Professional advice for early career researchers (ECRs) - from PhD students to postdocs and those vying for early faculty roles – alongside tips for those who manage ECRs. Find insight to support academic career development and protect well-being from higher education peers around the world. Our contributors provide guides on writing, presenting, getting published, time management, mental health, networking and much more.

Early career research

The integration of Scientific Students’ Associations (SSA) and PhD programmes is a key factor in giving future medical doctors and other healthcare professionals a solid methodological and theoretical background in research. The SSA helps students build foundational skills and foster a passion for enquiry. For those who progress to the PhD programme, this early experience in research equips them with the tools and knowledge needed to conduct independent studies at a higher level.Bringing these two pathways together gives students opportunities for mentorship, transdisciplinary collaboration and a focus on translational medicine, as well as skills in academic writing and research methodology.&nbsp;The role of the Scientific Students’ Associations in Hungarian university cultureThe SSA at Semmelweis University plays a crucial role in shaping the academic journey of students. These associations, integral to Hungarian university culture, provide a platform for students to engage in research and academic activities beyond the classroom. From undergraduate to graduate students, participation in the SSA – including in research conferences and autonomous research projects – is an opportunity to develop critical thinking, research skills and intellectual curiosity.How to succeed as an early career researcher? Be motivated and inspire othersHow to transition from a student to a researcher mindsetAdvice for intercultural communication between PhD supervisors and candidatesSSA members are encouraged to lead their own research initiatives with guidance from faculty rather than direct oversight. This autonomy in research cultivates independence, creativity and the confidence to explore new ideas. A key strength of the SSA is its emphasis on interdisciplinary research. Students are encouraged to collaborate across disciplines, tackling complex problems with diverse perspectives. This interdisciplinary approach broadens students’ academic horizons and prepares them to work in multidisciplinary teams, which is essential for success in healthcare and medical science.The SSA also creates a sense of community among students. By collaborating with peers from other departments, students benefit from a network of support that fosters intellectual exchange, idea-sharing and a sense of academic camaraderie. The SSA ensures that students are not only prepared to excel in their individual fields but also equipped to contribute to the global scientific community.Building research skills and leadership through the PhD programmeThe PhD programme is designed to equip students with the skills needed to conduct original research and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their chosen fields. Unlike typical graduate programmes, however, the focus of the PhD at Semmelweis University is not just academic learning but the development of independent researchers capable of addressing real-world challenges in healthcare.Of the university’s roughly 1,200 PhD students, 15 per cent are international students. This diverse community brings a wealth of perspectives to the research environment, enriching the academic experience and fostering global collaborations. PhD students are encouraged to explore innovative research methodologies, question existing knowledge and discover new solutions. This hands-on approach to research ensures that graduates are not just knowledgeable in theory but also skilled in translating ideas into tangible outcomes.A distinctive feature of the programme is its personalised mentorship. Each PhD candidate is paired with either one or two mentors who provide guidance not only on research but also on professional development. Mentors assist students in publishing research, presenting at conferences and navigating the academic landscape. This support system ensures that students are well prepared for careers in academia or industry or in healthcare leadership.Another important focus is translational medicine. By fostering an environment where scientific discoveries are directly connected to patient care, the university prepares its students to become leaders in medical research and healthcare innovation.&nbsp;Integration of SSA and PhD trainingA strong academic culture facilitates the transition from SSA to PhD; faculty mentors provide continuous support throughout a student’s academic journey. PhD students with SSA experience are often better prepared for the challenges of independent research, having already developed skills in academic writing, research methodology and collaboration with peers and faculty. PhD students are often involved as co-tutors in mentoring SSA students, enabling them to practise skills in management of a scientific project. Furthermore, the collaboration with PhD students may also facilitate the SSA students to continue their research in a PhD programme.This integration also creates a sense of continuity in the development of students, ensuring that they build upon their research skills and intellectual abilities throughout their academic careers. The SSA prepares students for the rigours of the PhD programme, while the PhD programme allows them to expand their expertise, fostering the next generation of leaders in healthcare and science.Zoltán Benyó is director of the Institute of Translational Medicine and president of the Doctoral Council; and Attila Szijártó is director of the department of surgery, transplantation and gastroenterology, and director of the Scientific Students’ Association Council, both at Semmelweis University, Budapest.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

