Journey to MSci

Note taking is an essential part of studying, and developing your own note taking style can significantly improve your learning experience. However, note taking should not just be a process of copying information from the board or textbook. It should be personalised to your learning style and optimised for effective retention and understanding. Here are some tips to improve your note taking habits:

Structure Your Notes for Organisation and Revision

Your notes should have a clear structure with headings, subheadings, and lists for better organisation and revision. Writing notes as if you were explaining the topic to someone who does not take the course is a good practice to ensure that your notes are clear and logical.

Additionally, labelled diagrams and concept maps can help you visualise and understand complex information. Studies have shown that visual aids, such as images and diagrams, are easier to remember and recall than text alone.

2. Highlight and Use Colours to Emphasise Key Points

Highlighters and coloured pens are not just for making pretty notes. They can also help you categorise and emphasise key points, making them easier to remember. Develop your own colour coding system, using different colours for different topics, definitions, or important information. Symbols, such as stars or underlines, can also be used to create your own coding system.

3. Use Your Own Words and Avoid Copying Verbatim

Avoid the temptation to copy everything word for word from the board or textbook. Instead, focus on deciphering the key information and paraphrasing it into your own words. This not only saves time but also helps you consolidate your understanding of the topic. You can still incorporate high-level vocabulary and terminology into your notes but try to write most of the content in your own words for better comprehension.

4. Consider Using Cornell Notes

Cornell notes are a popular note taking system recommended by universities such as Cornell and Harvard. They include a heading at the top, a column on the side for keywords, main ideas, and questions, a large section in the middle for class notes, and a summary at the end for revision. However, note taking is a personal process, and you should incorporate elements that work for you.

In conclusion, developing your own note taking style can significantly improve your study habits. Remember, note taking should be a personalised process that suits your learning style and helps you retain and understand the material better.

Starting with the positives, I officially confirmed my candidature and I am now officially eligible to upgrade to a PhD. The feedback received on my candidature proposal was positive and invaluable to moving forward with my research. I have received my final lot of edits to complete my umbrella review and should be submitting it for critical review within the next week. Moving into October the focus is on finalising the questions for my survey study, completing the ethics applications for review and creating the marketing materials to distribute to the public.

Unfortunately, there are some negatives. I am starting to understand why people say a research degree is a time of personal growth and self-reflection. The trials and tribulations that occur during background research, the creating of systematic processes, navigating ethics applications and recruiting participants before you even think about conducting a your study, let alone writing a manuscript for publication is an overwhelming thought. Then you have the greatest pressure, TIME, limited time to complete all of the above and write a thesis document.

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Now, I am about to get personal. I started my research journey after a traumatic injury that occurred at work. This injury threw my entire life of course, but I also look back now and realise that it put me on my destined path. I have struggled through a major depressive episode related to the injury, continuing anxiety and residual PTSD. I had a relationship breakdown, moved back to the Sunshine Coast and have been fighting to get my life back on track for the past six months. This has all occurred within the past 12 months and whilst my step-dad has also been receiving treatment for terminal pancreatic and bowel cancer. Our family just lost two furry family members this month and this continual series of unfortunate events has greatly impacted my ability to get through the workload of my master's.

However, I am extremely lucky, my support network is unbeatable between my close knit family, supporting supervisors and encouraging university. I am slowly, making my way through the tasks, whilst still struggling from depression and anxiety, aiming to keep my head above water. This blog was created to share my journey and self-reflect on my experiences. I hope this post finds the people it is intended for, that even if you are not completing a research degree or studying that you can resinate with the journey in some aspect and I hope it brings you comfort in the fact you are not alone.

This past Friday the 19th of August I submitted my confirmation of candidature (COC) document for review, to the external examiners and Higher Degree Research committee. This document was in preparation for my presentation on Friday the 2nd of September.

If you don't know what a confirmation of candidature is, or you may know it by another term. It is the first major milestone of my master's journey and the formal process of submitting my thesis proposal for approval by the university.

Basically . . . . making sure I am getting s*** done!

Which I am btw! 61 pages and 10,729 words worth of work completed to date. So how did I prepare for this major milestone?

Well I didn't, but here is what I would do if I had to do it again:

Nail down the appropriate terminology in the early days, this avoids becoming confused and overwhelmed when writing.

Identify your theoretical framework, if you are in STEM don't leave this till you 'have to" write it, it's actually really important!

Identify your major chapter headings, I am submitting a thesis 'by publication' so my current an/or future publications made up majority of my chapters, as well as Abstract, Intro, Lit Review, Budget and Timeline.

Leave your introduction and abstract till last! it is easier to write and saves you time.

