SciSpace has become much more than a tool for chatting with PDFs. In this episode of the PhD Toolkit, we put it through a real research workflow to find out whether it actually deserves a place in your research toolkit.

We test how well it helps with literature discovery, understanding papers, note-taking, writing and overall workflow before scoring it on our PhD Toolkit leaderboard.

⭐ Try SciSpace

This video isn't sponsored, but we do use affiliate links. If you decide SciSpace is right for you, using our link helps support the channel at no extra cost.

🔗 Affiliate link:

https://thestrugglingscientists.com/Scispace

🎁 Discount codes:

JNSS20 = 20% off monthly plans

JNSS40 = 40% off annual plans, best for heavy users or systematic reviews

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:10 Setting up the test

01:51 Finding papers

04:56 Understanding papers

05:38 Saving ideas

10:23 Writing

14:32 Research Impact

15:37 Ease of Use

16:31 Value for Money

17:30 Workflow Integration

18:35 Would we recommend it?

19:09 Leaderboard update

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📚 Watch the rest of the PhD Toolkit here:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz6aXl5V5V77ziE8Leh9IuMB4yY4m0Yjq&si=OaQLB5nKrTQdyNwJ

Learn how to apply the core ideas from Deep Work by Cal Newport to your life as a PhD student, postdoc, or early-career researcher.

In this episode, we break down what Deep Work actually is, why shallow work can take over your best energy, and how to use the four Deep Work methods: monastic, bimodal, rhythmic, and journalistic.

If you want to protect more focused time for writing, reading, analysis, or research thinking, this episode will help you choose the Deep Work method that fits your academic life best.

🎓 About our channel

We are The Struggling Scientists. We make honest videos about PhD life, academia, and how to make your research journey a little bit easier.

If that sounds helpful, consider subscribing.

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👉 We’ve created a free AI prompt to help you apply the Deep Work methods to your own research:

https://thestrugglingscientists.com/deepwork

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👉 We also created a full AI Tools for Academics Masterclass, where we walk through how to use AI ethically and effectively throughout the research process:

https://thestrugglingscientists.com/MasterclassAI

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⏰ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introduction

01:22 What is Deep work

03:37 Four methods of Deep work

04:26 Monastic method

06:22 Bimodal method

08:18 Rhythmic method

10:22 Journalistic method

13:43 Conclusion

15:08 AI prompt for Deep work

17:02 Final thoughts

📱 Follow us for more content

https://thestrugglingscientists.com/newsletter

https://www.instagram.com/thestrugglingscientistspodcast/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-struggling-scientists-podcast/

https://bsky.app/profile/thestrugglings4.bsky.social

https://www.tiktok.com/@struggling.scientists

https://www.threads.com/@thestrugglingscientistspodcast

#academia #phdlife #research #scientificresearch #gradschool #academiclife #deepwork

AI is already being used in academic research, and some of it is going very wrong.

In this video, we break down real cases where the misuse of AI led to serious problems in published scientific papers. This includes fake references, copy pasted AI text, and completely incorrect AI generated figures that somehow made it through peer review.

From a hospital librarian discovering that most references in a paper did not even exist, to a viral paper with biologically impossible AI images, these examples highlight a growing issue in modern science.

But this is not just about researchers using AI incorrectly. It also raises bigger questions about peer review, journal responsibility, and how these mistakes are slipping through the system.

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👉 We are The Struggling Scientists, a channel for all struggling scientists out there.

We share honest experiences, practical advice, and real stories to help make your life in academia just a little bit less of a struggle.

🎓 Want to learn how to use AI properly in your research?

We created a full AI for Academics Masterclass where we show you how to use AI tools ethically and effectively, without risking your work or credibility:

https://thestrugglingscientists.com/MasterclassAI

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⏰ TIME STAMPS

00:00 AI is already breaking research

00:50 Copy pasted ChatGPT in a published paper

02:55Fake references discovered by a librarian

04:40 AI generated figures that make no sense

6:55 What this means for science

7:50 Final thoughts

📱 Follow us for more content

https://thestrugglingscientists.com/newsletter

https://www.instagram.com/thestrugglingscientistspodcast/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-struggling-scientists-podcast/

https://bsky.app/profile/thestrugglings4.bsky.social

https://www.tiktok.com/@struggling.scientists

https://www.threads.com/@thestrugglingscientistspodcast

#academia #phdlife #research #ai #chatgpt #scientificresearch #gradschool #academiclife #researchintegrity

Academia can go wrong… very quickly.

In this episode of Academic Tea, we react to real stories from researchers where a single question at a conference, lab meeting, or thesis defense completely changed — or even destroyed — someone’s research.

From missing control variables… to flawed assumptions… to realizing your entire project might not be based on the right idea — these are the kinds of moments every scientist secretly fears.

If you’ve ever presented your work, worked on a PhD, or sat through a brutal Q&A session… you’ll definitely recognize some of these.

💬 Have you ever had a question completely throw you off during a presentation or meeting?

Let us know in the comments — we might feature your story in a future episode!

☕ Academic Tea is our series where we react to real academic stories — the good, the bad, and the painfully relatable.

