Application Guides

The documents that actually get you a funded offer

Nine practical, no-fluff guides — written from inside hundreds of real PhD and Masters applications our mentors have reviewed.

📄 Academic CV ✉️ SOP / Motivation Letter 🔬 Research Proposal 📝 Recommendation Letters 📧 Emailing a Professor 🤔 Contact Before Applying? 🧑‍🔬 Choosing a Supervisor 🎤 Interview Prep 📄 Publish Your Thesis
Guide · ~9 min read · Updated Jul 2026 · By Dr. Deepak Malik

How to write an academic CV that gets you shortlisted

An academic CV is not a job resume, and reviewing it like one is the most common mistake we see. A supervisor reading your CV is asking one question: can this person sustain a multi-year research project? Everything below is built around answering that question clearly.

In short: an academic CV runs 2–4 pages, is organised by Education, Research Experience, Publications, Conference Presentations, Awards & Funding, Teaching, Technical Skills and References — and leads with what you actually did in your research, not just where you worked.

1
Structure it like a researcher's CV, not a resume
Drop the one-page rule. A strong academic CV is 2–4 pages. Use these sections, in this order, and simply leave out any section you don't yet have content for:
  • Contact details & academic profile links (Google Scholar, ORCID, LinkedIn)
  • Education (degree, institution, dates, GPA / division, thesis title)
  • Research experience
  • Publications & preprints
  • Conference presentations / posters
  • Awards, fellowships, grants
  • Teaching / TA experience
  • Technical & lab skills
  • References
2
Lead every line with the research, not the title
"Research Assistant, Dr. Mehta's Lab" tells a reviewer almost nothing. Instead, state the question you worked on, the method you used, what you personally contributed, and what came out of it — a finding, a poster, a dataset, even a clean negative result. One specific sentence beats three vague ones.
3
List publications and presentations the right way
Use a consistent citation style and bold your own name. Keep peer-reviewed papers, preprints, and conference posters in separate sub-sections — supervisors notice when these are blurred together. No publications yet? Completely normal at Bachelor's/Master's level. List your thesis, class research projects, or poster presentations instead.
4
Be precise about technical and lab skills
"Strong technical skills" says nothing. "Python (proficient), R (intermediate), confocal microscopy, qPCR, primer design" tells a lab exactly what you can do on day one. List languages, software, instruments, and field/lab techniques by name and honest proficiency level.
5
Tailor the order to the supervisor you're applying to
Read the supervisor's recent publications before you finalise your CV. If their lab works heavily in a method you've used, move that experience near the top instead of leaving it on page three. The same CV content, reordered, reads very differently to two different supervisors.
6
Don't forget funding, teaching and mentoring
Small research grants, teaching assistantships, guest lectures, mentoring juniors in a lab, or informal reviewing — these signal you can already operate inside an academic community, which is exactly what a PhD committee is trying to predict.
7
Format for a 90-second skim
Clean font, consistent spacing, reverse-chronological order within each section, clear headers. Skip photos, graphics, and "creative" templates — in academia, clarity beats design every time.
⚠️ Common CV mistakes we see every cycle
  • Squeezing everything onto one page, the way a job resume would
  • Writing job-description language ("assisted with…") instead of research outcomes
  • Sending the identical CV to every supervisor with zero reordering
  • Listing "proficient in MS Office" alongside genuine lab techniques — it dilutes the real skills
  • No one outside the applicant has ever read it before submission
FAQ

2–4 pages is standard. Applicants earlier in their career (straight from Bachelor's or Master's) often land closer to 2 pages; those with publications and multiple research roles run longer. There's no one-page rule here, unlike an industry resume.

No. Most applicants straight out of a Bachelor's or Master's degree have none. Thesis work, class research projects, and conference posters are reasonable substitutes — list them clearly under Research Experience.

Avoid heavily designed resume templates. Academic reviewers expect plain, consistent formatting — a clean Word or LaTeX document does more for you than a colourful graphic layout.

Want a mentor in your exact research field to review your CV line by line? It's part of every ESC mentorship — and the first conversation is free.

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Related:SOP / Motivation Letter · Recommendation Letters · Meet mentors in your field →
Guide · ~10 min read · Updated Jul 2026 · By Dr. Deepak Malik

How to write a Statement of Purpose / Letter of Motivation that gets read to the end

A supervisor with 80 applications in their inbox reads the first paragraph of your SOP to decide whether to keep reading. Most statements lose them in three sentences — usually with a sentence that starts "Since childhood, I have been fascinated by science." Here's what actually works instead.

