Early career research

Dentistry procedure

Lessons learned from a fellowship year as a dentist and early career researcher

Winning a fellowship as a dentist and spending a year in Graz as an international scholar not only taught me about the profession but also fostered my self-awareness, writes Dániel Végh

Dániel Végh

Semmelweis University

THE podcast graphic

THE podcast: how to be a good mentor and mentee

Contributors from across the globe offer their advice on how to make these critical relationships work for everyone involved

THE Campus contributors

Campus

Illustration of penguin ballooning over sharks, risk and uncertainty concept

An academic’s advice for navigating risk

From publication to grant applications, the rites of academia come with unfavourable odds. Yet researchers are rarely taught how to deal with uncertainty. Here, Yaniv Hanoch offers mitigation strategies

Yaniv Hanoch

University of Southampton

virtual mentoring

How mentor and mentee can help each other

Mentorship is a symbiotic relationship. Here, two scientists look at steps in the meeting process and benefits from both sides

Greta Faccio, Maria Koumouri

Independent academic, University of Cyprus

Mentoring session

Six lessons from facilitating a formalised mentoring programme

An institutional formalised mentoring scheme can offer invaluable career guidance for early- and mid-career academics. Here, based on 15 years of managing a programme for academic staff, Karen Mather offers her key takeaways

Karen Mather

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

Online presence

The benefits of having a web presence as an early career researcher

If you can be easily found online, you’re more likely to raise your research profile, receive media requests, get involved in peer review – or even just get nice emails from the public, writes Ashleigh Johnstone

Ashleigh Johnstone

Arden University

A young woman recording herself presenting on camera

Life after publication: promote your work for maximum impact

Seeing your work in print is by no means the end of the story. Chris Tancock offers advice on how you can make your published work stand out and benefit from the broadest visibility

Christopher Tancock

Elsevier

Person on a tightrope

Pathways to prosperity in casual academia

The journey from adjunct to permanent requires adaptability, foresight and self-awareness. Here, Andrew Stapleton offers tips – such as diversifying skills, strategic branding and mobility – to enhance an academic career

Andrew Stapleton

Independent academic

Advice for academics on developing a personal strategy

As a researcher, you need a personal strategy…could business frameworks help?

Business frameworks could help academic researchers to develop a personal strategy to guide their work

Daniel Moraru

Shizuoka University

railway lit up at sunset

Illuminating the shadowy path to success in academia

Postdocs and early career researchers, do not believe the myths about the route to a stellar academic career, says Andrew Stapleton. Here are better directions to get you and your work noticed

Andrew Stapleton

Independent academic

origami swan, hummingbird, airplane

How to embrace change as a spectrum

In a complex, ever-evolving environment, faculty may need strategies to navigate their fluctuating comfort levels. Here are ways to lean into change – from reflection and curiosity to active participation

LaTrese Ferguson, Rachel Watts, Bryan Harber, Tim Edmonds-King

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Vintage lock and keys

Is open access tarnished?

As open access terms have split into colour-coded brands, not all allow totally unrestricted access and reuse. Among these, “bronze OA” stands out as a potentially damaging misnomer, writes Steven Vidovic

Steven U. Vidovic

University of Southampton

Ntarama church massacre memorial in Rwanda

A case for bringing ethics of friendship and care to academic research

Friendship adds ethical and emotional dimensions that can make research equitable, sensitive, responsive and consequential to local communities, writes Noam Schimmel, based on his experiences in Rwanda

Noam Schimmel

University of California, Berkeley

Man climbing up-and-down graph-like staircase

How to sustain a journal and beat the academic publishing racket

Starting a journal is hard enough – keeping it going is an ongoing challenge. Here’s how to maintain success in academic publishing

James Williams, Asma Mohseni

University of Derby

Two Maori women talking in an office

Decolonising interview methods: a call to look to the moon

The interview process often rests on colonial perceptions of what counts as knowledge, how knowledge is generated and who ‘owns’ it. But researchers can use orienting questions to reflect upon and decentre this approach

Rosalind Edwards, Teah Carlson , Rachel Liebert

University of Southampton, Massey University, University of East London

A young woman expressing disappointment over her work

Six steps to overcoming setbacks and rejection

Rejection is an inevitable part of being an academic, so it is vital to develop strategies to cope with and learn from setbacks in order to succeed in the longer term. Paul A. Walcott shares six such strategies

Paul A. Walcott

The University of the West Indies

Hands typing on a Braille keyboard

What I’ve learned from a decade of working with a disability in academia

Meredith Wilkinson gives her younger self advice on climbing the academic ladder in an able-bodied world, but also calls for greater support for academics with disabilities

Meredith Wilkinson

De Montfort University

A woman looking after her toddler

How to win at the part-time ‘game’ in academia

Higher education might be more accommodating of part-time employment than many private sector organisations, but working part-time comes with challenges. So how can you make a success of part-time working in academia?