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👉 We’re The Struggling Scientists — a channel for all struggling scientists out there.

We share honest experiences, practical advice, and real stories to help make your life in academia just a little bit less of a struggle.

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⏰ TIME STAMPS

00:00 When one question destroys your research

00:50 The wrong prey species experiment

04:10 The variable mistake

08:15 “Protein X isn’t even expressed”

10:40 21,500 papers already exist…

13:50 The missing control variable

17:00 Final thoughts

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🎓 Want to use AI tools in your research (ethically and effectively)?

Check out our full AI Tools for Academics Masterclass:

https://thestrugglingscientists.com/MasterclassAI

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📱 Follow us for more content!

#academia #phdlife #research #gradschool #scientist #academiclife #phdstruggles #researchlife #academictwitter

Most PhD students don’t struggle with focus because they’re lazy.

They struggle because their attention is constantly being pulled in ten different directions.

In this episode, we break down a simple framework to help you actually focus again — without burning out or relying on motivation.

If you’ve been feeling scattered, stuck, or mentally drained, this will help you lock back in.

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🎓 About our channel

We are The Struggling Scientists. We make honest videos about PhD life, academia, and how to make your research journey a little bit easier.

If that sounds helpful, consider subscribing.

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👉 We’ve created a free AI prompt to help you apply the LOCK framework to your own PhD:

https://thestrugglingscientists.com/lock

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👉 We also created a full AI Tools for Academics Masterclass, where we walk through how to use AI ethically and effectively throughout the research process:

https://thestrugglingscientists.com/MasterclassAI

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⏰ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Why You Can’t Focus

01:30 The LOCK Framework

02:21 Limit the Horizon

04:00 Output Over Effort

05:32 Cut Decisions

07:18 Know What You’re Avoiding

09:13 How to Lock In

Did you know that in the Netherlands, by the time you defend your PhD… you’ve already passed?

Unlike in many other countries, the Dutch PhD defense is usually not the final exam that determines whether you get your degree. Your thesis has already been approved, failing is extremely rare, and the defense itself feels more like a formal and historic ceremony than an exam.

In this video, I take you behind the scenes of my own Dutch PhD defense, exactly one year after it happened. I explain:

Why the Dutch system is so different

What “Hora Est” means

Why you have to defend in Dutch

The historic role of paranymphs

What the 45 minutes of questioning are really like

And how it felt to finally become Doctor

If you’re working toward your own PhD defense, curious about academic traditions in different countries, or simply wondering what a Dutch PhD ceremony looks like, this video is for you.

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🎓 About our channel

We are The Struggling Scientists. We make honest videos about PhD life, academia, and how to make your research journey a little bit easier.

If that sounds helpful, consider subscribing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

👉 We also created a full AI Tools for Academics Masterclass, where we walk through how to use AI ethically and effectively throughout the research process:

https://thestrugglingscientists.com/MasterclassAI

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⏰ TIME STAMPS

00:00 You’ve Already Passed? (How the Dutch System Works)

01:08 Strict PhD Requirements in the Netherlands

04:08 What Defense Day Actually Looks Like

05:19 Historic Traditions, Dutch Language & Paranymphs

06:43 The 45 Minutes of Questioning

07:32 Hora Est & Becoming Doctor

08:40 One Year Later Reflection

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Academia can get weird fast. In this episode of Academic Tea, we react to real Reddit stories about awkward academic interviews, PhD supervisor dilemmas, and thesis mistakes that every researcher will recognize.

Would you like your story to be (anonymously) featured in a future episode?

Submit your story here:

https://thestrugglingscientists.com/stories/

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👉 We also created a full AI Tools for Academics Masterclass, where we walk through how to use AI ethically and effectively throughout the research process:

https://thestrugglingscientists.com/MasterclassAI

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⏰ TIME STAMPS

00:00 Welcome to Academic Tea

00:30 AI interview disaster

06:40 AI tools mention

07:25 PhD supervisor red flag?

20:50 Thesis mistakes after submission

25:10 Final thoughts

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Topics covered in this video:

PhD life, academic interviews, PhD supervision, academia struggles, Reddit stories, research life, thesis writing mistakes, graduate school experiences.

Got a PhD interview coming up?

This isn’t just another job interview, it’s the start of a 4+ year research partnership. In this video, we share 7 essential PhD interview tips that most applicants overlook. From your first email to the toughest interview questions.

If you want to stand out, impress your future supervisor, and feel confident walking into your graduate school interview, this is for you.

🎓 Your PhD acceptance starts before you step into the room.

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👉 We also created a full AI Tools for Academics Masterclass, where we walk through how to use AI ethically and effectively throughout the research process:

https://thestrugglingscientists.com/MasterclassAI

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⏰ TIME STAMPS

0:00 - Introduction: Why PhD Interviews Are Different

1:06 - The First Impression Most Applicants Get Wrong

5:45 - What You Must Know Before You Walk In

6:27 - The Question You Will Be Asked

7:20 - Don’t Forget This Crucial Step

9:37 - The Trait Supervisors Secretly Look For

10:19 - The Mistake That Can Cost You the Position

11:23 - How to Answer Like a Future Scientist

12:21 - Final Advice & Good Luck