Many PhD students struggle with feeling their notes aren't adequate. The discussion emphasizes that note-taking is more than just recording information—it's a chance to engage actively with academic material. Tips are shared on transforming note-taking into a practice that boosts confidence and encourages independent thought. Listeners are reminded that their unique academic voices deserve to be heard, making this a call to embrace personal engagement in their scholarly journeys.
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insights INSIGHT
Notes Reveal Your Academic Identity
Note-taking reveals how you see yourself in academia: reporter or contributor.
Treat notes as the foundation for developing your academic voice and viewpoint.
insights INSIGHT
Don't Be Just A Reporter
Many PhD students take notes to summarise others rather than form their own view.
That practice keeps you as a reporter, not as an independent academic with an argument.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Write Where The Paper Meets Your Mind
When you read, write notes about the intersection of the paper and your thinking.
Ask what the article made you think, realise, or question and record those reactions.
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Pretty much all PhD students have a vague (or very strong) sense that they’re not taking “good enough” notes. Yet for most of us, we’re not really clear what good enough notes would actually be like, and often have really unrealistic expectations about what function our notes should serve in the future. In this episode, I don’t give you new systems or softwares to improve your notetaking - instead, I talk about how notetaking is your first opportunity to practice being an academic who is IN the field, not just reporting ON the field. I’ll give you some specific notetaking activities to try and a pep talk on how important it is for the world to hear YOUR academic voice.
**** I'm Dr Vikki Wright, ex-Professor and certified life coach and I help everyone from PhD students to full Professors to get a bit less overwhelmed and thrive in academia. Please make sure you subscribe, and I would love it if you could find time to rate, review and tell your friends! You can send them this universal link that will work whatever the podcast app they use. http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464
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