PhDs: how do they work?

[Finlesswonder]

I've seen two "types" of PhD: one where you come up with your own idea, and one where you basically seem to be researching for an existing project.
What's the difference between these two routes to getting a PhD in terms of end outcome?

And a second question: I did my undergraduate in the UK and my MA in a European country. Ultimately I'd like to move back to the continent at some point. Post Brexit, would there be any issues working in academia on the mainland with a PhD from a British university? Would it be a better idea to wait and do a PhD outside the UK?

Ime, the humanities and social sciences tend to be more the first type with some of the second - it will depend on the type of funding that is available. Sciences tend to be all the second as work is done in bigger groups.

PhD's from a UK University are highly regarded in Europe and vice versa so no problem there.

There are different funding routes. If you do a PhD self-funded - quite common in my subject - you can do whatever project you wish as long as someone agrees to supervise you or your supervisor can cover any travel and analysis etc

Some research councils now devolve funding to universities/doctoral training partnerships so it can vary. For the AHRC some dtp's ask the student to submit their project idea in conjunction with the supervisors but they also have Collaborative Doctoral Studentships which are put together by a non-HE and a university and then advertised. Some.universities such as mine also offer their own funding schemes where students submit their own project.
Large ERC grants may also have specific PhDs to advertise. So there are a lot of different options.

There is no difference though in the qualification you gain at the end - that is awarded by the Univeraity not the funder.

@Mytholmroyd
Thank you for such a detailed reply!
What happens if you want to move half way through your PhD? Can you still continue with your home university when living elsewhere? Or would you have to stick it out? Just trying to plan ahead re getting the timings right.

Another thing I'm wondering is how to choose an idea. I've got lots of ideas that come to me, but what makes an idea for a PhD proposal "valuable" or interesting? How do I develop an idea that is going to have enough meat on it to sustain several years of research/figure out what is weighty enough? Basically: what makes a "good" idea for a PhD. Do you have any recommendations for further reading? Should I read through past projects in my field (humanities) to get a sense?

Presumably you want it to be broad enough to have a few angles to investigate, but not so loose as to feel boring after a while.

It is possible to spend time abroad during your PhD - some UKRI studenships have the possibility of doing up to 6 months placement which can be abroad prior to submitting. I have had PhD students who spent time abroad/went home when their lab work etc was done to write up for example. And apme PhDs require ypu to be abroad for an extended periid if doing fieldwork - anthropology/archaeology/geology/zoology etc. It is easier if you are a home student to do this - if you are a tier 4 student visa then there are residency requirements to meet but as long as your supervisor is happy with the arrangments most things are possible - PhDs are a personalized qualification. But some now require some taught component so best check with the university.

Residency is key though as it will impact on the fees - much higher for non-UK students. But usually if funded, the feea wont be your concern! My university covers the shortfall in fees if a UKRI studentship is offered to a non-UK student.

The most important thing is to find a supervisor you can work with.

It is not easy sometimes to identify a project and moat universities will have annual reviews - the first is essentially to check your project does have legs and will make a PhD sized thesis at the end. But as a rule, there is flexibility and if it doesn't look feasible once you start you can pivot.

When you are examined the examiners do not check (usually won't know!) What project you said you were going to do at the start. They just mark what is submitted at the end. Most people understand there needs to be wiggle room and - if it is a staff defined project - opportunity for the student to have some input to the design.

You need a passion for the topic though - a PhD is a qualification in perseverance rather than brilliance and it is hard to do it if you aren't fascinated by the topic.

Why not look at the staff pages of some academics and see what they do research wise. Usually, if a student comes to me with an idea we work on it together to produce a doable, sensibly sized study. And then contact one or more by email saying you are interested in a PhD in a broad or narrow topic and see who replies?

The key criterion for awarding a PhD is that it makes a novel contribution to knowledge so you cannot do something someone else has already done. Google scholar is a good place to look for current research papers to see what has or has not been done and gain ideas for what you could do.

And look on findaphd.com

A lot of European universities pay much better phd salaries than British ones, with much more research funding too, and better access to grant schemes. If you want to go abroad, a phd is an easy way to move with a job in place.

The British Library's Ethos database is a repository of doctoral theses and is a great way to have a look at what finished theses in your subject area can look like.

Pat Thomson's blog is fab and here are the search results for 'gap' which gives you an idea of what you're looking for when identifying a project:
https://patthomson.net/category/gap-spotting/

Well mine works in that I do a lot of depressed staring out of the window, I read about 200 papers, write three sentences and then repeat the cycle.

🤣here in solidarity as I feel the same right now!

Mine is the first type, I came up with my own topic, did a lot of research and found some supervisors who were interested. They helped me put together a proposal for DTP funding in social sciences. Took a good few months to get it all together and then many more months to hear if I'd been successful. Mine doesn't allow me to live outside of NI but it was never going to be an issue anyway. If I could give any advice id say find a supervisor who is kind and who is not "too busy" makes a huge difference in how you progress if they care about you and your mental health