AcademicPad

A key part of research is research tools. These are often categorized into reference management software, typesetting software, analytical systems, programming tools, etc. In all project types, reference management and typesetting software are common tools in writing up the research and a key to productivity. They also often go hand in hand. For example if you are using EndNote, which is a commercial reference management software, it is much more productive to use MS Word. EndNote integrates well in MS Word making referencing, formatting references and managing changes easy. In scientific research, Latex system is often used for typesetting. It provides rich tools to deal with mathematical annotations, algorithms pseudo-code and graphs. To setup a Latex system, you need to have the system itself which acts as a compiler or interpreter. Latex files are text files, ordinary text files, with the text tagged in similar way to HTML pages. The Latex system interprets these tags into a ty...

When preparing for a PhD viva, you need to keep in mind that the examiners would want to be satisfied that: 1- The work is yours, which is an obvious straightforward point. 2- That the contributions you claim to have made, were actually achieved to a satisfactory level expected for a PhD. In other words, that the thesis contributions meet the minimum requirements of contribution to knowledge expected from a PhD project. This is usually could be summarized in a main idea, novel contribution and a smaller contribution that is often in the form of proving the main idea to be valid. In some cases there may be more than one small contribution as a consequence of the main idea. 3- You have presented the work accurately, well, and in accordance with the norms of the research field. 4- You can conduct research independently demonstrated in the way you defended your research in the thesis and in the viva. The first two factors are crucial to pass the viva. The last two factors are u...