In April, Nature published advice from PhD candidates and PhD holders who had achieved the unthinkable: doing their PhD from nine to five, more or less.

In response to a follow-up survey in the Information about nature In the newsletter, 20% of 6,046 past and present doctoral students said they spent up to 40 hours per week on their doctorates. But the vast majority (78%) put in more than that, with some saying their PhDs required at least 80 hours a week (see ‘Signing in’).

Readers were asked to reflect on the concept of a nine-to-five PhD. This is what they had to say.

Creativity doesn’t happen from nine to five

“The feasibility of a nine-to-five PhD depends on the research topic. If it’s experimental, no way. If it’s theoretical, then maybe. But my creativity doesn’t turn on at 9 a.m. and shut off at 5 p.m. Even now, long after graduating, I think about work even in bed.” — James ColeUS government expert on optical and photonic approaches to quantum computing. degree in particle physics from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1987.

PhD workload is ubiquitous

“From a wellbeing perspective, the pressure associated with finishing a PhD, having already landed a job, means that it is almost impossible not to feel crushing guilt when you don’t work. So the answer for me is that doing a PhD today means ubiquitous work.” — Andre Comandon, data manager for the State of Vermont Office of Racial Equity. Graduated in urban and regional planning from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2020.

Does your supervisor think you are trying hard?

“The main question is: does your supervisor believe that you can do a PhD in 40 hours a week? Because if not, then you can be as efficient and fast as you want and do everything, and it still won’t be considered enough.” — Jens Niemann, postdoc at the Leibniz Research Center for Work Environment and Human Factors (IfADo) in Dortmund, Germany. Graduated in immunology from IfADo this year.

“The amount of time spent on a PhD is often dependent on the student. However, everyone who works with them is very aware of this choice, and the degree of support the student receives for their research depends on the importance they place on the work, as perceived by those supporting the research.” — Edward Hartouni, semi-retired consultant. Graduated in experimental physics from Columbia University, New York, in 1984.

A complement for the doctorate mid-career

“I was very fortunate because my paid professional work and my PhD work were the same. In later years, I suggested to colleagues who were considering a PhD that, if they could achieve it, they should make their paid work the core of their thesis. The key for me was to do my PhD mid-career.” – Chris Woodworth-Lynas, self-employed scientific consultant. Graduated in marine geoscience from Bangor University, United Kingdom.in 1992.

Research variability lends itself to productivity.