In short: a strong SOP opens with a specific research moment (not a childhood story), connects your past work directly to the questions the target lab is asking, names the supervisor and their recent work explicitly, and ends with a concrete, realistic research direction — all in one tightly edited page.

1
Open with a moment, not a mission statement
Start with a specific experiment, result, or question that pulled you into research — one or two sentences, concrete enough that it couldn't have been written by anyone else applying to the same lab. Save the broad statement of intent for later in the document.
2
Show your research trajectory, don't just list it
Walk through your key research experiences in the order they built your skills and interests — not a repeat of your CV. For each one, name the question, what you found, and what it made you want to ask next. The thread between projects matters more than any single project.
3
Name the supervisor and engage with their actual work
Read 2–3 of the supervisor's recent papers before you write a word. Reference a specific method, finding, or open question from their lab and explain how your background connects to it. "I am drawn to Professor X's lab" with nothing else attached is the single biggest tell of a copy-pasted statement.
4
Be honest and specific about your future direction
You don't need a fully formed research plan (that's what the research proposal is for), but you do need a believable next question — something that follows naturally from your past work and fits the lab's direction, rather than a vague "I want to contribute to science."
5
Address gaps directly, briefly, and without over-apologising
A lower grade in one semester, a career break, or a switch in research field is fine to mention — in one sentence, framed around what you did about it. Don't spend a paragraph apologising; spend a sentence explaining, then move on.
6
Write one genuinely different draft per university
Swapping the university name in an otherwise identical statement is obvious to anyone who reads applications for a living. The middle section connecting your work to that specific lab should not be reusable across applications.
7
Edit for length and read it aloud once
Most programmes want one page, occasionally two. Cut anything that doesn't serve "why this research, why this lab, why me." Reading it aloud is the fastest way to catch sentences that only make sense in your head.
⚠️ Common SOP mistakes we see every cycle
  • A childhood-origin-story opening that could be copy-pasted into any application
  • Restating the CV in paragraph form instead of telling a connected story
  • Praising the university's "world-class faculty and beautiful campus" instead of one lab's actual work
  • One generic statement sent, with only the university name changed, to 10 different schools
  • No one in your field has read it before you submitted
FAQ

They're effectively the same document under different names — most US programmes call it a Statement of Purpose, most European programmes call it a Letter (or Statement) of Motivation. The content expectations overlap heavily: your research background, fit with the specific programme, and future direction.

Usually one page (roughly 500–800 words), occasionally up to two if the programme explicitly allows it. Always follow the specific word or page limit stated on the application — exceeding it is a bad first impression.

Yes, for PhD applications where you're applying to a specific lab or supervisor. For some Masters programmes without a named supervisor, focus instead on specific courses, research groups, or facilities that match your interests.

Your mentor will help you research the right supervisors and shape a statement that actually reads like you — not a template. Free to start with a discovery call.

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Related:Academic CV · Research Proposal · Meet mentors in your field →
Guide · ~9 min read · Updated Jul 2026 · By Dr. Deepak Malik

How to write a research proposal that convinces a supervisor to take you on

Many European, UK and Australian PhD programmes ask for a short research proposal alongside (or instead of) a Statement of Purpose — and it's the document most applicants are least prepared to write, because it's the closest thing to actually doing the job before you've been hired for it.

In short: a strong research proposal is 1,500–3,000 words, states one focused, answerable research question, grounds it in a real gap in the existing literature, proposes a feasible method within a realistic 3–4 year timeline, and explicitly connects to the supervisor's own research programme.