A pathway from PhD preparation to healthcare leadership

A foundational pathway that nurtures future leaders in healthcare and scientific innovation produces students who are not only ready for their PhD journey but emerge as skilled professionals and researchers, write Zoltán Benyó and Attila Szijártó

Beyond the classroom: from PhD preparation to leadership

A literature review discusses the existing research on your area of interest and examines how it relates to your work. It is also where you first detail current gaps in your subject’s research before identifying how yours exploits these to create new knowledge.I usually include both similar and opposing pieces of current research in my literature reviews to present a balanced picture of what has (or hasn’t) already been done in my general field, as well as in my specific research area. Here are three steps I’ve found useful when writing my literature reviews.Searching for relevant papersLook for papers relevant to your research on subject-specific websites (use sites such as PubMed, Scopus or ScienceDirect for the sciences, for example). If the book or journal you need isn’t covered in your institution’s repository, there may be other options available to you. For example, the University of the West Indies has an inter-campus library loan system, where librarians can request access to specific journals or books that are held at a different campus. Check with your institution to see if it has similar arrangements with other colleges or universities.If you have colleagues at other institutions with whom you’ve worked on similar research questions in the past, think about including their research in your literature review. Relevant and reciprocal citing helps strengthen cross-institutional collaboration. Similarly, if you have a particular journal in mind to submit your paper to, see if its editors have done any related research in your area and cite their work as well.For a bibliometric analysis of your research topics, it’s worth using online tools such as VOSviewer or Connected Papers to discover related papers in a visual format, such as a graph or map. You can search by keyword or by another identifier (such as author, DOI or paper title) and complete a bibliometric network analysis by citations, journals or authorship filters. These tools also offer text-mining features that can be used to build and depict networks where important terms co-occur throughout a collection of scientific literature, as well as illustrate research gaps.Spotlight: Academic publishing today: what you need to knowHow to pitch a book to an academic publisherAre you ready to publish? Top tips on how to prepare your manuscriptReading and summarising papersUse abstracts to quickly determine the relevance of the papers you’ve found to your work. A paper’s abstract summarises every part of a study (the research question, rationale, methods and results) in one or two sentences each. Critically analyse the abstract section of each paper and determine its relevance. Remember, the paper doesn’t have to align perfectly with your findings; factors such as participant demographics, methods and analytical techniques can all come in to play to present a well-rounded view of existing research.&nbsp;Having read the abstract and determined that the paper might be relevant, now you can read the rest. This doesn’t have to be daunting, nor do you have to read the paper word-for-word because this can cause anxiety around “wasted” time. Use speed-reading techniques or a modified version of the SQ3R© Method (survey, question, read, recite and review). This involves scanning the paper, noting sub-headings, prioritising reading important sections such as the results and discussion and taking notes in your own words before reviewing what you’ve written for accuracy and clarity. Always acknowledge which paper something was cited in if you didn’t actually read it yourself.Additionally, if you’re trying to find important information that you’ve read “somewhere”, but can’t remember exactly where, the Paperpal artificial intelligence tool can help you. Ask it a question, get answers based on the article’s content and be pointed directly to that section in the paper. Paperpal can also generate literature synthesis from your notes or summaries and turn it into an outline for your review.Making literature libraries&nbsp;Gone are the days of tedious manual referencing! Instead, you can use digital referencing tools to create databases for your cited papers and even those you’re unsure about. You can use reference management software such as EndNote or Zotero with their cite-as-you-write feature that integrates into your Word document and generates a reference in your preferred citation format.&nbsp;Whatever system you choose, you should include the basics of the papers you intend to reference, namely:&nbsp;Author/sYear of publicationTitleJournal, including volume and issue numberPage numbers, including supplementals where appropriateDOI (if available).The literature review is a critical section of your paper where you set the scene for your study’s findings within the context of past and or current research. By following the steps above, you can be sure that yours is well researched and accurate, whatever your subject area.Natalie K. D. Seedan is sports sciences laboratory technician and part-time lecturer at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Streamline the literature review process with these tips

