International relations is an interdisciplinary subject itself

International relations (IR) as a field have becoming more popular these days. Most likely due to globalisation, the public is more interested in foreign affairs and relationship between countries: US-China relations, climate changes, public health issues, wars and conflicts, and governing systems. Many of the hot topics are related to IR. This, indeed, good newsContinue reading “International relations is an interdisciplinary subject itself”

4 things you need to have before graduate from PhD

The journey of doing a PhD is never just about research. There are so many stuffs that you want to achieve within the four years candidature (from the Australian system). You want to get prepared for the job market. You want to have an established track record of publication. You want to have as manyContinue reading “4 things you need to have before graduate from PhD”

What take academic journals so long to publish my article?

Recently, I have been hearing my friends and colleagues about their poor experience with academic journals journals. Many of them did not receive response from their editors after submitting their manuscript for two to three months. Some were even worse — the manuscript was sitting in the system and did not send out for reviewContinue reading “What take academic journals so long to publish my article?”

Hong Kong’s new COVID-19 quarantine arrangement is ridiculous

Last week the Hong Kong government announced the new quarantine arrangement. Under the new ‘3+4 model’, travellers need to have three days of compulsory quarantine at a designated hotel, followed by four days of ‘medical surveillance’ at home. During medical surveillance, people can still travel to work, and do light grocery shopping. However, they cannotContinue reading “Hong Kong’s new COVID-19 quarantine arrangement is ridiculous”

What can you publish as a PhD candidate?

Two months ago, I wrote a piece about whether PhD students should publish journal articles when they are still a candidature. This article, indeed, only focuses on academic publication. There are still other questions that we can ask. For example, when would be the best time to get your first publication? Should PhD students consider turningContinue reading “What can you publish as a PhD candidate?”