1
Start from a gap, not a topic
"I want to study cancer biology" is a topic, not a proposal. Identify a specific, current gap in the literature — something unresolved, contradictory, or unexplored — and frame your project as addressing exactly that gap. Cite the 3–5 papers that define the gap.
2
Write one clear, answerable research question
A PhD-sized question is narrow enough to be answered in 3–4 years with real data, not a lifetime research programme compressed into one proposal. If you can't picture the kind of result that would answer your question, the question is still too broad.
3
Propose a method you can realistically defend in an interview
Name the approach, model system, or dataset, and the analysis you'd run — at a level of detail that shows you understand the technique, even if the exact method evolves once you join the lab. Supervisors are testing whether you can think methodologically, not whether your plan is final.
4
Give it a believable timeline
A rough year-by-year breakdown (literature review & pilot work, core data collection, analysis, writing-up) signals that you understand what a PhD actually involves. It doesn't need to be exact — it needs to be realistic.
5
Connect explicitly to the supervisor's own work
State directly how your proposed project extends, tests, or complements something the supervisor's lab has already published. This is the single strongest signal that you've done your homework and would be a productive addition to their group — not a generic candidate with a generic plan.
6
Say why it matters — briefly
One short paragraph on the broader significance of the question (scientific, clinical, or societal) is enough. This isn't the place for a long impact statement; it's the place to show you understand why the question is worth three to four years of your life.
7
Have a researcher in your field stress-test it before you submit
A proposal that sounds fine to a non-specialist can fall apart in front of someone who works in the area — wrong assumptions about feasibility, missed prior work, or an over-ambitious scope. Get feedback from someone in the field, not just a generalist editor.
⚠️ Common research proposal mistakes we see every cycle
  • A question broad enough to be an entire career, not a single PhD project
  • No connection at all to the specific supervisor's published work
  • Methods section that's vague ("I will use bioinformatics tools") with no actual technique named
  • Literature review that lists papers without identifying the actual gap between them
  • No realistic timeline, or a timeline that ignores how long real data collection takes
FAQ

No — it depends heavily on the country and programme structure. Many European, UK and Australian PhD applications require one, especially where you apply directly to a self-designed project rather than a pre-defined funded position. Many structured PhD programmes and pre-advertised funded positions don't require one, since the project is already defined.

An SOP is about you — your trajectory, motivation, and fit. A research proposal is about the project — a specific question, method, and plan. Some applications require both; treat them as two different documents with two different jobs.

That's completely normal and expected — most PhD projects evolve after the first few months. The proposal isn't a binding contract; it's evidence that you can think like a researcher and design a feasible project from scratch.

Your ESC mentor is an active researcher in your exact field — the right person to pressure-test a research proposal before a supervisor does. Start with a free call.

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Related:SOP / Motivation Letter · Choosing a Supervisor · Meet mentors in your field →
Guide · ~8 min read · Updated Jul 2026 · By Dr. Deepak Malik

How to get letters of recommendation that actually help your application

A vague, generic letter from a famous professor will help you less than a detailed, specific letter from someone who actually supervised your work closely. Most applicants get this trade-off wrong — and most of what determines a strong letter happens before the referee ever opens a blank document.

In short: choose referees who know your recent work closely (not just the most senior name available), ask at least 4–6 weeks ahead, give each referee a short, specific brief on your work together, and follow up once, politely, well before the deadline.

1
Pick closeness of supervision over seniority of title
A senior professor who barely knows your work will write a thin, generic letter. A postdoc, lab manager, or junior faculty member who directly supervised your project for months will write something specific and convincing. Aim for 2–3 referees who can each speak to a different side of your work.
2
Ask early — 4 to 6 weeks before the deadline, minimum
Academics are routinely asked to write multiple letters per season. Asking late doesn't just risk a missed deadline — it often produces a rushed, weaker letter than the same person would have written with proper notice.
3
Give your referee a short, specific brief
Don't make them reconstruct your work from memory. Send a one-page brief covering: the project(s) you worked on together, your specific contributions and results, 2–3 concrete moments that show your strengths, the programmes you're applying to and their deadlines, and your CV and draft SOP for context.
4
Make the logistics effortless
Send direct submission links well ahead of each deadline, in one organised email or shared document — not as five separate last-minute messages. The easier you make the process, the more attention your letter gets.
5
If you've been away from academia, reconnect deliberately
Years after graduating, it's still possible to secure strong letters — reach out to former professors with a short update on what you've done since, the specific project you'd like them to speak to, and the same brief described above. A current manager or research collaborator can also serve as a referee if they can speak credibly to your analytical or technical work.
6
Follow up once, with warmth, not pressure
A single polite reminder roughly a week before the deadline is appropriate. Avoid multiple follow-ups in the final days — it rarely improves the letter, and it can sour the relationship right when you need their goodwill most.
⚠️ Common recommendation-letter mistakes we see every cycle
  • Choosing the most famous name available over the person who actually knows your work
  • Asking with less than two weeks' notice
  • Giving the referee nothing to work with beyond "can you write me a letter?"
  • Using the exact same referees and brief for every programme, regardless of fit
  • Never thanking the referee, or letting them know the outcome afterwards
FAQ

Most programmes ask for 2–3. Check each programme's specific requirement — some specify that at least one must come from an academic referee rather than a workplace supervisor.

