Free Resources
Available Books
The Unruly PhD
by Rebecca Peabody
Unruly PhD offers an honest and insightful exploration of the PhD journey. Through a personal and reflective lens, the book delves into the emotional, intellectual, and practical challenges of doctoral studies, encouraging students to embrace the messy, non-linear nature of their academic paths. Peabody provides a refreshing perspective on resilience, self-doubt, and growth, making it a must-read for anyone navigating or considering a PhD.
“I hope that when PhD candidates are in the midst of panic, paralyzing fear, boredom, apathy, or even revulsion, the stories in Peabody’s book will come to mind – in snippets, in remnants, as something they can store away and use.”
57 Ways to Screw Up In Grad School
by Kevin D. Haggerty and Aaron Doyle
57 Ways to Screw Up in Grad School is a humorous guide to surviving graduate school. Through witty anecdotes, the book highlights common mistakes students make, from procrastination to navigating advisor relationships, while offering practical advice for avoiding them. A fun and insightful read for anyone looking to survive (and thrive) in grad school.
“This is a book that prospective students should buy before embarking on a graduate school career and that current students should keep close to their desks and computers.”
Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow
by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie
Strengths Based Leadership offers a fresh approach to leadership by focusing on leveraging individual strengths rather than trying to fix weaknesses. The book delves into how effective leaders can build high-performing teams by identifying and nurturing the unique talents of each member. Drawing on research and practical insights, it explores why people follow certain leaders and how to inspire and motivate others in both academic and professional environments. Perfect for PhD students looking to develop their leadership skills and create collaborative, strength-based teams.
“What great leaders have in common is that each truly knows his or her strengths — and can call on the right strength at the right time.”
Going Alt-AC: A Guide to Alternative Academic Careers
by Kathryn E. Linder, Kevin Kelly, and Thomas J. Tobin
Going Alt-Ac is an essential guide for graduate students and PhD holders looking to explore career opportunities beyond the traditional academic path. The book provides practical advice on identifying transferable skills, navigating non-academic job markets, and building a professional network. It also offers valuable insights into alternative academic careers in areas such as non-profit work, industry, government, and consulting. A great resource for anyone interested in using their academic background in innovative and impactful ways outside the classroom.
“If you’re doing or have a doctorate and want to be meaningfully employed in or around higher education, you must read this book – and do what it says. I was impressed with the depth knowledge and wide-ranging, thoughtful advice presented, which is useful for both career explorers and seasoned professionals.”
Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increased Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership
by Ken Blanchard, Patricia Zigarmi, and Drea Zigarmi
Leadership and the One Minute Manager builds on the classic One Minute Manager to introduce the concept of Situational Leadership. The book teaches leaders how to adjust their style based on the needs and development levels of their team members. By offering the right amount of direction and support, leaders can increase effectiveness and help their teams thrive. This practical guide provides valuable insights for leaders at any level, showing how flexibility and adaptability lead to stronger, more successful teams.
“Everyone Has Peak Performance Potential — You Just Need To Know Where They Are Coming From And Meet Them There.”
The PhDictionary: A Glossary of Things You Don’t Know (but Should) about Doctoral and Faculty Life
by Herb Childress
The PhDictionary is for PhD students who want to understand the unwritten rules, jargon, and hidden truths of academic life. Written with insight, this book acts as a glossary to the terms and concepts that every doctoral student and aspiring faculty member should know—whether it’s about navigating academic culture, dealing with dissertation stress, or understanding the language of faculty meetings. A great resource for practical advice, it provides valuable guidance to help you survive and thrive in academia.
“This book is very funny. Though not a satire, at times it feels like Gulliver describing Yahoos in the land of Houyhnhnms: the perspective of outsider-to-outsider allows for some laugh-out-loud observations about the world of higher education.”
Graduate Study for the 21st Century: How to Build an Academic Career in the Humanities
by Gregory Colon Semenza
Graduate Study for the 21st Century by Gregory Colon Semenza is an essential guide for graduate students looking to thrive in today’s academic world. The book offers practical advice on key aspects of graduate life, including writing, research, time management, and balancing personal and academic responsibilities. Semenza also provides valuable insights on navigating the evolving academic landscape, preparing for post-graduation careers, and building professional networks. A must-read for students who want to succeed and adapt to the challenges of modern graduate study.
“A tough-minded, witty, generous discussion of how to enter the profession of scholarship and teaching. The appendices alone are worth the price of the book; Semenza provides examples of everything from course syllabi and job letters to materials on the teaching portfolio, book prospectus, conference participation – everything a serious graduate student need to succeed.”
