. Not to brag but people usually complement me on my presentations and it's not even some outstanding idea, it's always a canva template and when I tell them that they usually start using it too.
I'm doing a PhD in business (Marketing), but I didn't have to write a proposal to apply.
I'm not even sure if you mean a research proposal. But if that's the case, maybe this could help:
It has been very useful to me. Since it's a proposal, you wouldn't have some parts (like the results). But other parts should be ok for you (e.g., introduction, literature review).
SPSS is actually pretty step by step , a lot of manuals out there, YouTube videos too. Basics like t tests , annova etc if that doesn’t hold up try bootcamp or udemy.
R is a nightmare if you’re not into programming but is easy if you know python.
Jasp I hear is easy to use, I am just about start as it helps with Bayesian values as well. https://jasp-stats.org/
In all truth, you will spend year one revising and training using these tools anyway, universities tend to offer this internally. So understanding use is enough, you don’t need to master them.
P.S think of math in terms of functions that you’ll need to apply to data sets rather than things you should know maybe. :) amAll of these should have massive user guides and texts you can probably get via elsevier or google scholar.
https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/citation_styles/style_editing_step-by-step
Or if you are using latex you can make a bst file if you are using the natbib package or a using the right options if you are using biblatex
I'm sorry you're struggling! It's a really sucky situation all around. I usually prefer working from the office as well, but just like everyone else, I'll have to make do. Maybe your GF can get a computer from the University for the time being? Or borrow one from someone else? Unless your working hours don't overlap at all, it might get very annoying if you have to share a laptop.
I found that the first day or two are the hardest, because the feeling of 'yayy I'm home let's not work' is still pretty strong, and I need to get used to working in an environment that was strictly not for working before (I tend to leave my laptop at work so I can really relax at home). So maybe try to organise a space that is sort of separate from the rest of your home and is going to be for work for a while. Unless you're super productive lounging in bed with a laptop on your stomach of course. ;) Also, for those first days, don't beat yourself up too much if you're not super productive.
I also found that it helped me to clean my house before I even attempted to start working. This way, I don't get distracted by other chores. I also take a lunch break and get away from my computer then. I managed to set up a desk for work in my bedroom and go to my living room for lunch/after work.
During work hours, I get distracted a lot by Reddit and other websites that have nothing useful to offer for my work. Especially, if I'm a bit stuck with what I'm doing (I'm currently exploring my data and trying to figure out a good focus for my next manuscript and it's not easy). I have found programs like ColdTurkey to work really well. It blocks the websites you tell it to block and you can't unblock them until the timer runs out. You can't even easily uninstall it while the timer is running.
Good luck!
I use Balabolka (which is free) to convert text to mp3s, then put them on my phone to listen to while on public transport etc. The downside is that you can't mark up the PDF for note-taking this way, so you have to do that in a separate program.
It takes some work. You often need to format the text properly in Balabolka because of how text copies out of PDFs. Then of course you need to put the mp3 onto your phone. I usually do it in batches.
You'll also probably want to find something better than the default voice that comes on your PC, but if you hunt around online you can find something.
I use Roam Research combined with the approach laid out on Sonke Ahrens's book, "How to take smart notes". The goal of these is to make connections between your thoughts that might not be apparent otherwise. However, they aren't based on annotation, but rather summaries in your own words.
Would something like this help you? https://airtable.com/universe/expc9UFYkXjNae9JG/resims-usability-testing-and-user-interview-tracker-simple-version
You should try out Obsidian. It has links and tags and does many of the things you describe automatically. I use the daily note feature to keep track of everything I did on each day. And I can link specific files or other notes, which is very helpful.
Just write, and do no delete anything. Incoherent, ugly fragments, can be useful while you go back to your writing and start editing. I highly recommend this little book: How to write a lot
How to Write a Lot by Paul Silvia is a quick read, but it has a ton of tips! One of my advisors suggested it, and I’m so happy I got it. How to Write a Lot
External hard drive to back up all of her precious work. One of those things I told myself I would buy year after year in the program - until it was too late. Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive Portable HDD – USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, PS4, & Xbox - 1-Year Rescue Service (STGX2000400) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CRG94G3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_PHP10YEZG86WBKB3JNJ2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
👍🏾 ok. Do you have a research question?
If not, take a look at this book — It walks step-by-step on how to pick a good question/topic for a paper at the masters/PhD level. It was one of the three books recommended at my PhD orientation, along with
A manual for writers
They say I say: The moves that matter in academic writing
Check out this book called the now habit: https://www.amazon.com/Now-Habit-Overcoming-Procrastination-Guilt-Free/dp/1585425524
Basically, the advice they would give you is to remember over the next 4 months that writing up your dissertation is not the only thing you have to do. In fact, it’s healthy and good to spend more time with friends. From personal experience I can say you’ll probably only get 4 or so hours a day into writing.
Regarding the imposter syndrome, it’s best to try self-compassion. Honestly dog, literally everyone feels like their PhD thesis is shit work by the end. And if you’re thinking, “but mine really is garbage and I did no work” then I can assure you that everyone always feels this way. Sure, there are some people who feel great about their work, but most don’t. They feel as though they accomplished nothing and should have done more.
