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The Struggling Scientists

The Struggling Scientists

Suzanne and Jayron

Welcome everyone to the Struggling Scientists Podcast. This is a podcast by Scientists, for Scientists. But also for aspiring Scientists, anyone science adjacent, and perhaps even hobbyists. Together we will be trying to bring back the fun in science. We all know the scientific field can be difficult and hard at times and it is easy to lose sight of our passion and enthusiasm. In this podcast, we will talk about Science and the people behind Science.  Website: www.thestrugglingscientists.com

94 - Can SciSpace Simplify Your Entire Research Workflow? | PhD Toolkit
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  • 94 - Can SciSpace Simplify Your Entire Research Workflow? | PhD Toolkit

    SciSpace has become much more than a tool for chatting with PDFs. In this episode of the PhD Toolkit, we put it through a real research workflow to find out whether it actually deserves a place in your research toolkit.


    We test how well it helps with literature discovery, understanding papers, note-taking, writing and overall workflow before scoring it on our PhD Toolkit leaderboard.


    ⭐ Try SciSpace


    This video isn't sponsored, but we do use affiliate links. If you decide SciSpace is right for you, using our link helps support the channel at no extra cost.


    🔗 Affiliate link:

    https://thestrugglingscientists.com/Scispace


    🎁 Discount codes:

    JNSS20 = 20% off monthly plans

    JNSS40 = 40% off annual plans, best for heavy users or systematic reviews

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    Chapters


    00:00 Introduction


    01:10 Setting up the test


    01:51 Finding papers


    04:56 Understanding papers


    05:38 Saving ideas


    10:23 Writing


    14:32 Research Impact


    15:37 Ease of Use


    16:31 Value for Money


    17:30 Workflow Integration


    18:35 Would we recommend it?


    19:09 Leaderboard update


    ___________________________________________________________________

    📚 Watch the rest of the PhD Toolkit here:

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz6aXl5V5V77ziE8Leh9IuMB4yY4m0Yjq&si=OaQLB5nKrTQdyNwJ



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    Wed, 15 Jul 2026
  • 93 - Why You Struggle to Do Deep Work During Your PhD and how to fix your focus

    Learn how to apply the core ideas from Deep Work by Cal Newport to your life as a PhD student, postdoc, or early-career researcher.

    In this episode, we break down what Deep Work actually is, why shallow work can take over your best energy, and how to use the four Deep Work methods: monastic, bimodal, rhythmic, and journalistic.

    If you want to protect more focused time for writing, reading, analysis, or research thinking, this episode will help you choose the Deep Work method that fits your academic life best.


    🎓 About our channel

    We are The Struggling Scientists. We make honest videos about PhD life, academia, and how to make your research journey a little bit easier.

    If that sounds helpful, consider subscribing.


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    👉 We’ve created a free AI prompt to help you apply the Deep Work methods to your own research:

    https://thestrugglingscientists.com/deepwork


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    👉 We also created a full AI Tools for Academics Masterclass, where we walk through how to use AI ethically and effectively throughout the research process:

    https://thestrugglingscientists.com/MasterclassAI


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    ⏰ TIMESTAMPS

    00:00 Introduction

    01:22 What is Deep work

    03:37 Four methods of Deep work

    04:26 Monastic method

    06:22 Bimodal method

    08:18 Rhythmic method

    10:22 Journalistic method

    13:43 Conclusion

    15:08 AI prompt for Deep work

    17:02 Final thoughts



    📱 Follow us for more content

    https://thestrugglingscientists.com/newsletter

    https://www.instagram.com/thestrugglingscientistspodcast/

    https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-struggling-scientists-podcast/

    https://bsky.app/profile/thestrugglings4.bsky.social

    https://www.tiktok.com/@struggling.scientists

    https://www.threads.com/@thestrugglingscientistspodcast



    #academia #phdlife #research #scientificresearch #gradschool #academiclife #deepwork



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    Mon, 25 May 2026
  • 92 - The Worst AI Mistakes in Published Research

    AI is already being used in academic research, and some of it is going very wrong.


    In this video, we break down real cases where the misuse of AI led to serious problems in published scientific papers. This includes fake references, copy pasted AI text, and completely incorrect AI generated figures that somehow made it through peer review.


    From a hospital librarian discovering that most references in a paper did not even exist, to a viral paper with biologically impossible AI images, these examples highlight a growing issue in modern science.