12 Elements of Great Managing
by Rodd Wagner and James K. Harter
12 Elements of Great Managing presents a research-driven framework for understanding the key drivers of employee engagement and organizational success. Grounded in Gallup’s extensive studies, the book identifies twelve critical elements that influence how employees experience their workplace. These elements, ranging from clarity in expectations to fostering a sense of purpose and recognition, are shown to directly impact productivity, retention, and overall organizational performance. For a PhD student, the book offers a compelling, data-backed analysis of the psychological and environmental factors that shape effective management, making it a valuable resource for research on leadership, organizational behavior, and employee motivation.
“12 spells out in highly readable style what good managers do to create employee engagement and the business benefits it brings. A truly practical and valuable book for the business world.”
The Leadership Training Activity Book: 50 Exercises for Building Effective Leaders
by Lois B. Hart and Charlotte S. Waisman
The Leadership Training Activity Book offers a practical collection of 50 engaging exercises designed to develop leadership skills in various organizational contexts. Each exercise is grounded in leadership theory and is aimed at fostering essential qualities such as communication, decision-making, team-building, and strategic thinking. Ideal for those studying leadership, organizational behavior, or management, this book provides hands-on tools for cultivating effective leadership practices. Through these activities, students can deepen their understanding of leadership dynamics while gaining experiential insights that complement theoretical research.
“True leadership is not about being in charge; it’s about taking care of those in your charge.”
Discover Your CliftonStrengths
by Don Clifton
“Discover Your CliftonStrengths” by Don Clifton introduces a strengths-based approach to personal and professional development. The book presents the CliftonStrengths assessment, which helps individuals identify their unique talents and strengths. Through this framework, Clifton emphasizes the importance of focusing on and leveraging one’s natural abilities rather than trying to improve weaknesses. It provides valuable insights into how understanding and applying personal strengths can enhance performance, productivity, and overall well-being. For a PhD student, this book offers an evidence-based tool to foster self-awareness, optimize teamwork, and strategically build on individual capabilities for success in both academic and professional pursuits.
“You cannot be anything you want to be — but you can be a whole lot more of who you already are.”
They Say, I Say: The Move That Matter in Academic Writing
by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein
“They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein offers a pragmatic guide to mastering the art of academic argumentation. Designed for students at all levels, including those in advanced stages of study, the book emphasizes the importance of engaging with existing scholarship—learning how to position your research in relation to the “they say” (the perspectives of others) before contributing your own “I say” (your argument). Through a series of accessible templates and examples, Graff and Birkenstein help students develop a more persuasive, structured, and coherent writing style, facilitating the process of responding to complex academic conversations. The book’s focus on these key rhetorical moves proves especially useful for PhD students refining their dissertation writing and developing their scholarly voice within the academic community.
“Many students say that it is the first book they’ve found that actually helps them with writing in all disciplines.”
Influence Science and Practice
by Robert B. Cialdini
Influence: Science and Practice by Robert B. Cialdini is a foundational text in the study of persuasion and social psychology. In this book, Cialdini explores the psychological principles behind why people say “yes” and how to apply these principles in various contexts, including marketing, negotiation, and everyday interactions. The book is organized around six key principles of influence: reciprocity, commitment, social proof, authority, liking, and scarcity. Cialdini blends research findings with real-world examples to illustrate how these principles work, offering both theoretical insights and practical strategies for ethically influencing others. For a PhD student, this book is particularly valuable for understanding human behavior, crafting persuasive arguments, and applying psychological insights to areas such as research, teaching, and professional networking.
“This marvelous book explains in clear, practical, language the ways in which we become persuaded. It offers excellent insights for those who sell, but even more importantly for all of us who negotiate and buy.”
The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success
by Lawrence A. Machi and Brenda T. McEvoy
The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success by Lawrence A. Machi and Brenda T. McEvoy offers a clear, step-by-step guide to mastering the literature review process—an essential component of your dissertation. The book breaks the process into six stages: defining your research question, searching and evaluating sources, synthesizing findings, and writing a cohesive review. With practical strategies and helpful exercises, it equips PhD students with the tools to organize complex research, critically engage with existing literature, and position their work within the broader academic conversation. This resource is invaluable for crafting a thorough and well-structured literature review that not only supports your research but also highlights gaps and potential areas for future exploration.
“The Literature Review clearly walks educators through the steps to completing a literature review with helpful checklists and graphic representations of the process. It makes a very daunting task much more manageable and systemic.”
Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation
by Naresh K. Malhotra
Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation by Naresh K. Malhotra offers an in-depth, practitioner-focused approach to marketing research, making it highly relevant for advanced students and professionals. The book provides a comprehensive exploration of both qualitative and quantitative research methods, emphasizing their application in real-world marketing decision-making. It covers all stages of the research process—from problem definition to data collection, analysis, and interpretation—while also addressing ethical considerations in research. With a focus on practical implementation and detailed examples, the text serves as an essential resource for PhD students aiming to design, conduct, and critically assess marketing research in both academic and industry contexts.
“Very good book, well-organized with interesting study cases. Essential to get knowledge about Market Research”