Ways to make the research, reading and referencing processes smooth

With more generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools and software being developed or improved upon daily, higher education professionals who don’t use this technology appropriately risk being left behind. Here are seven AI tools that you can use in your research, teaching and learning:1. Idea generation with Gemini&nbsp;Gemini is Google’s version of ChatGPT and can be used to generate research ideas and questions. You should experiment with different prompts related to framing your research question, because how you ask the questions can dictate the quality of the tool’s response.&nbsp;For instance, the following two, similar, but different prompts, produce different results. Prompt one: “Could you help me frame a research paper using the following statement: how do negative experiences of sports in childhood impact on participation in sports in later life?” Prompt two: “Could you help me frame a research paper using the following statement: How does lack of physical literacy knowledge in childhood relate to sports participation in adulthood?” For each prompt, Gemini will give you different research objectives, literature review suggestions and methodology options.While the underlying idea behind the prompts is similar (i.e., the comparison of sports participation in childhood versus later in life), we are investigating distinct factors impacting it (e.g., negative early experiences in sport versus lack of physical literacy).&nbsp;A word of caution: when Gemini can’t find an answer in its databanks, it might hallucinate information, including references. Therefore, it’s important to double-check cited material for accuracy.2. Research assistance with ElicitElicit finds papers relevant to your research question and provides summaries of the top papers related to your query. Type in your keywords of interest and then filter results by criteria such as relevancy or title. Elicit also enables bulk imports per research topic into your chosen reference management software.3. Data analysis with Julius AI&nbsp;Julius uses the power of computational AI to help you analyse your research data. Import your data and prompt the tool to help you extract meaningful insights. For instance, if you have a research study with “before” and “after” data and you would like to perform a paired-samples t-test, input the prompt, “Perform a paired t-test on the ‘before score’ and ‘after score’ columns”. Julius will then provide your p-value for that dataset.You can also use Julius to customise your graphs, tables and charts, clean your data quickly and accurately or scan-and-solve mathematics, chemistry and physics problems.4. Teaching assistance with Learnt AI &nbsp;Use this tool to handle teaching tasks ranging from lesson designing and objective setting to games-based assessments planned to encourage in-class participation.&nbsp;For example, select the “AI-Resistant Assignments” tool that allows you to create tasks that are designed to be resistant to solutions by AI tools, type in your topic and the age of your students before entering a simple prompt that aligns with a desired learning outcome, such as, “To explain blood pressure responses to aerobic versus isometric exercise”. Then, hit the “generate” button and the top two or three ideas will be listed. In this example, the students can choose between the following two options: designing and conducting a small group experiment to investigate these differences or writing a reflective essay integrating:&nbsp;Their personal experiences with both exercise types&nbsp;Analysis of how these experiences align with or diverge from scientific literature on the topicApplication of this new knowledge to demonstrate how they will alter their future exercise design.5. AI content detection with ZeroGPT &nbsp;Upload your students’ assignment files to this tool to identify content generated by AI. ZeroGPT boasts high accuracy and multiple file upload capacity and automatically generates reports at the end of every detection. Each AI-written sentence will be selected, and a gauge with the percentage of AI text will be displayed.Resources on GenAI use in higher educationAssessing the GenAI process, not the outputSpotlight guide: Bringing GenAI into the university classroom6. RSS feed reader with Feedly &nbsp;Rather than scrolling on social media, scroll through the latest research articles in your field instead with Feedly. You can create a customised research “for you” page, using Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, a web tool that allows users to follow and track changes on their favourite scholarly websites that are related to their area(s) of interest.Any original articles that are published in the journals that you follow and that are relevant to your work come straight to your “for you” page. The free version can help you stay up-to-date with articles for one research project, which is ideal for PhD study, but you can choose to upgrade to a paid plan if you are a principal investigator who has multiple ongoing projects.&nbsp;7. Mindmapping with Heuristica&nbsp;If you or your students are visual learners or thinkers, you can use Heuristica’s AI technology to create mind and concept maps quickly and easily. This tool can help you better understand your thoughts about a particular topic and aids in information retention or idea generation.The use of a mixture of AI tools as a supplement (and not a substitute) to your practice will enable you to drive research and improve your teaching.Natalie K.D. Seedan is a sports sciences laboratory technician and part-time lecturer at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Seven AI tools you should be using as an academic

