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    How I accidentally found my research topic while trying to avoid doing research

    "i wasn't supposed to do research this summer" – famous last words 😂 but seriously, this is beautiful. the professor waiting three years for someone to test that idea? that's the part that got me. you didn't just find a topic. you found a mentor who was already waiting for you. that's rare...
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    Everything I wish I'd known about research papers before starting grad school

    I'm in year three of my PhD. I've written... I don't know... 15 research papers? 20? Here's what I wish someone had told me at the beginning. 📝 One: Your first research question will be too big. It always is. You want to solve world hunger. You want to revolutionize your field. Scale down. Ask...
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    The research paper that taught me the difference between "summary" and "synthesis."

    I thought I knew how to write a research paper. I was wrong. My first year of grad school, I wrote a 30-page literature review. I was proud of it. I had read 80 articles. I summarized each one carefully. I organized them by topic. 📑 My advisor read it. She said: "This is a summary. Where's the...
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    Can I cite a dissertation in my research paper, or is that bad form?

    I found a dissertation that's perfect for my research. The author covers exactly the gap I'm trying to address. The only problem: it's a dissertation. Not a peer-reviewed article. Not a book from a university press. 📚 My advisor says: "Dissertations are fine to cite. But they're not the gold...
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    How do I stop adding new sources and just finish my literature review?

    I have a problem. I can't stop finding new sources. Every time I think I'm done, I find one more article. Then that article cites five more. Then those five cite ten more. It's a hydra. 🐍 My advisor says: "Your literature review doesn't need to include everything. It needs to include enough."...
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