Doing a PhD is an incredibly daunting task. Normally at least 3 years, there are some challenges that you are almost certainly going to have to face. Below we look at some of the biggest (and most common) problems that PhD students encounter. If you are considering a PhD, or just beginning one, advanced awareness of these stresses may help you overcome them if you ever have to make their acquaintance. Plus, knowing that they are frequently experienced and nothing out of the ordinary will hopefully provide you with some comfort. Okay, let's begin.

Attending university is a ton of fun, but it also prepares you for the next stage in your career. Even your hobbies can be advantages in your career development if you pursue them at a high level. Everything you do at university can be added to your CV in order to help you get a job in the future, and universities are great places to take part in extracurricular activities.

Can economics ever be ethical? This might sound like a strange question to an economist who focuses on collecting data, analysing it, and using that data to make predictions. What ethical considerations could be raised here? What do abstract theories of ethics have to do with cold, hard economic facts? Today we'll look at some of the ways that economics interacts with the topic of ethics.

While pursuing a graduate degree is undeniably interesting and challenging, tuition fees and other costs associated with studying have been getting higher and higher over the last decade. This has lead to plenty of students questioning whether the expense in terms of time and money that they will have to put into obtaining a graduate degree is worth it.

It’s not uncommon for those in field of economics research to feel a little hesitant about the idea of “marketing” themselves. After all, you’re not really selling a product—you’re sharing valuable knowledge so that other people can benefit from it. But if you want others to take notice of that knowledge in the first place, you’ll need to take some steps towards promoting your work. If you're looking for an event to attend this year, check out our conference listings

Are you interested in doing a PhD but worried about the cost? Its a real concern of many, and can dramatically affect your decision-making process - three years is a long time to be forking out €10,000, as it costs in some places. To help you make the most informed possible here are ten of the most affordable countries in Europe to consider for your studies. If you're looking for an event to attend this year, check out our conference listings

‘Chance dominates the game’. This conclusionary remark to C. Reep and B. Benjamin’s 1968 study ‘Skill and Chance in Association Football’ stood until relatively recently as received wisdom, the phrase was deemed self-evident and its veracity left unquestioned. Predictions based on statistics were a folly they said, the sport was ‘too fluid, too unpredictable’.

A recent investigation by British newspaper The Guardian and several German publishers has highlighted the vast number of “predatory publishers” who are operating in academia and are publishing fake science for profit. These publishers invite researchers to publish their work in a journal and then charge exorbitant fees.

All academics know how important it is to get your work published. The journal which you publish your work in can have a big effect on how it is perceived and on how many people it reaches, so it’s important to make the right decision when submitting your work for publication. You want to make sure that you submit to a journal which has a strong professional reputation for your work to be taken seriously. If you're looking for an event to attend this year, check out our conference listings

Although it is generally thought of mainly as a theoretical academic subject, economics has been a driving force in society for thousands of years. The exchange of money and the way that financial systems interact has lead to some of the most profound changes to the everyday lives of human beings across the planet. To illustrate how the practice of economics has changed the world, today we'll look at the role of economics in Western history from the 6th century BC era up to the present day.

The topic of economics is rich with great writing, and many books are being published which tackle economic issues for a popular audience. Here is our list of ten of the bestselling books in the area of economics: whether you're a seasoned academic economist wanting to see what the public image of your discipline is, or whether you're just an interested layperson who wants to learn more, these ten titles are all must-reads.

Economics is a broad and always developing subject, and there have been many schools of economic thought over the years. Today we'll be looking at two prominent schools that are relevant for modern economists, Marxian and neoclassical economics, to see how they differ and why they both continue to be of interest despite their many differences. If you're currently looking for a PhD, check out our list of open PhD positions.

The holidays are coming up soon, with Christmas just around the corner. If you want to avoid last-minute panicked present-buying, you had better get to planning the gifts you'll be giving. And what if you have an economist in your life? What would be the perfect gift for them? We're here to help your Christmas gift woes with some fun suggestions for the 10 best gift ideas for an economist. Happy holidays!

Is economics a useful tool for maintaining peace? Can nations use economic policies to avoid war? With globalization an established fact of modern politics, this question is more important than ever. In this piece, we'll consider arguments both for and against. If you're looking for an event to attend this year, check out our conference listings

Once you've handed in your thesis, you still have one big challenge to overcome before you're finished with your PhD. The thesis defense is an opportunity for you to present your research publicly, and to answer questions about it from your thesis committee. Here are some tips on surviving your defense.

If you're in the field of business, whether you're a student, a researcher, or an entrepreneur, then you'll know how important it is to keep up to date with all the latest information in your field. In order to help you with this, we've compiled a list of ten of the top academic journals in business, so you can know where to look for the latest research on your topic.

Responding to the success of our blogging article in this year’s INOMICS Handbook – for those of you unacquainted, click here – the economists are back, answering more blog-oriented questions.

When you apply for a PhD, you will need to write not just a research proposal but also a letter of motivation. This letter describes why you wish to undertake a PhD and why you would be well-suited to researching your proposed topic. But what needs to go in this letter, and what tone is appropriate for it? To give you some ideas, today we're sharing a sample letter of motivation so you can see what your letter needs to contain.

Climate change is back on the front pages of the world’s press, belatedly. Its return is due to the landmark IPCC report, published in October, which has served as a brutal reminder of the dystopian future that awaits humankind if change is not enacted immediately. If you're looking for a job in the field of economics, check out our job listings.

Halloween is probably one of the best occasions to demonstrate how seriously you take yourself (or not!) and how far your creativity can go to show it. If you think that Halloween is below your intellectual level, well, they say that even Paul Krugman threw one economics-themed party, where “two guests came as Asian tigers, several came as hedge funds, one woman came as capital, dressed as a column..."

One of the biggest and most exciting challenges of a young academic's career is coming up with that first research project. Knowing how much is riding on the decision, it can also be pretty stressful. With so much to consider, we thought it would be easier to break the decision-making process into 6 key points.

A great way to make your presentations or papers slick and memorable is to improve your graphs and diagrams. The standard graphs produced by software such as Excel or SPSS  can convey the required information, but tend to lack style as these tools have limited customisation options. Other software exists for the singular purpose of configuring your diagrams, including many which are open-source and hence freely available.

The announcement of the Nobel Prize in Economics 2018 could not have been timed better. It took place just 24 hours after the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) stark warning that only 12 years now remain for global warming to be kept to a minimum of 1.5C, beyond which catastrophe looms.

In our earlier blog posts, we have already featured free online courses in econometrics, mathematics and