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"Reading research papers ("primary articles") is partly a matter of experience and skill, and partly learning the specific vocabulary of a field. First of all, DON'T PANIC! If you approach it step by step, even an impossible-looking paper can be understood."

"Laurie Taylor's description of the "full PhD experience" in his University of Poppleton column of October 7, is a pretty accurate descrip-tion of the progress of my daughter's own doctoral research."

A gruelling inquisition or a friendly chat - PhD candidates' experiences of vivas can vary widely. Preparation is essential, writes Peter Geoghegan, but universities could do more to help, too

A competency interview (also referred to as a situational, behavioural or competency based interview) is a style of interviewing often used to evaluate a candidate's competence, particularly when it is hard to select on the basis of technical merit: for example, for a particular graduate scheme or graduate job where relevant experience is less important or not required. However, increasingly, companies are using competency based interviews as part of the selection process for experienced recruitment, as it can give valuable insights into an individual's preferred style of working and help predict behaviours in future situations.

We want now to examine some very well established ways of not getting a PhD. While most examples in this chapter are drawn from business studies, in our experience, these tried and tested ways of failing apply to all fields and have to be pondered continually by research students. You have to be clear what your position is on each of the seven ways of failing that we shall discuss if you are not to fall foul of the traps they offer. And as we shall see, just to have them pointed out to you is not enough to avoid them. Most offer real blandishments that have to be determinedly resisted.

funds fellowships for researchers at postdoctoral level to undertake research of national and international significance, and to broaden their research experience

Jane Suter is unusually focused for a doctoral student. She has a very clear idea of her direction of research -which may take only two years -and a distinction in her MSc means that she is well funded.

It came as a bit of a shock to Lisa Willats when, two weeks after she started her PhD, the men who pioneered her area of research, magnetic-resonance imaging, were awarded a Nobel prize. "It put a spring in people's step," she says.

It's been a long haul for the four PhD students The Times Higher is following. Michael North finds them pondering their next career moves.

Two years into their research, Michael North finds out how academia is treating the four PhD students whose progress The Times Higher is charting

Six months in and some of our postgrads are finding the going tough. As experts gather for today's conference on 'Postgraduate Education', The Times Higher catches up with the students it is tracking over three years to see how they're coping

Russian Alisa Chukanova has just arrived at Southampton University to start her PhD and is feeling hopeful about a future in UK academia: "I just came yesterday. My first impression is very good. If I like it, I would like to stay."

"The third in our series tracking four PhD students sees how they are faring after their first year of study. Michael North and Chris Bunting report "

Funded by RCUK, vitae builds on the work of UK GRAD and UK HERD to support PhD students and Research Staff