It's common — and welcomed by many busy referees — to provide a detailed brief of your work and achievements that they can draw on. The referee should still write and own the final letter in their own voice; you're providing raw material, not a finished draft for them to sign.

A workplace supervisor, internship lead, or research collaborator who can speak in detail to your analytical thinking and technical work is a reasonable substitute for at least one letter, especially for Masters applications or career-change PhD applicants.

We help students think through exactly who to ask, when, and how to brief them — part of every ESC mentorship. Start the conversation with a free call.

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Related:Academic CV · Emailing a Professor · Meet mentors in your field →
Guide · ~8 min read · Updated Jul 2026 · By Dr. Deepak Malik

How to email a professor for a PhD position (with examples)

Every year, professors receive hundreds of emails from prospective PhD students. Most go unanswered — not because the applicants aren't qualified, but because the email is generic, too long, or obviously copy-pasted.

In short: keep the email under 250 words, personalise it to the professor's recent research, briefly introduce your background, explain why their lab specifically, and attach your CV. Don't ask questions already answered on the lab's website.

1
Research the professor before you write
Read at least 2–3 of the lab's recent papers and understand their current research direction. A professor can tell almost immediately whether you've taken the time to learn about their work — it's the single biggest difference between an email that gets read and one that gets deleted.
2
Use a clear, specific subject line
Good examples:
  • Prospective PhD Applicant – Molecular Biology
  • PhD Inquiry – Protein Engineering
  • Interested in Your Research on DNA Repair
Avoid vague subjects like "Hello" or "Need Guidance" — they read as mass-sent.
3
Introduce yourself in two or three sentences
Cover your current degree, university, research area, and expected graduation date if relevant. This gives the professor immediate context before they read any further.
4
Explain why their lab specifically
Reference one recent publication, project, or open question from their lab. Avoid generic flattery like "your research is very impressive" — instead explain how it connects to your own experience or interests.
5
Highlight relevant experience, briefly
Mention, in a line or two each:
  • thesis topic
  • research projects
  • laboratory techniques
  • programming skills (if relevant)
  • publications or presentations
This isn't your CV — just enough to make them want to open the attachment.
6
End with a simple, low-pressure request
Ask politely whether they anticipate recruiting PhD students and whether your background might be a good fit. Don't demand a position or ask for guaranteed funding in the first email.
7
Attach only what matters
Usually just your academic CV (PDF), and a transcript if requested. Send additional documents only if specifically asked for.
⚠️ Common mistakes we see every cycle
  • Sending identical emails to dozens of professors
  • Writing more than one page
  • Asking questions already answered on the lab's website
  • Forgetting to attach the CV
  • Addressing the wrong professor because of a copy-paste mistake
FAQ

Yes, provided they work in different research areas and each email is genuinely personalised.

Yes. Wait about 10–14 days, then send one polite follow-up email.

Absolutely — many PhD positions are filled through direct contact before any formal advertisement appears.

Want a mentor in your exact field to help you shortlist professors and personalise every email? It's part of every ESC mentorship — and the first conversation is free.

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Related:Contact Before Applying? · Choosing a Supervisor · Meet mentors in your field →
Guide · ~6 min read · Updated Jul 2026 · By Dr. Deepak Malik

Should you contact professors before applying?

Many students assume they should simply submit the online application and wait. In reality, whether to contact the professor first depends on the type of programme and the country.

In short: for individual PhD positions, contacting the professor beforehand is usually worthwhile. For structured doctoral programmes, it's often optional — unless the programme specifically recommends it.

1
Understand the type of PhD you're applying to
European universities generally offer three structures:
  • Individual PhDs (arranged directly with a supervisor)
  • Structured doctoral programmes
  • Doctoral schools
Supervisor contact matters most for individual PhD positions.
2
Early contact can clarify availability
A professor may tell you whether funding exists, whether new projects are starting, whether your background fits, or whether another lab member is already recruiting — all of which can save you considerable time.
3
A good email can make your application memorable
Even where applications are evaluated formally, a professor may already recognise your name when reviewing candidates. Recognition isn't a guarantee, but it can help.
4
Don't email too early
Writing 18 months before graduation is usually premature. A good window is generally 3–6 months before you intend to begin your PhD.
5
Don't expect every professor to reply
Professors are busy. No response usually means they're travelling, missed the email, have no available positions, or receive too many enquiries to answer them all — it shouldn't discourage you.
6
Follow the official application instructions
If a programme's website explicitly says "do not contact supervisors," follow that instruction. Always prioritise the official process over informal contact.
⚠️ Common mistakes we see every cycle
  • Sending generic emails
  • Contacting professors without reading their research first
  • Expecting an immediate reply
  • Treating one rejection as a sign to stop applying
  • Ignoring official application requirements
FAQ

No. Many students receive PhD offers without prior contact, but reaching out can improve your understanding of what's actually available.

