Study Skills: A Student Survival Guide Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is the first time I have come across a student survival guide for PhD as well post-graduate students. I wish I had this book with me when I was doing a management course at London Business School two decades ago.
The book actually consists of contributory chapters by expert lecturers (from the Institute of Cancer Research, all of whom have supervised students working towards their PhDs), as follows:
- Effective Organisation & Time Management;
- Personal & Interpersonal Skills;
- Information Retrieval;
- Critical Reading;
- Presentations;
- Writing a Paper;
- Writing & defending your Thesis;
According to the Preface, this book started life as a website for PhD students at the Institute of Cancer Research, the content of which has gone through some evolutions. In other words, the contents have been reviewed by many active PhD students. This revelation certainly makes the book more meaningful & useful for students with similar academic pursuits.
All the chapters are well-crafted by the respective experts & systematically organised by the Editor, & are packed with practical advice & quick reference tips, as well as specific points to remember. Kudos to the editor & the respective authors!
The text format & page layout used are quick-&-easy to read, which make the book very handy for research students with busy schedules.
At the end of each chapter, there is also a checklist, a reading list & a list of web resources.
For me as a strategic explorer & prolific reader, the most rewarding chapters are those on Information Retrieval & Critical Reading. They are superb stuff.
On the whole, I rate it a 5 & I wish I could rate it higher.

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PLATINUM WINNER - 2006 MarCom Creative Awards
Postgraduate students require a variety of skills in addition to the specialist knowledge of their area of research, including organisation, time management, preparation and presentation of a seminar, and writing a thesis and a research paper. This outstanding title provides PhD and MSc students with advice on key issues relating to the organisation and presentation of their research.
Helps students to deal with an increasingly competitive marketplace after completing their studies
Clearly written and illustrated by professional lecturers
Covers the skills that the Research Councils expect students to develop during their doctoral training
Features handy quick tips, checklists and key ‘remember' points so that students can dip into it in any order throughout their research or read in stages as their work develops

This easy-to-use guide on study skills is also of practical value to new supervisors wanting to ensure their students are equipped with the transferable skills needed to take them through their PhD and beyond.
From the reviews:
"I am left with just one question: why should readers pick this manual as opposed to others?… One answer is timing: Due to this book's newness, its lists of websites and the like for additional information will prove highly reliable… Second, the fact that it was written by several people, each one an expert in the area he or she discusses… Yet the ultimate answer… rests with the book's conciseness, its coverage of so much advice on so many (related) subjects…" IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATIONS, March 2006

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