Rushana Khusainova, Maria Kukhareva, Rebecca Feasey, Christina Hughes

University of Bristol, University of Bedfordshire, Bath Spa University, Women Space

Group of four multiracial young people in a meeting

A DIY guide to starting your own journal

An antidote to frustrations with traditional academic publishing might be to launch a grass-roots open-access journal. Here are the steps to consider

Judith Johnson

University of Leeds

Focus on hands of man presenting at conference

Tips for sharing research findings with diverse audiences

Research impact depends on researchers’ ability to reach the right ears and present content in the right format. Here’s how to tailor your communication – whether for policymakers, peers or the general public

Mohammed Al-Bahrani

Al-Mustaqbal University

Networking for academics

The how and why of building a network in higher education

Sandy Jones gives advice to her 22-year-old self on the value of networking and how to get started – despite not owning a single high heel

Sandy Jones

Colorado State University Global

fish jumping out of one bowl and into another, career change

How to find personal fulfilment after being a scientist

Academia encourages experimentation and innovative thinking. Why not apply these skills to finding a more satisfying job? Greta Faccio explains how she hit on her hybrid solution

Greta Faccio

Independent academic

Woman using AI to aid research

Three ways to leverage ChatGPT and other generative AI in research

A guide to three key uses of generative AI tools like ChatGPT in developing and enhancing research

Daswin De Silva, Mona El-Ayoubi

La Trobe University

A team of colleagues celebrating a work success

How to find passion in your work – and sustain it

A simple strategy to sustain passion and enthusiasm for your work by keeping big dreams in view while celebrating each small step

Eleanor Cook

University of Exeter

Online academic research with Google Scholar

Three ways to make the most of Google Scholar’s ExCITATION plug-in

Luca Cacciolatti explains how to use Google’s ExCITATION journal-ranking tool, which can help researchers quickly identify relevant and high-quality sources

Luca Cacciolatti

University of Westminster

Woman academic working at her laptop

Ten tips to succeed in publishing in English as a second language

English is now selected five times as often as the authors’ national language for journal article publication. Christopher Tancock explains how you can get published even if English is not your first language

Christopher Tancock

Elsevier

How a PhD can put their skills to use in a workplace

The confidence trick: impostor syndrome and PhDs in the non-academic world

Researchers have a great deal to offer the world beyond academia. But, as John Miles writes, knowing where and when to deploy these skills is crucial

John Miles

Inkpath

PhD at university needs to be more practical

Bridging the gap: how to enhance PhD programmes for non-academic careers

As more PhD students express interest in non-academic career paths, it’s essential to evaluate the relevance of traditional PhD programmes for alternative opportunities

Dennis Relojo-Howell

The University of Edinburgh

Illustration of young woman with tangled arrows representing decisions above her head

One thing at a time: tips for making decisions

Academic life is rife with everyday choices that can sap your bandwidth. Here’s why this is exhausting and how to ease the load

Yaniv Hanoch

University of Southampton

A phone showing key social icons with notifications

Making the most of social media: practical tips for academics

A guide for academics to using social media as a powerful tool to share and amplify their work and build professional networks, by David Riley

David Riley

The University of the West Indies

Group activities can help HDR student belonging

We must help HDR students experience a sense of community and belonging

A University of Adelaide team on what can be done to enhance community for higher degree by research students and how to ensure they see this culture from the outside

Multiple authors

The University of Adelaide

Books and papers piled around an empty notepad with a pencil poised to write

Making the abstract concrete

Strategies for writing effective abstracts for conference and research papers

Steven Bateman, Yingchun Li

Xi’an Jiaotong - Liverpool University

Two colleagues speaking to one another by a computer

A mentoring scheme for graduate teaching assistants

How to shape a mentoring scheme to help graduate teaching assistants develop their instructional practice and gain professional qualifications

Thomas Rodgers, Claudia E Henninger

University of Manchester

A reading through a book manuscript

How to pitch a book to an academic publisher

Key considerations for researchers when choosing an academic publisher and preparing their pitch