    But this is not just about researchers using AI incorrectly. It also raises bigger questions about peer review, journal responsibility, and how these mistakes are slipping through the system.

    ________________________________________________________________


    👉 We are The Struggling Scientists, a channel for all struggling scientists out there.

    We share honest experiences, practical advice, and real stories to help make your life in academia just a little bit less of a struggle.


    🎓 Want to learn how to use AI properly in your research?

    We created a full AI for Academics Masterclass where we show you how to use AI tools ethically and effectively, without risking your work or credibility:

    https://thestrugglingscientists.com/MasterclassAI

    __________________________________________________________________


    ⏰ TIME STAMPS

    00:00 AI is already breaking research

    00:50 Copy pasted ChatGPT in a published paper

    02:55Fake references discovered by a librarian

    04:40 AI generated figures that make no sense

    6:55 What this means for science

    7:50 Final thoughts


    📱 Follow us for more content

    https://thestrugglingscientists.com/newsletter

    https://www.instagram.com/thestrugglingscientistspodcast/

    https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-struggling-scientists-podcast/

    https://bsky.app/profile/thestrugglings4.bsky.social

    https://www.tiktok.com/@struggling.scientists

    https://www.threads.com/@thestrugglingscientistspodcast



    #academia #phdlife #research #ai #chatgpt #scientificresearch #gradschool #academiclife #researchintegrity



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    Thu, 07 May 2026
  • 91 - Questions That Destroyed Years of Research (Academia Stories)

    Academia can go wrong… very quickly.


    In this episode of Academic Tea, we react to real stories from researchers where a single question at a conference, lab meeting, or thesis defense completely changed — or even destroyed — someone’s research.


    From missing control variables… to flawed assumptions… to realizing your entire project might not be based on the right idea — these are the kinds of moments every scientist secretly fears.


    If you’ve ever presented your work, worked on a PhD, or sat through a brutal Q&A session… you’ll definitely recognize some of these.


    💬 Have you ever had a question completely throw you off during a presentation or meeting?

    Let us know in the comments — we might feature your story in a future episode!


    ☕ Academic Tea is our series where we react to real academic stories — the good, the bad, and the painfully relatable.


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    👉 We’re The Struggling Scientists — a channel for all struggling scientists out there.

    We share honest experiences, practical advice, and real stories to help make your life in academia just a little bit less of a struggle.


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    ⏰ TIME STAMPS

    00:00 When one question destroys your research

    00:50 The wrong prey species experiment

    04:10 The variable mistake

    08:15 “Protein X isn’t even expressed”

    10:40 21,500 papers already exist…

    13:50 The missing control variable

    17:00 Final thoughts

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    🎓 Want to use AI tools in your research (ethically and effectively)?

    Check out our full AI Tools for Academics Masterclass:

    https://thestrugglingscientists.com/MasterclassAI


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    📱 Follow us for more content!


    #academia #phdlife #research #gradschool #scientist #academiclife #phdstruggles #researchlife #academictwitter



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    Thu, 23 Apr 2026
  • 90 - Episode 87: How to Actually Focus During Your PhD (Without Burning Out)

    Most PhD students don’t struggle with focus because they’re lazy.

    They struggle because their attention is constantly being pulled in ten different directions.


    In this episode, we break down a simple framework to help you actually focus again — without burning out or relying on motivation.


    If you’ve been feeling scattered, stuck, or mentally drained, this will help you lock back in.


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    🎓 About our channel

    We are The Struggling Scientists. We make honest videos about PhD life, academia, and how to make your research journey a little bit easier.

    If that sounds helpful, consider subscribing.


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    👉 We’ve created a free AI prompt to help you apply the LOCK framework to your own PhD:

    https://thestrugglingscientists.com/lock


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    👉 We also created a full AI Tools for Academics Masterclass, where we walk through how to use AI ethically and effectively throughout the research process:

    https://thestrugglingscientists.com/MasterclassAI


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ⏰ TIMESTAMPS


    00:00 Why You Can’t Focus

    01:30 The LOCK Framework

    02:21 Limit the Horizon

    04:00 Output Over Effort

    05:32 Cut Decisions

    07:18 Know What You’re Avoiding

    09:13 How to Lock In



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    Thu, 02 Apr 2026
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