AI can assist with idea generation, data analysis and mind-mapping, among others. Here are some tools that should be on any academic’s radar

Here are seven AI tools you should be using for your teaching and research 

Piles of books covering all available desk, floor and chair space. Scribbled pages of notes whose meanings are only decipherable to graphologists. Numerous tabs open on my creaking laptop. Word files with names like “to go in”, “new structure November”, “newest structure November”, “Final draft”,&nbsp; “To submit” and “To submit FINAL”.For me, academic writing equals chaos, and the bigger the project, the more chaotic it is. I wish it were different, I really do, but 10 books and dozens of articles deep into my academic writing “career”, I fear the die may be cast. So, on I go.&nbsp;Why? Because at the end of all the disarray, the final draft goes into the “sent” file of your emails and there is the payoff. The pleasure of opening the box with your&nbsp;books inside. The chapter you proudly post on LinkedIn with “I did a thing” written under it. And aside from personal satisfaction, the benefits of publishing your work can include recognition, career advancement and contribution to your field.&nbsp;Spotlight guide: What you need to know about academic publishing today&nbsp;THE podcast: pointers on writing and publishing for academicsAnatomy of an academic book proposalAlong the way I’ve learned a few things that have helped me get to that delicious payoff (relatively) intact. And here they are.1. Think ‘eggs and baskets’ when it comes to big projectsHaving something else on the go at the same time has always helped me when I am tackling longer pieces of writing; smaller projects serve as palate cleansers between the entrée and the main course. These can range from articles like this one, or something for general-interest websites, magazines or newspapers, or coming up with new article, chapter or book ideas, even if they don’t end up going anywhere. Doing this has always made me feel that the current book isn’t the absolute centre of my universe, and putting it into perspective takes a lot of the pressure off. Just make sure you don’t take on too much at once, or the pressure will increase. You don’t want to end up drowning in a mess of deadlines and regret.&nbsp;2. Don’t suffer in silence&nbsp;As an academic, I’m full of good advice. I tell my students to stay well hydrated, avoid leaving things to the last minute, and learn to accept rejection as part of the publishing process without taking it personally.&nbsp;What I’m not&nbsp;good at is following my own advice. So, ashamed as I am to admit it (especially in black and white), I’m often guilty of doing the opposite of what I espouse. However, one area where I most certainly do practise what I preach (these days, at least) is when I tell the students that the worst thing they can do when they’re struggling with a project is to suffer in silence.&nbsp;We’ve all been there, staring at the screen day after day, unable even to get words&nbsp;to make sense, let alone our ideas. Then, over a cup of tea, we get chatting to a friend and the conversation turns to what we’re working on. If we resist the urge to respond to questions with: “Ah, nothing much”, “Ugh – I don’t want to talk about it”, or “I don’t want to bore you” and start talking&nbsp;over the idea, a strange alchemy occurs where it all starts to make sense again.&nbsp;This, I think, is because we stop trying to be intellectual heavyweights and start talking in plain English again, describing the nuts and bolts of the idea without frills or fluff so our friend doesn’t get bored or confused. And, in doing so, we reconnect with the idea, hit the “reset” button, and remember why we wanted to write it in the first place.&nbsp;One caveat is to choose your audience carefully. New ideas can be fragile – you want a supportively critical friend who won’t derail your efforts.3. Love what you doThe advice to love your writing, or your process, sounds almost ridiculously obvious, but I think it’s the most important point of the three. Something I say to my dissertation students from my seemingly bottomless pool of wisdom is that when they’re deciding on their project idea, they need to be head over heels in love with it. And if they’re not, they should think of something else.With all the goodwill in the world, if we spend enough time with a project, we’ll end up resenting it. And the less love we had for it when we started, the larger the resentment will be when we finish grinding out the words and cursing ourselves for taking on this torment.&nbsp;OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration (maybe), but I’m a firm believer that we do our best work when we’re enthusiastic and energised, not when we’re world-weary and deflated. So, the pressure of publishing notwithstanding, if the project doesn’t feel right when you’re designing it, pitching it or signing that contract, then you’re setting yourself up for very difficult months.So, yes, academic writing can seem like an unrewarding experience at times. It can be something we feel we have&nbsp;to do rather than want&nbsp;to, but with a bit of organisation, support and enthusiasm, you will finish your project and reap the rewards.&nbsp;Glenn Fosbraey&nbsp;is the associate dean of humanities and social sciences at the University of Winchester. His next book,&nbsp;Reading Song Lyrics: An Interdisciplinary and Multimodal Approach&nbsp;(Anthem),&nbsp;is due out in August.If you’d like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

