1.
MastersNet tools for
Graduate Students:
Case Studies

2.
Special NOTE:
• These slides are designed as a bibliography of the tools
available to doctoral students, powered by DoctoralNet
• These slides include the urls needed to find the tools
mentioned…
HOWEVER
• You must sign into the portal for your university (or main. If
your university does not have a subscription)
• Then add the end of the url for the tool you want after .com
• All additional urls start with /

3.
We never know what we don’t know –
we uncover it slowly – and sometimes
painfully
Goal for today, to use the experience
of those before you, so…
• That you know of and can easily find
the tools you need when you realize
you need them
• Have some fun imagining 3 very
different Masters students
Goal – to make Masters’ work easier

4.
1. Getting Started
• What makes the difference between Masters & Undergrad?
• Introducing our 3 cases
2. Progress Your Academic Writing
3. Improve Your Critical Thinking
4. Tools if you will do your own research
5. Work-Life Balance & Continuous Support
Agenda as told through 3 case studies

5.
What makes the difference
between Masters & Undergrad?

6.
• The ability to think critically…
• To read and comprehend
• To dissect and analyse
• To build arguments and critically look at the arguments of others
• The ability to write from that viewpoint…
• Knowledge of and skill in academic writing
• To develop your own ideas through writing
• To build arguments based on your analysis and built on the
foundation of previous literature
• Knowledge of and maybe experience in research
What makes the difference between
Masters & Undergrad?

7.
Getting Started…
How to prepare for the end journey
at the beginning
Jonah’s story

8.
Jonah is the kind of student that always
wants to know where he is going so he
can efficiently prepare. To him this
ensures an easy endgame, as he is
prepared if something unexpected comes
up.
He realizes as he starts his Masters that:
• He doesn’t know enough about the final
project, called a capstone thesis at his
university
• He hasn’t written anything in years and he is
insecure about the quality of his
assignments
• He knows he will be expected to
demonstrate his ability to think critically but
he is not at all sure exactly what that entails

9.
He doesn’t know enough about the final project,
called a capstone thesis at his university
Check out the map for Masters Students (aimed at research)
/mastersnet/map-for-masters-students.html
On Demand Video…
Begin with the end in mind (for Masters)… (conducting a
critical analysis of others’ final work)
/begin-with-the-end-in-mind-for-masters.html
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2

10.
He hasn’t written anything in years and he is
insecure about the quality of his assignments
Review the basics
• On Demand Video: Academic writing basics:
/academic-writing-basics.html
• Opt-In: 10 Day Writing Boost
https://resources.doctoralnet.com/optins/opt-in-10-day-academic-writing-
boost.html
• Opt-In: Friday academic writing emails
https://resources.doctoralnet.com/optins/opt-in-friday-academic-writing-emails.html
• Many of you may have been signed up for these by your Deans

11.
He knows he will be expected to demonstrate
his ability to think critically but he is not at all
sure exactly what that entails
Boxed Set: Critical thinking, reading, writing, and analysis
• https://resources.doctoralnet.com/boxed-sets/critical-reading-thinking-writing-
analysis.html
On Demand Videos /my-account/video-on-demand.html
• Critical thinking : /critical-thinking.html

12.
Sally Ann…
Skill Progression

13.
She knows that once
you’ve mastered the
basics you need to:
1. Build strength through
employing the subtleties
2. Perfect through consistency
She concentrates on her
thinking, writing, and research

14.
Academic writing… Tools.1
• Build strength through employing the subtleties
• Upcoming Webinars:
https://www.bigmarker.com/communities/doctoralnet/conferences
• Boxed Set: Academic Writing – Tools and Concepts
• https://resources.doctoralnet.com/boxed-sets/academic-writing-tools-to-get-it-done.html
• On Demand Video: Academic writing subtleties
/academic-writing-subtleties.html
• On Demand video: Avoiding Unconscious Plagiarism
/avoiding-unconscious-plagiarism.html

15.
Academic writing… Tools.2
• Perfect through Consistency – Phases 2 & 3
• Masters 2.1 & 2.2 -Understanding Academic Writing
/mastersnet/2-writing-masters-problem/2-1-academic-writing.html
• Read about building writing habits
/mastersnet/2-writing-masters-problem/2-3-writing-process-habits.html
• Build your practice with the 30 Day writing challenge
• https://resources.doctoralnet.com/optins/30-day-writing-challenge.html

16.
Finally there is Timothy…

17.
He just got the job he
has always wanted. He
is mostly done with his
Masters research. He
needs to:
1. Finish his Masters Thesis or
Dissertation ASAP and easily
2. Manage his stress and work-life
balance

18.
Building your design
• Automations © or Self Assessments
• /self-asses-aspects-of-my-research-with-automations.html
• Phase 1 /phase-1.html
• /phase-1/1-3-bridging-topic-and-methods.html
• On Demand videos /my-account/video-on-demand.html
• /choosing-research-designs-methods.html
• Boxed Set
• https://resources.doctoralnet.com/boxed-sets/designing-
research.html
• Ongoing webinars:
• https://www.bigmarker.com/communities/doctoralnet/confere
nces

19.
Writing about your research
• For your final thesis or dissertation…
/mastersnet/final-writing.html
• Ongoing webinars:
• https://www.bigmarker.com/communities/doctoralnet/confere
nces
• For publication – Phase 4
/phase-4/beginning-to-write.html

20.
Work-Life Balance
• Webinars at the start of each semester
• https://www.bigmarker.com/communities/doctoralnet/conferences
• Skills development showcase on control panel
• /my-account/my-control-panel/358-resources/skills-development/planning-
and-time-management/465-facing-down-the-doctoral-candidate-dragons.html
• OnDemand Video: /my-account/video-on-demand.html
• /work-life-balance-in-grad-school.html
• 30 Day work-life balance challenge
• https://resources.doctoralnet.com/optins/30-day-challenge-4-work-life-
balance.html
• General Motivation
• On the app or your control panel – a showcase of support in motivational
quotes and also highlighted videos
3

21.
Continuous Support
• Been at it too long? Join the lingerers for support
• https://resources.doctoralnet.com/optins/opt-in-abds-or-those-moving-forward-
with-theses.html
• Or try this boxed set…
• https://resources.doctoralnet.com/boxed-sets/for-abds-reengaging-and-getting-
done.html
• Feeling Isolated? 365 motivational emails
• https://resources.doctoralnet.com/optins/365-phd-motivation.html
• Need to translate grad school skills to employment skills?
2 boxed sets: cognitive skills and soft skills
• https://resources.doctoralnet.com/boxed-sets/5-cognitive-skills-for-the-4th-
industrial-revolution.html
• https://resources.doctoralnet.com/boxed-sets/5-soft-skills-for-the-4th-
industrial-revolution-the-attitudinal-ones.html

22.
Remember… When you need help…

23.
Go to your university.doctoralnet.com site
• Search on keywords
• Look under the masters menu for resources
• Look under your account on the upper right for on-demand
videos
• Do the self assessments (for research)
Go to the webinars and sign up for those you need so you’ll
have the recordings
Go to the Resources menu and
• Sign up for opt-ins that look interesting
• Sign up to receive boxed sets on the materials you need
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2

24.
Download the app
Sign Up 4 the
Webinars
Take 30 minutes and explore
your uni.doctoralnet.com site