Only if the email is unprofessional, generic, or ignores the programme's stated instructions.

Keep applying. Silence is extremely common and usually reflects workload, not your qualifications.

Not sure whether your target programmes expect direct contact? Our mentors help you map this out field by field, university by university — part of every ESC mentorship.

Book a Free Discovery Call →
Related:Emailing a Professor · Choosing a Supervisor · Meet mentors in your field →
Guide · ~9 min read · Updated Jul 2026 · By Dr. Deepak Malik

How to choose the right PhD supervisor

Your supervisor will shape your research, publications, career development and day-to-day experience more than almost any other factor during your PhD.

In short: choose the supervisor, not just the university. Look for research alignment, mentoring style, publication record, lab culture, funding stability, and how their previous students have gone on to do.

1
Put research fit first
Your interests should naturally align with the lab's current projects. Avoid choosing a supervisor purely because of the university's overall ranking.
2
Read their recent publications closely
Go through papers from the last 3–5 years and ask yourself honestly: is this research genuinely interesting to you, and could you see yourself working on similar problems for four years?
3
Look at what happened to previous students
Check where their graduates now work, their publication records, average time to completion, and career progression afterwards. Strong outcomes for past students are one of the best signals of good mentorship.
4
Understand the lab's culture
Large and small labs offer very different experiences. During interviews, ask how often group meetings happen, how frequently students meet the supervisor one-on-one, and whether collaboration is encouraged.
5
Consider funding stability
A well-funded, productive lab generally means better equipment, more conference opportunities, and more flexibility to pursue the research directions that interest you.
6
Speak with current students directly
Current lab members can tell you far more about supervision style, workload, communication and day-to-day atmosphere than any faculty page ever will.
7
Trust your own interactions
If communication feels respectful, supportive and professional throughout recruitment, that's usually a good sign. Repeated delays or poor communication at this stage are worth taking seriously too.
⚠️ Common mistakes we see every cycle
  • Choosing the university instead of the supervisor
  • Never speaking to current students
  • Ignoring lab culture entirely
  • Assuming a famous professor automatically means better supervision
  • Choosing a topic you aren't genuinely interested in
FAQ

Not necessarily — excellent mentorship often matters more than reputation alone.

For most students, research fit and supervision quality shape the PhD experience far more than ranking does.

Yes — most supervisors expect prospective students to seek this out before committing to such a big decision.

Weighing two or three potential supervisors and not sure how to compare them? Our mentors — who've been through this decision themselves — can talk it through with you on a free call.

Book a Free Discovery Call →
Related:Emailing a Professor · Interview Prep · Meet mentors in your field →
Guide · ~10 min read · Updated Jul 2026 · By Dr. Deepak Malik

How to prepare for a PhD interview

A PhD interview is rarely an exam. Most supervisors already know your academic record — what they actually want to understand is how you think, how you communicate, and whether you'll fit into the research group.

In short: know your own research thoroughly, understand the lab's recent work, prepare thoughtful questions of your own, and be ready to explain your motivation with confidence and honesty.

1
Know your own research inside out
Expect detailed questions about your thesis, your methods, your experimental design, any unexpected results, its limitations, and how you'd improve it. If it's on your CV, assume you'll be asked about it.
2
Read the lab's recent papers
Focus on work published in the last 2–3 years. Understand their research questions, methods, key findings, and where the work seems to be heading next.
3
Prepare for the common questions
Expect variations of:
  • Tell us about yourself
  • Why this lab?
  • Why this project?
  • What research challenge interests you most?
  • Describe a difficult experiment
  • Tell us about a failure and what you learned from it
4
Prepare questions of your own
Strong questions include:
  • What would the first six months of the project look like?
  • How often do students meet with supervisors?
  • What collaborations does the lab have?
  • What skills would be most valuable before starting?
5
Practise explaining your science clearly
Skip the memorised speech. Instead, practise explaining your research naturally, in two or three minutes, to someone outside your immediate field.
6
Handle the practical details in advance
Test your microphone and camera, check your internet connection, review your own application documents, and keep a copy of your CV within reach during the call.
7
Remember it's a two-way conversation
You're also evaluating whether this lab is right for you — pay attention to communication style, enthusiasm, mentoring philosophy and overall lab environment as the conversation unfolds.
⚠️ Common mistakes we see every cycle
  • Not remembering the details of your own thesis
  • Failing to read the supervisor's recent papers
  • Giving memorised, generic answers
  • Having no questions prepared for them
  • Speaking negatively about a previous supervisor or institution
FAQ

It varies — some focus mainly on motivation, others explore your research methods and scientific reasoning in real depth.

