You have to get all of the eBooks in a single walk through. Missing out on any of them at any particular stage will make you ineligible for the achievement.
Doctorate is one of the hardest achievements in Deus Ex: Human
Revolution. You know why ? because it’s a collectible achievement and
requires you to collect 29 unique XP books that are scattered
throughout the cities you will visit in Deus Ex: Human Revolution and
you need to collect all these books in a single playthrough.
Sarif HQ
XP E-Book #1 Location. Look for this Unique XP Book on Pritchard’s
desk in his office.
XP E-Book #2 Location. Search Office 25 that belongs to Mika Pine on
the second floor, it is on the same floor as Pritchard’s office.
Again, it can be found on office desk. Hack the door or use the code
4145 to get in.
XP E-Book #3 Location. Look for it in office 27, it is right next to
office 25. You can either hack to get in or use the vent from the
neighboring office.
Sarif Manufacturing
There are two ebook that you can grab here and you have to grab them
before entering the aircraft. Make sure you rescue all the hostages
and then speak to the women ‘Josie Thorpe’ and her husband. (Women
held by Zeke) Her husband will give you this quest to retrieve these
two ebooks.
XP E-Book #4 Location. You will encounter an automated turret in the
hall. Go to the room at the end of this hall and you should find in
under cardboard boxes.
XP E-Book #5 Location. It is lying on the desk in the left corner of
the room in which encounter Zeke. You should get it before you
encounter Zeke.
Detroit City (First Visit)
There are total 6 ebooks that you can find in Detroit and you can find
them in any order.
XP E-Book #6 Location. Look for it on the dresser
in Jensen’s room, by his bed.
XP E-Book #7 Location. In the Detroit City Police Station morgue, look
for it on the coroner’s desk.
XP E-Book #8 Location. It is on the desk of the weapon dealer –
Seurat. You can find this XP book on the desk by his bed. You will
have to break into his apartment using a Window.
XP E-Book #9 Location. First go to the ‘Downtown Apartments’ area. You
should enter it through a locked gate which you can open by entering
’0002′ pass code. On the second floor, there is a level 5 locked door
which you can either hack or enter code 2356 to enter. Inside it is
another level 2 door which you can hack or enter code 8221 to enter.
You will find XP book is lying by the desk, once you are inside.
XP E-Book #10 Location. Take ‘One Good Turn Deserves Another’ side
quest and enter Greg Thorpe’s apartment. Look for the XP Book on
cabinet next to his bed.
XP E-Book #11 Location. Look for this XP Book on a barrel inside
Derelict Row interior area.
FEMA Camp
XP E-Book #12 Location. Head south from the detention block in the
FEMA Camp. You should find a locked room past the canteen on floor 4.
Ebook is lying on the desk inside.
Shanghai City
XP E-Book #13 Location. Look for this XP Book inside The Hive in Bobby
Bao’s office which is on the first floor. It’s a restricted area so
you will need to use all your stealth to reach there.
XP E-Book #14 Location. Another XP E-book that you can find in The
Hive. This time you will need to search Tong’s office that is located
in the basement. To get inside, you will need to persuade Tong at the
club bar. Make sure you save the game here since it may require
multiple attempts.
XP E-Book #15 Location. Before you enter into Van Bruggen’s office,
take a left of the main entrance and you will come across a locked
room. You can hack this room to reach a unique XP E-book inside that
is lying on the kitchen counter. There are two guards on duty here and
the room is just behind them.
XP E-Book #16 Location. For this XP Book, you need to go to Youzhao
District. Go to the Downtown Apartments, climb up the rooftop using
the ladders. You will see a rooftop opening, get inside the building
on the second floor to the locked room with an NPC working on his
computer desk. The ebook is on his computer desk.
XP E-Book #17 Location. From the rooftops of Downtown Apartments, head
north into the apartment. There is a women looking over the walkaway,
the apartment is beyond where she stands. As you enter this locked
apartment, you will notice this XP Book.
XP E-Book #18 Location. Finally, search the Alice Gardens Pods area
for XP Book. Go to the second floor, and look for the pod number 143.
The ebook is sitting tight on it.
Lower Tai Yong Medical
XP E-Book #19 Location. Take yourself to the highest level of the
Pangu and look for this ebook just before you enter into the elevator.
You should notice a vent up on the wall – stack the boxes nearby to
reach the vent and you should find this ebook next to to a dead body.
He died reading, YEAH!
Upper Tai Yong Medical
XP E-Book #20 Location. Once you are in the upper area (TOP), find
‘Lee Geng Memorial Laboratory’. You will find the XP book on a low
cabinet shelf that is lying in the middle of the room.
XP E-Book #21 Location. From Hangar, head to the southwest corner of
the security room before you make your escape. This XP book is lying
on a desk inside that room. So make sure you get it before you run
away.
Picus
XP E-Book #22 Location. You will find this XP Book as you escape using
the elevator. Take the vent next to hand sculpture and drop down to
head into the room in the corner. There is a desk inside that room and
the book is lying over it begging you to get her.
XP E-Book #23 Location. Before heading down the basement, enter the
side room there. You will find this XP Book inside. It’s second floor
and you can easily spot the book as you enter the room.
Harvester Hideout
XP E-Book #24 Location. To get this XP Book, you need to enter the
lowest level of the Harvester Hideout and enter the autopsy room. It’s
on a desk.
Detroit (Second Visit)
XP E-Book #25 Location. Go to the backstage of the Convention Center.
You will find the security guards watching TV which makes it easy for
you to sneak past them and retrieve this ebook lying in the corner of
this room.
XP E-Book #26 Location. When you confront Sandoval, Search his desk
for this XP Book.
XP E-Book #27 Location. Go to the LIMB Clinic and go the section of
clinic where Augmentations are performed. The XP book is lying on a
stand. Get it!
Omega Ranch
XP E-Book #28 Location. Second floor, cold storage room. Look for this
XP Book next to the elevator.
XP E-Book #29 Location. Once you have defeated Namir, Hack her safe to
get the last ebook.
Best Answer
According to this guide:
I also found that the author of the guide had the same problem, albeit on another level: