Charly Leblanc Webpage

PhD in Physics - Nanophysics

PhD resources


February 02, 2022

I am pleased to share with you a non-exhaustive list of resources that proved to be invaluable to me during my PhD. As a student of physics, I recognize that our individual needs may vary, but I hope that this list can be of help to those embarking on similar academic journeys.
First and foremost, I cannot stress enough the importance of utilizing SciHub. This online resource provides free access to an extensive collection of scholarly articles, eliminating the need to pay for costly subscriptions. It has been an indispensable tool for me, allowing me to access a vast array of research materials at no cost.

Social Network

  •  In my experience, Twitter has proven to be the optimal platform for sharing one's work. By posting about your research, you can increase the visibility of your article, potentially reaching a wider audience. It is also worth considering asking your group and university to share your work as well, further amplifying its reach and impact. 
  •  While LinkedIn is more commonly used by industry professionals, it is still a worthwhile platform to showcase your work and make connections with others in your field. 
 Another option to consider is creating a website to showcase your research. 
  •  Personally, I found Owlstown to be a user-friendly website builder that offers features tailored specifically for PhDs and scientists. 
  •  Alternatively, if you prefer a fully customizable website, WordPress is a robust platform that offers greater flexibility, albeit with a steeper learning curve. 

Digital identity and Metrics

  •  Google Scholar is a widely used search engine for scholarly articles, providing a means to establish a digital identity and track citation metrics such as h-index. 
  •  In terms of digital identity, ORCID is an essential platform for researchers. In fact, some journals require authors to have an ORCID account in order to publish their work. This unique identifier allows for easy tracking of one's research outputs and affiliations across different platforms. 
  •  ResearchGate is another useful tool for locating and accessing scholarly articles. Additionally, the platform provides the opportunity to connect with other researchers and collaborate on projects. It can also serve as a means of establishing a digital identity. 
  • Publons is used as a digital identity and metric (number of citations of your articles on Web of Science).
  •  Publons is a platform that offers researchers the ability to track their publication metrics, such as citation counts on Web of Science, and establish a digital identity. Similarly, Scopus provides similar functionalities and is widely used in the United States, while Publons is more commonly used in Europe, though this distinction may not be absolute. 

Academic Skills

  • Some tips to improve your academic writing, and here too!
  • Some tips on how to improve your cold mail skills can be found on this Twitter account. It really helped me more than I thought!
  • How to write an academic CV (scientifically proven!), and here too!
  • You will probably have to write using LaTeX. In this case I can recommend Overleaf, a web-based collaborative LaTeX editor.
  • For your bibliography, you can do everything yourself, or get a Reference Manager! The most well-known are Zotero, Mendeley, and Endnote.  I am currently using Zotero!
  • Good resource to understand Peer Review!
  • You will need to take notes during your PhD. There is plenty of choice, like OneNote or Evernote. Personally I prefer Notion or Obsidian.




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