John Measey is Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Stellenbosch University. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 peer reviewed scientific papers and book chapters, and five books. This includes How to write a PhD in Biological Sciences: a guide for the uninitiated, also published by CRC Press. He was the Editor-in-Chief of an ISI journal for 9 years, and currently serves as Associate Editor for 4 other journals. He has graduated more than 20 postgraduate students, and his blog on writing and publishing in biological sciences is read by thousands globally. British born and educated, he lives and works in the beautiful Western Cape, South Africa.

• PART 1 RIGHT FROM THE VERY START1 Introduction2 So you are doing a PhD?3 Reconciling yourself to doing things you’ve been avoiding4 Communicating by email 5 The scientific project and scientific living 6 Keeping track of your mental healthPART 2 GET WRITING7 How to get started with writing 8 How to write a hypothesis 9 Being aware that you can get it wrong10 What happens if you don’t have a hypothesis? 11 What’s the big idea? 12 Writing a paragraph 13 Construct a logical argument in your writing14 Storytelling in science? 15 Why do you need to cite? 16 Literature databases17 Reference managers 18 What software should I use to write my PhD? 19 What to do when faced with a paywall?20 Scientific names and taxonomic authorities21 Writing style22 Retaining your own voice when writing23 Writing concisely24 Writing a PhD if English is not your first language 25 Making sure that you don’t plagiarise 26 Academic phrasebank27 Why critical reading is crucial for improving your writing28 What is needed for your research proposal?29 Making a presentation from your chapter, paper or proposal30 Starting out transparent31 Generating funding for your PhD research 32 Fear of submitting written work 33 Why use a formula to structure each chapter or paper? 34 Data ManagementPART 3 THE FORMULA OF A CHAPTER 35 Writing the sections that make up your data chapter36 Title page37 The Abstract 38 The Introduction 39 The Materials and Methods 40 The Results41 The Discussion42 The Acknowledgements 43 The References44 Tables45 Figures46 Who did what?47 Supplementary Material PART 4 COMPLETING THE THESIS48 Now that you have finished your data chapters49 How to introduce your PhD chapters 50 How to conclude your PhD51 Formatting your thesis52 The obligation to publish your work