Desk calendar, bullet journal/planner, her favorite pens to write with. I’m a big fan of affirmation cards. Affirmators on Amazon are pretty funny.
Hi, this book is an amazing resource for learning MATLAB and programming concepts in general. I highly recommend. To me, it's the ultimate MATLAB guide or "bible" so to speak.
https://www.amazon.com/Matlab-Practical-Introduction-Programming-Problem/dp/0124058760
Andy Field’s Discovering Statistics is a great, and there are non R based versions too (although why would you want that?). It’s actually a kinda funny book, there is a whole chapter about what to show when making plots that he connects to him as a child learning not to flash his genitalia at school (or something like that it has been a while).
Not charts, but books - I'm not sure what field you're in, so YYMV. I jumped from Urban Planning to Political Science, and in my first year taking core courses was also neck-deep in theory that was new to me. A friend gave me a copy of Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society, which is a good jumping off point. I also purchased a copy of the Oxford Dictionary of Politics, which has proven quite helpful as well. I'm sure there's something similar you can find for your field!
I found this career book to be insightful- more towards the end of my PhD though. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FCSCR6R/ A good mechanical keyboard would be a great gift early on since so many hours are spent typing. You can check out /r/mechanicalkeyboards
I have something very similar to this one from Amazon: fitueyes standing desk. It has lasted two years, and is fairly study, but cheap enough that I expect I'll leave it behind when I'm through.
I was trying to save money, so I did not buy any supports. It worked for me. It is permanently portrait mode. But you can look into the Amazon link. That will provide the ability to easy rotation. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01LH0KVP0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_0rz2DbK5329M2
I use this book stand, it works great. I don’t read books without it now. There’s tons of similar products on amazon and other sites too if you want something a bit cheaper (I’ve seen ones for ~$10)
Okay, so this is kinda silly, but this is my first semester using rubber weighted bookmarks but good GOD are they amazing. Being able to hold a book open without your hands while you crunch on a keyboard is KILLER for writing papers and taking notes from a hardcopy source. I preach these things to everyone. I have one in use in front of me right now as I procrastinate.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBR1F4J/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3XZIFbDPHVDHQ
So i started back in 2018 and I got the 12.9in pro one they had on sale that year (lightning connector still). I like the larger screen, and I got 512Gb storage so I dind't need to worry about running out of space. The recordings from notability sync to icloud so I have them across devieces and if I need to record a conversation I'm having during research group or a meeting and don't have my tablet, i can just use my phone.
I highly recommend the pro ipad but I also just got an air and new pro as part of my research and can say the air would work fine as well. The original pencil works well enough but the new one's magnetic charging is much better.
I didn't get one w/ LTE just because it was a bit cheaper and I usually always have wifi...for those few ocassions I don't I can tether to my phone.
Final recommendations, get once of these:
along with an external keyboard...makes working on it much easier sometimes.
Getting things done, the art of stress free productivity.
https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0142000280
Read the book, and apply to your life. It will define your priorities, keep you focused at work, and relaxed afterwards. You don't have to apply it 100%, but even the basic implementation will give huge benefits.
Another suggestion along these lines:
Selected figures and tables from
<dissertation title>
(like this book: https://www.amazon.com/Selected-Tables-Figures-Emergency-Neurology/dp/0190602082)
That's a cool idea!
Although an old stats prof of mine says "always horizontal", because it apparently makes it easier to visually compare. I think he's also a huge fan of this guy's stuff.
I highly recommend books A PhD is not enough, and PhD grind, they answer a lot of questions and I wish I've read it before starting my PhD.
Depending on your field, it might be the case that you would get a good position right after your defense, especially since you already have a lot of industry experience and willing to teach. Furthermore, a lot of universities practice 'equal opportunity' policies which forces them to not discriminate based on gender, age, or race. So this might be a good part that by your defense you would be in your early 40's.
It might be a good idea to find someone from your target field and talk to them about their path to their current position, how many postdocs they had to do and so on. Maybe you will find out that some of them don't even have a PhD degree, I don't know. A lot of these things depend on your field.
If I were you, though, I would consider other ways to scratch that teaching itch. Getting a PhD is a daunting and not that rewarding. But then again, it's a nice change of pace and might be your 3-5 years vacation.
1) Treat it like a job. Do 9am-5pm at your desk, every week day, working productively. No facebook, no newspaper. No extra long lunches. Do not work late nights/weekends unless ABSOLUTELY necessary.
2) Keep yourself accountable for progress. Each week send an email to your supervisor, "this is what I did, this is what I plan to do". Before you send your email, check against last week to see how you did.
3) This is a good book. It's UK centric which seems like it will help you: https://www.amazon.com/How-get-PhD-handbook-supervisors/dp/0335242022
4) This is another good book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/PhD-Not-Enough-Survival-Science/dp/0465022227/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485777868&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=a+phd+isnot+enough
Amazon has the kindle edition of this available for free from time to time. It's a nice concise little guide.