How to get the best supervision for your PhD?

Supervisor-supervisee relationship in a PhD is very important. Here are 10 things you can do on your part to get the best out of your PhD supervisors.

𝟏. 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰, 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥: Instead of telling your supervisor what you have worked on, show him/her the progress. For example, instead of saying that I have read 5 papers, you should say here are the critical summaries and 5 takeaways from these 5 papers that I think are useful for my research in these ways.

𝟐. 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲: If your supervisor criticizes you, actually he/she is not criticizing you but your work. This criticism is only for the purpose of improving your research and helping you to succeed.

𝟑. 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬: Send upfront the points about which you want to talk about in the meeting. Similarly, share what has been discussed in the meeting. It will only take around 10 minutes of your time.

𝟒. 𝐀𝐬𝐤, 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞: Do not assume outcomes from your supervisors. Instead, ask in a polite way. For example, do not assume that your supervisors will not allow you to apply for a research internship. Ask them.

𝟓. 𝐎𝐰𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐡𝐃: Your PhD is your project. After around 6 months, you are likely more expert on the topic than your supervisors. They are there to guide you through the process.

𝟔. 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦: Supervisors have many things on their plates. It's possible that their minds skip something. Give them a software reminder if they need to get back to you on something such as feedback on a paper.

𝟕. 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤: Sending a paper draft to a supervisor one day before a submission deadline is a mistake on your end. Even if he/she provides the feedback, it might be shallow. Give them time.

𝟖. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲: Communicate clearly to your supervisors about any obstacles you are facing and any expectations you have. They have the experience to guide you accordingly but first, they need to know.

𝟗. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬: If your supervisors have corrected you about something, try not to repeat it. It will give them the impression that you did not value their feedback. If you don't agree, discuss it with them.

𝟏𝟎. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭: Doesn't matter how good or bad your relationship is with your supervisor, always respect them. I have hardly seen anyone successful who does not respect his/her teachers and supervisors.