{"id":3583,"date":"2017-07-04T12:05:19","date_gmt":"2017-07-04T12:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/islamukcentre\/?p=3583"},"modified":"2026-04-13T09:38:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T09:38:36","slug":"riyaz-timol-six-points-for-a-successful-phd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/islamukcentre\/riyaz-timol-six-points-for-a-successful-phd\/","title":{"rendered":"Riyaz Timol – Six Points for a Successful PhD"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Bulgarian
Mosque in Bulgaria’s ‘icy mountains’ where Riyaz Timol did fieldwork. Photo credit: Riyaz Timol<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In late 2012, I commenced a PhD at Cardiff University\u2019s Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK as a fortunate recipient of Jameel funding.\u00a0 Last week I emerged out of the other side relatively unscathed and with, as far as I can tell, my sanity intact.\u00a0 In this short blog piece, I reflect upon my experiences by sharing Six Points for a Successful PhD[1].<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Read How to Get a PhD<\/a><\/em> by Phillips and Pugh <\/strong><\/p>\n

I read this in the months after winning the scholarship but before enrolment.\u00a0 It stood me in great stead.\u00a0 In very clear and accessible prose, the authors explain the mechanics of the PhD process and offer key advice on such issues as \u2018managing your supervisors\u2019 and avoiding common pitfalls.\u00a0 A thorough perusal can pre-empt problems and psychologically prepare a wet-behind-the-ears postgrad for the long trek ahead.<\/p>\n

2. Pick a topic that inspires passion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Make no mistake about it: the PhD is a long, hard slog through the woods.\u00a0 The last thing you want is to run out of energy or motivation half-way through.\u00a0 So don\u2019t pick a topic that simply interests you; pick something that makes your heart pound.\u00a0 The joy of discovery should be the oil that keeps your midnight lamp burning \u2013 night after night after night\u2026<\/p>\n

(For me, it was actually freshly chopped wood that burned, night after night, as I conducted fieldwork in the icy mountains of Bulgaria<\/a>).<\/p>\n

3. Always submit your best possible draft of work \u2013 on time!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Supervisors are busy people and, along with you, have a thousand other balls to keep juggling in the air.\u00a0 Many schedule time in their diaries to read and comment on work in advance of a supervisory meeting (note for supervisors: providing written feedback in advance of a supervisory meeting is extremely helpful<\/em> for the student).\u00a0 Capitalise on the professional expertise your work can benefit from by submitting the best possible draft you can muster; not something the dog spat out the night before. And a great rule of thumb I assiduously stuck to: submit anything you want to discuss at least a week in advance<\/em> of your supervisory meeting.<\/p>\n

4. Present at conferences and get your foot on the publications ladder<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the goals of the PhD is to socialise you into the world of academia, gradually equipping you with the tools to carve out a career for yourself. This can best be achieved by engaging in a number of ancillary activities over the years. Key among these is subjecting your work to peer scrutiny by presenting ideas and findings at conferences \u2013 which are also great forums for networking and encountering cutting-edge research in similar fields. Book reviews are the simplest way to get your name into a reputable academic journal and, if your supervisors think you can manage it, go for a chapter in an edited book collection or, even better, an article in a peer-reviewed journal.<\/p>\n

5. Keep plugging away through thick and thin<\/strong><\/p>\n

A little like J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s Lord of the Rings<\/em><\/a>, the journey is long, arduous and taxing. Emotional as well as intellectual highs and lows will assail you as you plod along. Personally, my third child was born after three months and my house flooded after three years (as part of the 2015 Boxing Day floods). Each event probably set me back several months. But in spite of the obstacles that invariably pop up don\u2019t take your eye off the ball. Tenacity and grit are just as essential as reading and writing.<\/p>\n

6. Enjoy the experience<\/strong><\/p>\n

The sheer, unadulterated bliss of having little to do other than plough through a pile of books is an experience probably never-to-be-repeated in your professional life.\u00a0 Make the most of it.\u00a0 Read widely and voraciously to master your topic and broaden your intellectual horizons. \u00a0The PhD is a journey of personal and intellectual growth: you start out a student and finish a scholar. Every step of that transformation is worth relishing.<\/p>\n

These are my reflections at the end of the PhD. If you want to compare notes, here are some thoughts I shared<\/a> when I was still in the thick of it.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Those readers who have some familiarity with the subject of my doctoral research, the Tablighi Jama\u2019at in modern Britain, should \u2018get\u2019 the pun in the title.\u00a0 Everyone else: please rest assured the humour doesn\u2019t rock the Richter scale.<\/p>\n

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\"Riyaz<\/figure>\n

Dr Riyaz Timol (he’s the one on the left, next to eminent sociologist Professor Grace Davie and fellow doctoral scholar Matthew Vince) was a Jameel PhD Scholar. He successfully defended his PhD in June. Riyaz is the founder of thinkBRITE Services<\/a>, providing training on Islam and Muslim culture. Visit his academia.edu page here<\/a>.
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