'A breath of fresh air - I wish someone had told me this beforehand' - PhD student, UK. 'If you are contemplating a PhD, buy the book and read it straight through to get the larger picture; then re-read each section in greater detail as you tackle each stage of your work. I did the basic research for my PhD in about twelve months, then spent two years writing up the results - and producing possibly too much. It succeeded, but I think I might have made a better job of it if I had read a book like this first. But they didn't exist in those days' - Mantex.This book looks at things the other books don't tell you about doing a PhD - what it's really like and how to come through it with a happy ending! It covers all the things you wish someone had told you before you started: what a PhD is really about, and how to do one well; the "unwritten rules" of research and of academic writing; what your supervisor actually means by terms like "good referencing" and "clean research question"; how to write like a skilled researcher; and, how academic careers really work. It is an ideal resource if someone you care about (including yourself!) is undergoing or considering a PhD. This book turns lost, clueless students back into people who know what they are doing, and who can enjoy life again.

戈登·魯格（Gordon Rugg），英國基爾大學高級講師、知識建模小組組長，開放大學高級客座研究員。