1.4K posts analyzed Updated Sep 2026
Averages 46 posts/day, top 5% activity. Most active Wednesdays around 4 PM UTC. Mostly text posts (91%).
r/PhD Traffic & Engagement r/PhD Traffic & Engagement
Volume and engagement over time Posting volume and engagement over time
Post Format
Upvote Distribution
How upvoted posts perform Only posts with 2+ upvotes. The bands below show how those posts are spread by upvote count.
r/PhD Most Active Times When r/PhD Is Most Active
Peak posting by day and hour (UTC) When this community posts most, by day and hour (UTC)
Most Active by Day
r/PhD Flair Performance r/PhD Flair Performance
Upvotes and volume by flair Average upvotes and post volume by flair
| Flair | Posts | Upvotes |
|---|---|---|
| Seeking advice-academic | 441 (32.2%) | 13 |
| Seeking advice-personal | 285 (20.8%) | 22 |
| Vent (NO ADVICE) | 104 (7.6%) | 105 |
| Big Decision Energy | 103 (7.5%) | 19 |
| Getting Shit Done | 90 (6.6%) | 118 |
| Admissions | 61 (4.4%) | 1 |
| Resource sharing | 43 (3.1%) | 9 |
| Seeking advice-social | 41 (3.0%) | 16 |
| 🐸 🎉FROG TIME🎉🐸 | 40 (2.9%) | 385 |
| Publishing Woes | 34 (2.5%) | 74 |
Post Type Breakdown
Share by text, image, or link Share of posts by format: text, image, or link
r/PhD Trending Keywords Trending Keywords in r/PhD
Ranked by how often they appear Title keywords ranked by how often they appear
| Keyword | Mentions ▼ | Upvotes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| phd | 521 (38.0%) | 36 | 16 |
| research | 92 (6.7%) | 87 | 15 |
| advice | 64 (4.7%) | 11 | 8 |
| student | 62 (4.5%) | 20 | 13 |
| year | 51 (3.7%) | 42 | 13 |
| paper | 46 (3.4%) | 85 | 24 |
| advisor | 45 (3.3%) | 47 | 17 |
| feel | 45 (3.3%) | 56 | 15 |
| supervisor | 43 (3.1%) | 100 | 18 |
| anyone | 40 (2.9%) | 36 | 13 |
r/PhD Mentioned Domains Mentioned Domains in r/PhD
Most linked sites Most linked sites in this subreddit
This community doesn't link off-site.
Its posts are text, images, or discussion rather than outbound links.
r/PhD Top Posts Top Performing Posts in r/PhD
Highest-performing posts Highest-performing posts. Each title links to Reddit.
Never give your unpublished data or research ideas to AI models!
Put on my big girls pants and told my supervisor that I need a break because my mental health is in the toilet. With all the horror stories we hear about supervisors, I just wanna take a minute to big mine up and open a space for appreciation of the good ones.
It is with great pleasure to announce I have passed my PhD viva
I am now the kind of doctor who is useless in medical emergencies
7 PhDs; now I understood why he is always angry.
Modest personal milestone: 100 citations!
Passed. Sláinte!
Now what?
Today I watched my advisor copy paste my manuscript into ChatGPT and ask “how long is this paper” to get the word count… instead of just using the word count tool
Rarest sight in academia (research article based on mol bio on a journal with IF>4).
r/PhD Audience Overlap r/PhD Subreddit Overlap & Related Communities
Overlapping audiences Communities with overlapping audiences
r/PhD FAQ Frequently Asked Questions About r/PhD
What's the best time to post on r/PhD?
Based on posting volume, r/PhD is most active on Wednesdays around 4 PM UTC. That window has the most community activity, but busier hours also mean more competition for attention.
How active is r/PhD?
r/PhD averages 46 posts per day and ranks in the top 5% for activity among tracked SFW subreddits.
How many upvotes do posts on r/PhD get?
Posts on r/PhD average about 55 upvotes this month (net score per post).
What kind of posts does r/PhD get most?
On r/PhD, most posts are text posts (91%)