Field Notes

Essays on AI, research, and the craft of scholarship.

Written for PhD scholars and faculty navigating the new tooling. No hype, no churn — only the ideas we wish someone had told us in year one.

Why your literature review is still better with a human first

AI helps you scan faster — but synthesis is still where the dissertation gets written.

A simple file structure that survives a five-year program and a laptop change.

What examiners are actually noticing — and how scholars are adapting.

Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, and the case for switching now.

How to set up a defensible screening protocol in one focused session.

Treat your dissertation chapters as papers from day one.