Snack write in paragraphs. I found setting a limit to complete a paragraph at a time in relation to a topic kept me on task. I produced quality work more frequently and more efficiently.

Format your document in-between snack writing and,

Don't leave it to the last minute! Start writing today!

Good luck to anyone working towards this first major milestone and congratulations on anyone who has completed it!

Last weekend I attended the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicines' annual national conference, in sunny Cairns, Australia.

I was fortunate enough to attend the conference on a student scholarship for my systematic review of reviews on CBD interventions within autistic population. I presented an academic poster that visually displayed and outlined the background, aims, methods and results of my research review.

This was my first national conference and I learnt a lot from the oral abstract presentations and academic posters. However, my main take away from my experience was the ability to network. Yes, you may say! thats the point! Conference are for networking . . . . .

No. I am talking about strategic networking and if there is one thing I learnt from my time in tourism marketing, it's how to strategically network.

Network with intention, having a purpose for making the connection is key here!

Ask yourself how the connection could benefit you

Ask yourself how you could benefit the connection

Pitch with purpose

Follow up with actions

e.g. I watched a presentation this past weekend looking at a bio-psychosocial screening tool used in clinical general practice for intervention prevention.

How did this potential connection benefit me? I wanted to adapt the screening tool for research purposes.

How can I benefit the potential connection? I want to work with the connection to further adapt, implement and publish the screening tool for research.

I pitched with purpose! I introduced myself, my research and affiliations (elevator pitch) and specifically how I wanted to adapt the screening tool for my research - I kept it short and was offered a business card from the connection instantly afterwards.

I followed up with actions via email, I re-introduced myself, where we met, the reason for reaching out and how I intend to action my original pitch.

Long story short . . . . . a new project is in the pipeline and it took me less than 5 minutes in total to make the connection.

Save yourself and your potential connections the small talk by setting intentions for your networking and walk away with opportunities, NOT just linked-in connections.

New habit: annotating my personal development books, in to actionable prompts for journaling.

In 6 months I have reviewed over 400 peer-reviewed papers and analysed all the available literature that focuses on the use of cannabidiol (CBD) within the autistic population; and yes! I have encountered some hurdles that I didn't think would happen to me (perfectionist ego everyone!).

When I originally submitted my research proposal to the university for review I intended to have my systematic review of reviews completed and published within four months. It's now mid-July and boy! I was wrong! I was very optimistic to say the least and now I have a publication to submit for review and my confirmation of candidature due by the end of August.

So why? Why a systematic review? and why a systematic review of reviews? Let me elaborate . . . .

Research studies are assigned levels of evidence based on their methodology, the pyramid displays this hierarchy of evidence. Systematic reviews are the strongest evidence and most reliable source of filtered information within the research community. So naturally it was where I chose to begin, by reviewing all the literature relating to CBD and ASD.

Now, I had a lot of personal matters that affected my progress in completing my publication and emotional burnout is something I didn't expect! Life happens right? I had been productive and successful in the past with my studies. Nope! not this time. My emotional burnout lead to decreased motivation, decision fatigue, increased procrastination and cramming.

Unfortunately, in 2021 I was involved in a workplace incident that has affected my physical and mental health well into 2022. A close family-member was diagnosed to be terminal and earlier this year I spit with my fiancé of three years. All of these personal events lead to period of extreme emotional burnout. So I would like to share with my fellow academics some of the ways in which I have navigated my way through emotional burnout in HDR.

Contact your primary supervisor, explain your situation and ask for advice.

Identify 'office hours' for your research, treat it like a job!

Revise your project timeline and make adjustments with support from your primary supervisor.

Contact the HDR at your university to extend deadlines, such as confirmation of candidature, progress reports and submission deadlines.

Micro-task your to do list into a must-do for each day.

Identify the best time of the day for productivity and write during this time - write that publication - write your thesis - write that protocol.

Be kind to yourself . . . . from my experience everyone wants to see you succeed in your post-grad journey.

So be kind to yourself and cut yourself some slack, post-grad is a marathon not a sprint. If you are a post-grad student, supervisor or a student considering post-grad studies or you are interested in my research. You can reach out via my instagram @studywithmaddi or through email - [email protected]

Study with Maddi is an independent student advisory and tutoring service based in Brisbane, Queensland. With a strong focus on assisting current and future university students on their academic journey. I aim to help all students from all backgrounds to succeed in their academic endeavours and purse their dream careers.

Journey to MSci is an extension of Study with Maddi and is a personal reflection of my journey to achieving a Masters in Science (Health Science) by higher degree research. Join me as I explore the effects of cannabidiol on the psychosocial aspects associated with autism spectrum disorder. While also navigating the the minefield that is a masters thesis and multiple publications.