I have shared my research and experiences across many areas including oral communication skills for tertiary students, literacy development, trauma informed education, volunteering programs in schools, literacy/language support at university and reading to dogs. I am/was also a HDR Student Mentor both in a paid role at CQU and as a volunteer moderator on the “PhD students Australia” Facebook community. I support other HDR students to access information and build connections across Australia.
This blog is a “professional” one focusing on my perceptions, musings and reflections in these areas.
My 99-Year-Old Grandad Illustrated My Thesis
I know, I know… I’ve written about Stan Smith before. But he’s the best grandad there is, so I can’t help it. The evidence: About 10 years ago, in his late 80s, he taught himself to use a computer and typed up his autobiography plus a pile of poems and short stories. I turned it…
Imposter syndrome
On August 20th I’ll walk across a stage and someone will read out my thesis then call me “Doctor”. My “wanky hat” (thanks for that name Tim Minchin) arrived last week. And honestly? Part of me is still waiting for someone to tap me on the shoulder and say there’s been a mistake. I’ve spent…
My bound thesis has arrived!
Returned from my relaxing Bali “snooze-cation” and found this had arrived at the front door! Super excited. It was also way heavier than I expected. CQUniversity’s lovely SGR team and the amazing Susan Kinnear GAICD were kind enough to allow me to use some of my prize money (from Visualise Your Thesis) to print an…
Conferral corner
At CQU they do this amazing thing (because they are a fairly small cohort of higher degree by research students) called “conferral corner”. Every time someone completes their research degree, the Dean of Graduate Research does a wonderful post on LinkedIn to celebrate. I’ve been watching conferral corner for 3.5 years now and was very…
Why I’m Self-Publishing a Book About Surviving Your PhD
So, I am writing a short book. Because a thesis wasn’t enough! Here’s my mocked up cover. I am l self-publishing a short book about surviving a doctorate, and it is called Show Your Working: An Honest, Practical Guide to Surviving Your PhD. My experience was pretty full on and I hit a lot of…
Doctor Mel!
Officially conferred on May 25th 2026! I even got the tattoo to match the thesis. Click here for my researchgate link to my thesis!!
Thesis revision edits: slowly working my way through them
After a few solid (long) days of work, I am about halfway through responding to the revision comments on my EdD thesis. That’s halfway in numbers – not actual content changes! I have taken my supervisors advice and started with the smaller edits first before slowly working my way through the bigger sections. There are……
Graduation dresses and how to style them – updated 2026
I was asked again today about what to wear for graduations from someone who would like to wear a dress. I’m now going to expand on what I’ve learnt over 4 University grads and working at a uni. I actually wrote some of this up ages ago as a blog post and a linkedin post…
Thesis revisions after final examination – first steps and feelings
In the interests of continuing my transparent doctoral journey, I recently received the examination outcome for my Doctor of Education thesis. I want to share my result because I’ve felt very lonely experiencing this the past few months…we often share about the minor and no revision outcomes (as we should!) but don’t talk about the…
Riding the Wave: Visualise Your Thesis Goes International
After winning the CQUniversity 2025 Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) competition, my claymation video on reading-to-dog programs as literacy interventions has now entered the international round. It’s been such a joy seeing my little clay dog take on a life of his own and help share my research story with a wider audience. This week, I’ve…
What does a PhD in Australia actually look like? What’s the structure?
As I have been updating my progress recently I have been asked what different milestones actually mean? What is a doctoral degree? It’s not just “writing a really long book” although that’s definitely part of it. It also differs from country to country. So heres a summary in Mel-speak for you. Here’s what the journey…
Thesis Submitters’ Toolkit: What I’m Using to Stay Productive While Waiting
Last week I hit a big milestone: I submitted my thesis for examination! After 3 years of writing, revising, and living with this project, it’s finally out of my hands. Now comes the strange in-between space – the waiting. As I’m in Australia, the next steps for me are two external examiners review it over…
Visualise Your Thesis 2025 CQU Winner – My Top Tips!
My Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) 2025 entry is now live in the international gallery! The competition showcases graduate researchers around the world, each sharing their work in short, engaging videos. My entry was the CQUniversity winner in 2025 and uses claymation to share my doctoral research on reading-to-dog programs as reading interventions 🐶📚. You can…
Rejection in Academia (employment related)
I didn’t get the job. And I want to say it out loud, because we don’t often share the “no.” And we especially don’t do it on that shiny FB self promotion site we all use to try and get work. We share new titles, promotions, opportunities. We rarely share the rejection email that makes…
Finishing Line in Sight: How I’m Preparing for My Doctoral Submission
There’s a strange mix of relief and panic that comes with the final months of a doctorate. Submission suddenly feels real and within reach, but so does the long list of edits, formatting tweaks, and final checks. It’s a season of tying loose ends, trusting the work I’ve put in, and finding small ways to…
Paw-sitive reading: How dogs can help struggling readers thrive
Written by Melissa Smith, Doctor of Education student (teacher for 18 years), Central Queensland University I’ve always believed that the most meaningful educational programs often have a spark of creativity – the kind that lights up students’ eyes and makes learning feel less like work and more like an exciting discovery. In July this year…
Struggling at the end stages of thesis writing
The final stretch of a thesis is supposed to feel like the end is in sight… right? But right now, it doesn’t. I’m in the thick of it. The last lot of feedback hit harder than I expected, and instead of motivating me, it’s left me frozen. I know it’s meant to strengthen my work…and…
How I Balance Casual Work, Doctorate Studies, and Still Keep My Weekends
I’ve seen a lot of online queries lately asking how people manage working part-time (or casually) while completing a PhD – and still have time for themselves. I thought it might be helpful to share what’s worked for me in one place. Let’s be real: juggling academic work, a thesis, and a life isn’t easy.…
Beyond the Lecterns: Why After-Hours Socials at Conferences Matter
Let’s be honest: when you’re juggling teaching/work, research deadlines, writing, and the mental load of Research by Higher Degree (RHD) study, the idea of attending a conference social event might feel… expendable. It’s easy to convince yourself you’ll skip the welcome drinks or dinner, head back to the hotel, and catch up on work (or…
When Research Gets Adorably Meta
As an external doctoral student with CQUniversity’s School of Education and the Arts, I don’t always feel the buzz of campus life. But this week, that changed. I opened my mailbox to find a crinkled (but heartfelt!) letter from the research team – and two tiny, delightful surprises: a Yorkshire Terrier mini-block set and a…
Proof reading / editing process at my uni
Recently I’ve been supporting several students as they head towards the end of their thesis journey at my Australian Uni. I’m also at that stage and was asked about the proofreading process and budget allocation for this. Below are the points I wrote out specific to my own experience. 1. Talk to your supervisors and…
Why GANTT Charts (and Sub-Tasks!) Saved My Sanity During a Doctorate
At the start of my doctorate, everyone talked about the big things: research questions, ethics approvals, coding frameworks, findings chapters. But what helped me most? A GANTT chart and a stack of colour-coded sub-tasks. This blog isn’t about “how to do a GANTT chart” (there are plenty of templates out there). It’s about why it’s…
Who will you thank in thesis acknowledgements?
I was reading responses today on a PhD forum around who people thanked in their thesis acknowledgement/personal thank you section. Some were very simple (committee, god, family) and others were much more extensive. One person even had none! I’m a few months off that stage now so it’s been on my mind recently. My list…
Holding Space: What I Learned About Listening During Interviews
I’m a teacher. I’m used to guiding, explaining, facilitating. So when I started interviewing volunteers, I brought that with me. But reflexive interviewing, I learned, is not about guiding. It’s about holding space. I added a final question to every interview: “Is there anything else you’d like to share?” That one question changed things. So…
Tech, Consent Forms, and Grandma’s iPhone: The Realities of Interviewing Volunteers
Here’s something I didn’t expect in my data collection: how hard it would be to get online with participants. Many of the volunteers in my study weren’t tech-savvy. Teams links didn’t open. Emails got missed. One participant dropped out because she couldn’t figure out how to turn her camera on. These weren’t “difficult participants.” They…
When Findings Surprised Me: Embracing the Unexpected in Qualitative Research
I expected my data to show volunteers feeling rewarded and impactful. And many did. But then a few started saying things like: “I’m not sure it made any difference.” And I froze. My instinct was to treat those comments as outliers. But I kept hearing them. And eventually I had to ask: what’s being revealed…
Coding or Interpretation? When the Lines Blurred in My Analysis
I used to think coding was clean. Apply a label, sort the data, move on. Then I started actually coding for reflexive thematic analysis. Suddenly I found myself staring at a phrase like “She seemed more relaxed” and asking: is this a semantic code? Or am I interpreting too much? Is this about child confidence……
Not Just a Side Note: How I Used Vignettes to Build Thematic Depth
When I first started writing up my findings, I thought vignettes were just nice narrative touches…something to make the data “come alive.” But as I worked through my reflexive thematic analysis, I realised they were doing much more. Vignettes became tools for meaning-making. Rather than dropping in quotes to support a point, I began stitching…
Why (and how!) I Used a Reflexive Journal for my thesis
I’m using reflexive thematic analysis as outlined by Braun & Clarke, which makes room for subjectivity – not just as something to “manage,” but as a central part of meaning-making. That means your values, experiences, and responses matter and should be visible in your process. For me, journaling wasn’t just about transparency for the sake…
Personalised PhD shirts
Last week I attended the RHD intensive at CQUniversity where I spent my days hanging out with lots of newbie PhD and Masters students. The question I got asked the most was “Mel…where do you get your personalised shirts?!” I make them myself on Vistaprint! I’ve attached some images of the mock ups and the…
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