u/AncientData8191

I’m doing a PhD in Psychology in the UK. Throughout my PhD, I have realised that so many things in academia seem to be treated as if they should be done for free, such as peer review, organising conferences (even big international ones), sitting on thesis committees, and other service work. And these are often expected on top of research, teaching, and admin, which can result in a lot of unpaid overtime hours.

When I asked my supervisor whether this was just the norm, they said yes, at least in the UK, and suggested it reflects a sense of responsibility to contribute to the academic community. I said I don’t think it should be the norm, and that it feels completely unreasonable. My supervisor then told me that if I didn’t like this, perhaps I shouldn’t be in academia at all, and mentioned that the same view had been expressed by one of their previous students, who apparently "just wanted to do the bare minimum for what they were paid for."

Now don't get me wrong. I love doing research and contributing to the advancement of human knowledge, and I am more than willing to work long hours because it gives me joy. However, I don't think it is fair that we have to work for free on certain important tasks. At the end of the day, we still need to make a living, to pay our mortgage and expenses, to take care of ourselves and our families, and to be free enough from financial constraints to focus on doing research.

It is already bad that researchers publish articles (free or pay-to-publish) in journals that then charge universities extortionate subscription fees. And now we are also expected to provide free labour for journals through peer review and for institutions through service roles. That feels exploitative to me. In many other fields, people are paid and rewarded for the work they produce (like book publishing, entertainment, etc.), and I don’t understand why academia should be exempt from that expectation.

It just feels wrong to me. I'd like to hear your opinions, especially from professors who have been in the system for a while. Is this simply how academia works, or should the system be challenged? I'm open to listening to all sides of the table. I haven't been in the system for long so I have limited knowledge, based on limited experience and exchanges with supervisor. So please feel free to correct me as well. I know it's a very controversial and sensitive topic, so please be respectful of each other's opinions :)

For context, I'm in my second year doing a PhD in Psychology in the UK. I did not have any publications prior to my PhD. Since the beginning of the PhD, I have been working on two parallel, complex studies, and it's very likely that, at my current pace, they can only be completed and submitted for publication by the end of this year. I have not yet started the third one. I feel I have been wasting a lot of time worrying about making progress and being perfectionistic, so that I've been much slower at my research than I anticipated or my supervisors' expectations. One study was supposed to be finished by the end of last year, yet I spent miserably long periods pondering whether this PhD was right for me and wasted those times not being productive.

I had my fair share of doubts about this PhD from the beginning, because I thrive in a team-based, fast-paced environment, with an enthusiastic primary supervisor, which is completely different from the current situation I'm in. I chose to stay because I doubted anyone would accept me into another funded PhD programme, given that I had no publications (I had already applied for the two years prior to my current PhD acceptance and been rejected).

I really feel the pressure to publish as soon as possible. I do not know why, but ever since starting the PhD, I have felt constantly drained and unproductive, even though I had been very productive (at least in my master's and previous research jobs). I couldn't help but look at the profiles of successful academics in my field and see how productive they were even during their PhD (like I saw some people publishing almost 10+ papers during 3 years!). And they were publishing high-quality research and were being first authors for many. They weren't just doing research; they also taught! I'm not even teaching, and yet so slow in my research. I want to collaborate with others to work on research projects, but can barely find time outside of my PhD research to do.

Based on my experience, in my field, those who are productive during their PhD tend to progress faster and further and become more successful in their academic positions, and I really want to become a successful researcher.

Therefore, I honestly want to learn what makes one so productive during their PhD. I hate that I'm so slow at every stage of research and so distracted, anxious, and drained all the time! What are your tips for being productive in research during your PhD?