The rise of online education has prompted numerous colleges and universities to offer a distance learning alternatives for students who wish to earn their degrees. As it is a great option that has worked for many, more and more students are enrolling in online learning. Most Ph.D. students, in particular, benefit greatly from studying online and being employed at the same time.
If you’re a doctorate or post-graduate student who is also a working professional, online learning is a surefire way to enrich your credentials. If you’re a stay-at-home multiple-degree holder who plans on earning a doctorate degree to supplement your knowledge on a specific field, master it, and pursue your profession, online learning is perfect for you.
And because a Ph.D. student is no stranger to hectic schedules and an extremely busy lifestyle, you could use some help from a range of useful resources and tools available online.
QUICK LINKS
- Online-PhD-Degrees.com
- Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)
- EdX
- Coursera
- Udacity
- Academic Earth
- Internet Archive
- Big Think
- TED Talks
- Cosmo Learning
- The Futures Channel.com
- College Confidential
- Khan Academy
- Niche
- Purdue OWL
- Using English for Academic Purposes (UEfAP)
- Scholarpedia
- Google Scholar
- Scribd
- Bartleby
- Zotero
- Refseek
- Mendeley
- MIT Open Courseware
- Open University
- CiteULike
- The Economist
- BBC
- Huffington Post College
- Glassdoor
Check out our list of 30 best online resources for Ph.D. students:
Online-PhD-Degrees.com
Designed to make the process easier for those considering an online Ph.D. program, Online-PhD-degrees.com sifts through the many schools offering different courses of study. The website uses its own detailed methodology to rank schools offering online Ph.D. programs based on their unique strengths, allowing visitors to find the right fit for their needs. Online-PhD-Degrees.com features pertinent facts, up-to-date information, as well as helpful tips, tricks, tools, and advice to assist Ph.D. candidates in finding the help they need to make educated decisions.
Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)
Online education research and information library, Education Resources Information Center, or ERIC is a project of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement of the U.S. Department of Education. It is administered by the U.S. National Library of Education (NLE). ERIC database offers access to educational documents, journal articles, and non-journal literature. With collections that include educational association publications, conference papers, instructional materials, and research reports, ERIC is definitely a reliable go-to digital library for research-intensive Ph.D. dissertations and projects.
EdX
Edx is an online resource ideal for Ph.D. students or those who love to supplement their knowledge. For those who have accounts, there are several online courses for students interested in doctorate degree programs in the country. EdX gives you immediate access to homework assignments to enhance your skills and test your knowledge on certain topics. Certificates are also given to those who are able to complete their courses and programs online.
Ph.D. students may find this site favorable as it was established through Harvard University and MIT in 2012. EdX is an online resource and MOOC supplier that provides advanced, helpful courses from the world’s best academic institutions to Ph.D. students.
Coursera
Distance learning has never been enjoyable as it is on Coursera. This database houses licenses from and links to universities globally. Through specific partnerships, Coursera features online courses and necessary information for financial aid as well. Ph.D. students can learn on flexible schedules on Coursera, while also interacting with fellow students from different places across the country or around the globe. Options for certification and acknowledgment of course completion are also offered.
Each program on Coursera also features competent peer-reviewed papers, community discussion forums, and auto-graded homework. Ph.D. students who complete courses will receive an electronic Course certificate.
Udacity
Udacity is an online resource that allows Ph.D. students to be immersed in a more interactive learning environment that connects them with competent mentors from IBM, MIT, Stanford, and many reputable universities, project reviewers, and fellow post-graduate students. Projects are portfolio-ready, which can be helpful for your career path. The most significant skills necessary to be successful in the corporate world can also be learned through this site.
Academic Earth
Academic Earth is a site that features readily accessible free online college courses from reputable universities. It highly prioritizes online students, with all courses carefully chosen for, among others, Ph.D. students. What makes this online resource unique is its database of existing original videos on subjects that are relevant to them. The dynamic viewing experience is also a plus. The videos and other learning media are shown outside of a scholastic setting to provide realistic applications and discovery of certain interesting topics.
Internet Archive
Internet Archive is one of the most sought-after websites that features books sourced from reputable websites. American libraries, for example, have a wide range of free books that are mostly connected to college library websites. While it does not award certificates or admission based on learning, Internet Archive aims to be the go-to portal for sharing free and available knowledge to Ph.D. students.
Big Think
Big Think is an online resource that caters to 2,000 experts in their fields of study. These specialists create relevant articles and do recordings of tutorial sessions for Ph.D. students. The site’s editorial team scrutinizes every information they gather and polishes the content they share to give genuine information to post-graduate students. Ph.D. students can utilize this site to form their own unique ideologies and demonstrate different opinions on a topic. In return, Ph.D. students obtain views from their mentors.
TED Talks
TED Talks is regarded as one of the most legitimate online resources presenting multimedia content that are highly relevant for Ph.D. students. The site regularly features significant lessons or topics through a series of videos and media. Ph.D. students may also check on the site’s audiobooks, projects, partnership programs, podcasts, and translators.
Cosmo Learning
Compared to other websites, Cosmo Learning presents both scholastic and skill-based types of learning for Ph.D. students. Learners can consult the references or materials provided or pursue any of the site’s 58 courses. The online resource is composed of three areas consisting of educational materials, documentaries, and courses. Courses have also been segregated into two parts: extra-curricular and academics.
The Futures Channel.com
The Futures Channel is an online resource for knowledge enrichment of Ph.D. students. Compared to other sites, it normally tackles current issues that post-secondary students face in class or in school.
College Confidential
One of the main goals of College Confidential is to help Ph.D. students find appropriate universities and colleges for their degree programs. The website features a search tool that assists users in their search for reputable academic institutions based on degrees, programs, and other parameters. Articles that tackle college admissions, expert advice, community awareness, and career opportunities, are also presented on the website. College Confidential is considered an online resource where doctorate students and mentors support each other.
