Almost every undergraduate considering a PhD faces uncertainty. You wonder if you're truly suited for research and whether you can commit several years to such a path. Once in a PhD program, the questions change form: How can I lower research risks? Is there a methodology that leads to impactful work? How do I find the right research topic? How can I avoid paper rejections?
It is with these questions in mind that I decided to write this book. I want to share my reflections to help new researchers take fewer detours and avoid pitfalls that make the journey unnecessarily painful. Of course, I don't claim to provide a perfect recipe for success—because in research, a "silver bullet" simply doesn't exist.
One size never fits all. Every person is different, every research direction has its own rhythm, and each field comes with its own culture and challenges. While there are methodologies and best practices that can guide you, they must always be adapted to your personal situation.
Over the years, one idea has become particularly important to me: research is less about chasing the "optimal" strategy and more about avoiding the worst mistakes. This is similar to systems design—we rarely aim for a perfect solution because such ideals often don't exist or are unstable. Instead, we focus on robustness: preventing failures, surviving unexpected conditions, and ensuring reliable performance under many scenarios.
This book is not about giving you a guaranteed roadmap to success. Rather, it's about sharing reflections, stories, and lessons that I hope will help you navigate research life with a clearer mind. If you can sidestep even a few of the big traps I'll describe, you'll already be in a much stronger position to grow into the researcher you aspire to become.
My goal is to share common traps I've seen students fall into, recurring patterns, and lessons learned through my own journey and mentoring others. Research will never be effortless—there will always be challenges, setbacks, and rejections. But by preparing yourself, recognizing patterns, and adopting the right mindset, you can make the road more manageable and turn your PhD journey into an experience that is not only survivable, but deeply rewarding.
| Index | Chapter Name | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Preface | A preface to motivate writing this series of chapaters about navigateing uncertainty, avoid common pitfalls, and building a meaningful, resilient PhD journey. |
| 1.1 | Why Ph.D. | A guide to deciding on a PhD, and includes a four-year undergrad prep plan, key “don’ts,” application strategy, and reflective exercises. |
| 1.2 | Guideline for Visiting Students and Interns in Our Research Group | This chapter provides comprehensive guidance for visiting students and interns—covering preparation, research execution, milestones, engagement, and professional conduct—to ensure productive visits, meaningful outcomes, and strong integration within the author's research group. |
| 1.3 | Guidelines for Local Undergraduate and Master Projects | This chapter provides structured guidance for local undergraduate and master’s projects, covering submission requirements, execution workflow, timelines, and best practices to ensure professional, well-documented, and impactful research outcomes. |
| 2.1 | Ph.D. Survival Guide (Year 1) | This chapter offers a structured Year-1 roadmap for new PhD students—emphasizing seminar engagement, paper reading, mentorship, collaboration, system skills, and professional habits—to build strong research foundations and independence. |
| 2.2 | What Does A Good (System) Research Paper Look Like: Quick Checklist | A practical guide for writing impactful system papers—covering structure, clarity, experiments, and figures—to help reviewers quickly appreciate your contributions within their limited reading time. |
| 2.3 | Paper Submission Guideline and Checklist | A practical and reflective guide to the full paper submission lifecycle—from choosing the right venue and managing COIs to ethical conduct, teamwork, and professionalism in the AI-era research ecosystem. |
| 2.4 | Guidelines for Camera Ready Preparation | A concise, disciplined workflow for final submission (Camera Ready). |
| 2.5 | How to Prepare Qualified Exams (QE): A Practical Guide | A reflective and practical guide to navigating the PhD journey—from preparing your Qualifying Exam to writing and defending your thesis—emphasizing independent thinking, research depth, and adaptability in the AI era. |
| 2.6 | Ph.D. Thesis Proposal | A comprehensive guide to preparing, writing, and presenting your Ph.D. thesis proposal—transforming published work into a coherent research narrative while planning, refining, and communicating your final vision with clarity and purpose. |
| 2.7 | Thesis Submission and Defense | A detailed, experience-based guide to navigating the final stage of your Ph.D. journey—from completing your last paper to preparing, submitting, and defending your thesis—with practical advice on research integration, committee feedback, readiness for independence, and post-defense transition planning. |
I aim at building a living book, and it will be updated periodically as my research and supervision goes on. Your feedback is invaluable to me. If you have suggestions, questions, or would like to share your own experiences, please don't hesitate to reach out through GitHub Issues, or email me.
Together, we can build a stronger, more supportive research community.
The opinions expressed in this book belong to the author himself and do not reflect the position of his employer.
This work is distributed for research and educational purposes only. You are free to share, distribute, and use this content for non-commercial research purposes, provided that you attribute the work to the author. For commercial use or any other purposes not covered by this license, please contact the author for permission. Copyright © 2025 - All rights reserved by the author.
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This repository contains the source code and content for "Research Journey: A PhD Student's Guide to Navigating the Research Landscape" by Dr. Bingsheng He.