Only if it's requested. If a presentation is part of the interview, practise explaining your work clearly within the time you're given.

Yes. It's far better to acknowledge uncertainty and explain how you'd approach the problem than to guess or give an incorrect answer.

Mock interviews with a mentor in your exact field are part of every ESC mentorship — so the first tough questions you face aren't in the real interview.

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Related:Choosing a Supervisor · Publish Your Thesis · Meet mentors in your field →
Guide · ~8 min read · Updated Jul 2026 · By Dr. Deepak Malik

Why you should publish your master's thesis on bioRxiv (or a similar repository) before applying for a PhD

Most master's theses are read by three people — your supervisor, your examiner, and you. After months of experiments, analysis and writing, the work often sits untouched on a university server. Publishing it as a preprint puts your research in front of supervisors worldwide and shows you can communicate science openly.

In short: if your supervisor agrees and the thesis contains no confidential or patent-sensitive material, uploading it to a reputable preprint server — bioRxiv, arXiv, ChemRxiv, or OSF Preprints — gives you a citable DOI and makes it far easier for a future supervisor to evaluate your actual work.

1
Your research becomes visible instead of staying hidden
Most universities archive theses internally, where they get little attention. A preprint lets researchers worldwide discover your work through Google Scholar and repository search — sometimes before it's ever formally published in a journal, if it is at all.
2
A preprint gives supervisors something real to evaluate
A CV line like "Master's Thesis: Development of Novel Biomarkers for Breast Cancer" tells a supervisor almost nothing. A public preprint lets them read your experimental design, methods, results and scientific writing directly — even a quick skim builds far more confidence than a title alone.
3
It signals initiative and scientific openness
Posting preprints before journal submission is now standard practice in many fields. An applicant who already understands this culture tends to leave a positive impression — particularly in life sciences, computational biology, physics, mathematics and computer science.
4
Your work becomes citable
Most major repositories assign a DOI. That means you can cite it directly in your CV, PhD applications, scholarship applications, LinkedIn, personal website, or ORCID profile — instead of writing "thesis available upon request."
5
You may get useful feedback
Once your work is public, other researchers may reach out with questions, suggestions, or collaboration ideas. Not every preprint sparks discussion, but a hidden thesis guarantees none of these opportunities exist at all.
6
Check permissions before you upload anything
Before uploading, confirm:
  • your supervisor agrees
  • your university permits public sharing
  • the work contains no confidential information
  • there are no pending patents or IP restrictions
  • any industry partner involved allows public release
If a company or unpublished commercial data was involved, get written permission first.
7
Choose the repository your field actually uses
  • bioRxiv — life sciences
  • medRxiv — health sciences and clinical research
  • ChemRxiv — chemistry
  • arXiv — physics, mathematics, computer science, quantitative biology
  • OSF Preprints — multidisciplinary research
  • Zenodo — research outputs across many disciplines
Using the server your research community actually searches makes your work far easier to find.
⚠️ Common mistakes we see every cycle
  • Uploading without discussing it with your supervisor first
  • Publishing confidential or patent-sensitive results
  • Uploading the exact university-formatted file instead of a cleaned-up manuscript
  • Forgetting to add ORCID, keywords and a proper abstract
  • Assuming every journal has identical preprint policies without checking
FAQ

In many fields, yes — plenty of journals accept manuscripts that previously appeared as preprints. Policies vary by publisher, so check the target journal's submission guidelines first.

Not necessarily. Most students improve the formatting, fix minor errors, update references, and strip out university-specific sections before uploading.

No — it doesn't replace strong grades, relevant research experience, or a genuinely tailored application. But it gives supervisors tangible, direct evidence of your research ability.

Not sure whether your thesis is ready to publish, or which repository fits your field? Our mentors can walk you through it on a free call.

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Related:Research Proposal · Interview Prep · Meet mentors in your field →