Victoria Pittman

University of Bristol

Assignment paper with a C-plus grade and 'satisfactory' comment

How the idea of ‘excellence’ can be misleading in higher education

A new approach to achievement could see a focus on As give way to a suite of mastery that meets students’ needs – and helps faculty balance expectations, writes Michael Dennin

Michael Dennin

University of California, Irvine

Image of someone typing into a laptop with multi-coloured streams firing out of it

Three ways to refresh your academic writing

To answer the common question posed by researchers, ‘how can I improve my academic writing?’, Anne Wilson outlines three simple steps that can help

Anne Wilson

Royal Literary Fund

Proud speaker

Narrating failure in academia: how to turn trash into treasure

Instead of hiding from failure in shame and despair, and on the way to normalising it, we should learn how to better narrate it, says Lucas Lixinski

Lucas Lixinski

UNSW Sydney

Normalised failure depicted in a baby bird learning to fly

Lead by example and share your failures

Rejection is part of academic life. Leaders should share their own stories of failure to help others through theirs, says Tracy Nevatte

Tracy Nevatte

Keele University

Individual writing in a notepad with phone and ipad set aside

Silence is golden when you ‘shut up and write’ together

How to build a supportive community of practice and peer learning through the simple practice of meeting online to ‘shut up and write’

Kelly Louise Preece, Jo Sutherst

University of Exeter

Rubber duck dodging an obstacle

Failing your way to academic success

Failure offers students and educators a chance to explore their shortcomings and come to greater self-awareness. In fact, it can be seen as growth in disguise, write Kelvin Yihang Zhang and Kim Yong Joong

Kelvin Yihang Zhang, Kim Yong Joong

Macau University of Science and Technology

Film slate for a television documentary written by an academic

Don’t touch that dial: how to pitch and write for broadcast

Don’t be afraid to rework your scholarship for a mass audience. Find the narrative in your research and build relationships with commissioning editors, says Matthew Flinders

Matthew Flinders

University of Sheffield

Triple-write ice cream cones

Stretch your work further by ‘triple writing’

Rewriting your research to serve different purposes and to reach different audiences can lead to new opportunities. And it’s fun, says Matthew Flinders

Matthew Flinders

University of Sheffield

Young woman looks to horizon with binoculars

Towards 2035: a future view of university education

What will higher education be like by 2035? Four early-career academics at Australian universities, from different discipline areas, offer a vision of how universities might evolve and adapt to future technologies and workplace demands

Isaac Akefe, Lauren Carpenter, Graham Lee, Jessica Leonard

The University of Queensland , Queensland University of Technology

View of Stockholm

I moved to Sweden as an early career researcher – here’s what I learned

The pursuit of an academic career can mean moving to a different country. Here, Federica Di Biase shares lessons for early-career researchers who want to move to Sweden or have already done so

Federica Di Biase

University of Salerno , University of Naples Federico II

professional woman in office with laptop with head in hands

How to use failure to build an academic career

Failure can be a stepping stone on the way to professional success. Here, Beiting He offers tips for finding support through setbacks and cultivating a resilience mindset

Beiting He

Macau University of Science and Technology

Colleagues laughing and having a chat over coffee

Good daily work habits for early career researchers

A collection of good daily work habits that will help early career researchers flourish, based on insight from a number of academics

Kelly Louise Preece

University of Exeter

Illustration of man at laptop surrounded by graphic elements

Creating an impactful visual abstract with no design experience

The basic principles of design offer guidelines for creating a scientific visual abstract. This guide will take you from blank space to eye-catching, easy-to-understand graphic

Lipsa Panda

Elsevier

medical expert giving presentation

Work like a scientist, don’t sound like one

A pitch or presentation is not a full paper – and squeezing in too much detail will only alienate your audience. Here are four tips to make your research easy to understand in any context

Philipp Gramlich

NaturalScience.Careers

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

THE podcast: academia and activism

Three academics share their experiences of using their research and teaching for social justice aims

Colette Cann, Eric DeMeulenaere, John McKendrick

University of San Francisco, Clark University, Glasgow Caledonian University

Writing an abstract concept illustration funnel and laptop

Read this before you write your abstract

The abstract is arguably the most important element of a scholarly article, so it should be informative, meaningful and impactful. Michael Willis gives two objectives, and practical tips, to keep in mind

Michael Willis

Wiley