Both, successful PhD completion, followed by the postdoctoral research are excellent foundation for research and academic careers.
Dear Eduard,
PhDs have become very procedurized. Students typically have to produce progress reports every 6 months and their skills are assessed and monitored throughout. Whilst there is some merit in this and accountability is important, a doctorate should be a journey of self-discovery as well as the production and defence of a thesis. The relationship with your supervisor or supervisory team is very important, but supervisors can be strong in different ways, and different students prefer different styles of supervision.
It is important for students to know exactly what they need to achieve and to keep focused and believing in themselves, like a long distance runner focusing straight ahead.
When I met my wife to be she told me that she was discouraged about completing her thesis. I told her not to worry because mine took me over 12 years but I got there in the end! She then finished hers within 12 months.
Interesting... Let me add an experience from Czech Republic, i.e. a country from former East Bloc. Each university has its own conditions, when it comes to PhD study. Most universities allow the students to choose between study programmes: "present" (they study and help with lectures full-time) and "combined" (they study only part-time, as they usually have some full-time job) - and they should finish, let's say, at maximum in 5 years. Some allow 7 years (this was my case, having a full-time job at the same time). But there are also some universities, where they demand finishing in 3 years, no matter the present or combined study programme. So you can imagine that also the quality and scientific level achieved is very much different among universities.
Another question is whether they demand some scientific papers to be published. While this is a standard around the world, in many post-East-Bloc countries it still not the case. It is very common that PhD students finish without ever publishing anything (apart from some local papers or conferences).
To sum up - it is difficult to compare the timeframe and conditions, when the requirements differ across countries and even universities.
A Successful PhD completion:
1. Topic has been selected by the candidate.
2. Fruithful interaction with the supervisor
3. Concentrated human efforts to complete the work began.
B. Effective research methodologies to successful postdoc:
1. Continue the successful PhD topics, with development of the parallel research fields, which may give good supports, ideas for his/her topics (interdisciplinary connections)
2. Develop his/her own databases and their branchings, gradually developing the cooperative "surface" at various boundary regions of his/her topics
3. Gradually appear with the new results in the conferences: first abstracts, then smaller papers, and finally a larger publication. However, the postdoc should develop his/her background in this topics by papers written on his/her own national language.
3 major factors I thing for phd success:
1. select arew and subarea and sub area and lastly choice tiny topic.
2. Choice friendly supervisor. Meet with super visor minm 1 time in a month.
2. Gather huge knowledge on your tiny topic.
I think Aptitude,Interest and hard work are the most important for PhD & research work.
Agree with all.
1) Proper training, motivation and dedication to work hard on part of a PhD student;
2) Qualified, motivated and dedicated PhD Supervisor committed to the students' success
3) Relevant, up-to-date PhD topic with valuable and unique contribution.
Plus, all above must be working well and together.
In other words if:
1) student and topic are perfect without proper support of PhD Supervisor, the PhD Thesis completion may fail.
2) Same for having excellent supervisor and research topic, without dedicated and motivated student.
3)And naturally, excellent student and supervisor not having proper research topic will not make PhD Thesis.
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