Underrated Research Tips That Actually Work for PhD Students

Doing a PhD or any academic research can feel like trying to do ten things at once. It’s unpredictable, challenging, and honestly, pretty overwhelming at times.

But hey, that’s also what makes it exciting (most of the time).

So if you’re in the trenches of your PhD or any research project and wondering how to not only survive but actually thrive, you’re in luck. Here are seven research tips no one tells you, but trust me, they can make your life so much easier.

• The “One Graph a Week” Rule

Here’s a mindset shift for you: research = results. Not perfect results. Not life-changing, revolutionary, Nobel Prize-winning results. Just results. Something tangible. Something you can show off in a meeting. A graph, a schematic, a table—even a graph of things that failed.

Set a personal goal: every single week, produce a figure. It doesn’t matter if it’s a chart that looks like it came from a potato-powered Excel sheet; as long as it shows progress, you’re good.

Why? Because it keeps you moving. Instead of floating in a sea of literature reviews and existential dread, you’ve got something real. And when your supervisor asks, “So, what have you been working on?” you’ll have something more than a vague shrug and 19 half-finished Google Docs.

• Manage Your Supervisor Like a Pro

Everyone says, “Pick the right supervisor.” Cool. But what do you do once you've got one?

You manage up.

Look, your supervisor isn’t going to micromanage your every move, and honestly, you wouldn’t want them to. Most of them are dealing with 14 grant applications, six classes, and a crumbling social life. They don’t have time to babysit.

That means you have to lead the charge. Set up meetings. Show up with solutions (not just problems). Pay attention to what excites them—do they light up when you share new data? Great! Make sure you bring fresh results every time.

Managing up isn’t about sucking up. It’s about keeping the momentum going. You’re the captain of your research ship, so you have to take the lead.

• Schedule for Failure

We all do it. We plan out our academic research like it's a dream montage in a movie: smooth lab access, equipment that works, everyone replies to emails instantly…

Reality check: it never goes that way.

The card reader to your lab stops working. The one person who knows how to run your experiment is on a three-week yoga retreat in Bali. And that fancy equipment you finally booked? Broken. Again.

So plan for delays. Build in buffer time. Instead of saying, “I’ll have this done in two weeks,” tell your supervisor, four. That way, when something inevitably blows up, you're still on track. And if things go smoothly (rare, but it happens), you’ll look like an overachieving genius.

• Learn to Manage Your Risks

Every research project has risks. Some are long shots; others are sure wins. The smart move? Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Split your work between:

• High-risk, high-reward ideas (the ones that could be amazing but might flop)
• Reliable, bread-and-butter experiments (stuff that will get you results)

This way, you’re always moving forward—even if your moonshot idea fails. And if it does work? Jackpot. You’ve got something impressive and unexpected.

Do the risky stuff early. That way, if it doesn’t pan out, you’ve got time to pivot.

• Learn to Let Go of Bad Experiments

We’ve all been there—spending weeks (or months) on an idea we really want to work… but deep down, we know it’s a dead end.

You don’t need to martyr yourself for a method that’s clearly not delivering. If something’s not working, give it a fair shot—and if it still sucks? Cut it. Quickly.

Tell your supervisor, be honest, and move on. You’re not giving up. You’re making space for better ideas to grow. Think of it like gardening—sometimes, you’ve got to pull the weeds so your tomatoes can thrive.

• Stay Out of the Academic Drama

The academic world can feel like a weird high school sometimes. Gossip, politics, rivalries—it’s all there.

Don’t get sucked in.

Yes, you’ll hear gossip about this professor or that admin decision. But letting it consume you? That’s a fast track to burnout. Focus on your own path. Stay positive. Protect your energy.

One of the most inspiring researchers I’ve ever met had this golden rule: “Nothing is a problem.” Even when things were falling apart, he kept a cool head, and guess what? Everyone wanted to work with him. Positivity is powerful and rare. Be that person.

• Find Something That Isn’t Research

This might be the most important tip on this list.

Get a hobby. Seriously.

Whether it’s dancing, painting, baking, Dungeons & Dragons, or playing Brazilian samba (shoutout to all the drummers out there), find something that fills your cup outside the lab or library.

When your experiments are failing, when your paper gets rejected for the third time, when you’re questioning your entire career path, you need something else to turn to. Something that reminds you you’re a person, not just a researcher.

This is very important for emotional survival.

Final Thoughts

Research is hard. It’s messy, unpredictable, and full of ups and downs. But with the right mindset and a few practical strategies, you can navigate it without losing your mind (or at least, not entirely).

So go ahead and follow these research tips: set weekly goals, manage your supervisor, plan for chaos, and make sure to have something fun in your life that has nothing to do with pipettes, citations, or peer review.

You’ve got this. If you’re having problems managing your time effectively, don’t miss our blog on How to stay focused as a PhD student, and check out our expert advice on Assignment Help if the deadlines are piling up and you need a lifeline.

Let research be tough, but not impossible. Stay curious, stay grounded, and keep pushing forward.