Recommended Schools
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is an online coaching site. This is ideal for post-graduate students who are living on a tight budget yet need intensive coaching. Ph.D. students opt for the flexible learning time arrangement and study at their own pace. The website also houses a dashboard that determines the Ph.D. student’s progress report. Traditional bachelor’s, graduate, and post-graduate courses are featured on this site. Its partnership with the MIT, California Academy of Science, NASA, and the Museum of Modern Art ensures relevant and up-to-date information.
Niche
Niche is home to statistics, articles, and student reviews on college life in general. It also features articles describing the lifestyle of Ph.D. students based on feedback and reviews. Various information and tools are also presented for those looking for the most appropriate Ph.D. programs and degrees. This website also has a tool that encourages schools to fulfill the needs of Ph.D. students. School rankings, reviews, and report cards are also featured to help visitors find the most appropriate school and doctorate degree for them.
Purdue OWL
A free online writing site, the Purdue Owl, was created by Purdue University to provide instructional materials in the field of writing for Ph.D. students. This online resource enables students to develop their writing skills through comprehensive lectures regarding the writing process while keeping in mind the fundamental techniques of proper writing. The APA and MLA citation guidelines are also featured on this site to help with proper citation and referencing on Ph.D. formal papers.
Using English for Academic Purposes (UEfAP)
Using English for Academic Purposes (UEfAP) is an online resource that is readily accessible to Ph.D. students. They can search for activities to do for the purpose of strengthening rules and strategies for editing and proofreading their papers. It is a handy online resource for effective writing, as it features basic and advanced grammar, sentence construction, and general writing rules and techniques.
Scholarpedia
Scholarpedia welcomes scholars and Ph.D. students of any degree program to submit articles on any relevant topic. These articles are then peer-reviewed or published after being approved by the website’s editorial team. All references on this website are 100% legitimate; students can utilize different sources they can find to support their ideas for a specific topic. It is also an outstanding online encyclopedia.
Google Scholar
Post-graduate professors expect students to reference scholastic papers to cite information for academic writing. Google Scholar is the leading online resource that offers access to a database of scholastic resources and academic papers. Google has placed a ranking system that is entirely based on publishing date, source frequency, and other factors. Most papers are downloadable for free, which Ph.D. students can use for dissertations, researches, and many more.
Scribd
Scribd is regarded as an amazing resource for Ph.D. students who prefer electronic book versions. A $9 monthly membership is required in order to gain accessibility with books that can be used for the Scribd database. The books can be read on the website. You can also bookmark the pages for easier reference.
Bartleby
Ph.D. students who enjoy reading popular writing works will find a highly ideal online resource in Bartleby. Most of the published works kept on the site’s database are considered extremely helpful references for Ph.D. academic papers. Non-academic literary works including prose, fiction literature, nonfiction literature, and more publications can also be located on the site. You can also search for the famous novelists or storytellers whose works you intend to read.
Zotero
Zotero encourages collaboration among users to conduct research and gather information. Ph.D. students can collect and organize sources as they’re researching for information for their academic projects. These sources can be cited and synced on the same platform. The best part is that all research can be shared so that multiple users can update their own and supplement the database continually. Through this method, Zotero aims to streamline the research process involving groups.
Refseek
Refseek is an online academic website for scholars, researchers, graduate, and post-graduate students looking to find and cite academic articles, web pages, books, and journals. This online resource lets you evade difficult-to-read sources and instead obtain the most relevant and appropriate content in a much simpler way.
Mendeley
Mendeley is an online resource that enables Ph.D. students to save and access research references and interpret these as PDF format. Doctorate students may properly organize their papers and work well in private or public. The website generally creates bibliographies and citations in any format.
MIT Open Courseware
MIT Open Courseware has fabricated one of the greatest innovations of online learning through a database filled with relevant content for all degrees and programs that the university offers. All content and information are constantly updated and available for free. PhD students may obtain these courses and learn these on their own through the study materials that reinforce learning in traditional or online MIT classes.
Open University
Open University is an ideal website to use when you are looking to make a career shift or obtain mastery in certain fields of study. There are no requirements to study through this website. It is highly ideal for Ph.D. students who need to study at their own pace and time without compromising their access to a wide range of free academic resources.
CiteULike (Currently Offline)
Insightful articles are the best features of the online Ph.D. resource, CiteULike. As a Ph.D. student who does tons of academic paperwork, this free online resource lets you find, store, manage and share scholarly references.
The Economist
The Economist is ideal for Ph.D. students who want brief, concise, and insightful reading. If you’re a Ph.D. student trying to find news and relevant articles on just about any topic on a local, national, or global scale, The Economist is your answer. This website rounds everything up for you.
BBC
Ph.D. students should keep themselves abreast of the times! The BBC news channel lets them do just that. From household to worldwide news, you will find what you need to be in-the-know. When it comes to current events, financials, and other news that could help you craft your Ph.D. papers, the BBC website is your go-to online resource.
Huffington Post College
Are you a Ph.D. student who seeks to speak about your doctorate education experience? Huffington Post College is an online resource for you. It features an array of articles that articulate how it is like to pursue higher education. From tackling laborious researches, to discussing student advancements, to expressing the efforts you’ve put for your post-doctorate program, Huffington Post College offers a platform for discussion and learning.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor is ideal for Ph.D. students who are searching for volunteer work, internships, or entry-level jobs. The website also ranks companies based on certain criteria. It also features in-depth discussions of hiring strategies. Ph.D. students can view the hiring process as s a tedious yet daunting procedure that is their doorway to a fulling career. The advantages and disadvantages of employment are also tackled on the site.