If you are stalled in your latest writing project, Glenn Fosbraey shares three tips for breaking through blocks, getting organised and finishing the final draft

‘Academic writing equals chaos’

Early career research can be challenging but extremely rewarding. Trust me, I’ve been there. This experience has allowed me to hone several strategies for building meaningful connections and ensuring my work creates a lasting impact. Remember, the journey from student to researcher is yours to shape. Here is how to embrace it boldly!Devise an all-encompassing career planAn effective career plan is essential. To achieve this, lay out your goals in clear, workable steps divided into short-term, medium and long-term. Three questions I always ask myself are:&nbsp;What change do I need to see in the next three months?Is this possible to achieve in the next three months, and, if so, how?Where do I see myself in 10 years?Some relevant goal examples include publishing articles or acquiring new research-related skills.Build resilienceA research career is filled with setbacks. However, rejected papers, unfruitful experiments and funding gaps are all part of the learning process. Accept that and reflect on them to identify areas where you need to improve and gaps in your skills.&nbsp;Part of building resilience includes stress management. Take regular breaks, exercise and engage in hobbies outside research. This will help you recognise that your well-being is paramount for your long-term success. Every morning, I dedicate 10 minutes to mindful breathing and reflection. This has helped me start my day with focus and clarity. I also practise mindful commuting. While taking public transport or walking, I focus on my surroundings rather than upcoming tasks. I might notice the sound of birds, the warmth of the sun or the rhythm of my footsteps.&nbsp; This helps me shift my mind away from work tasks and towards the present moment, creating a sense of calm that grounds and mentally prepares me for the day.&nbsp;Setting boundaries has also been crucial in my work-life balance. To prevent burnout, I have a hard stop at 7pm and ensure that I reserve evenings for family time and hobbies. I reinforce this boundary by turning off email notifications and stepping away from my workspace. This mental separation signals the end of the workday and helps me avoid the temptation to “just check one more thing”. It’s also important to allocate specific blocks of time in your schedule for focused work. For instance, I reserve two-hour blocks in the morning for work such as writing or data analysis. During this time, I silence my notifications and avoid meetings. This balances my workflow and helps me make significant progress in my work.&nbsp;Advice for early career researchersIs your academic career cleared for take-off?An academic’s guide to BlueskyCommit to continuous learningAn early career researcher must commit to continuous learning to update their technical skills and stay informed about emerging methodologies and developments in their field.Keep an eye out for relevant workshops, seminars and other academic events relevant to your field. Also, explore interdisciplinary opportunities, combining your research focus with emerging fields and technologies such as artificial intelligence, sustainability or policy analysis to future-proof your career. This could also provide insights for your research and offer new avenues to explore. The most groundbreaking discoveries often lie at the intersection of disciplines.&nbsp;Conducting research is inherently challenging and requires adaptability. Welcome feedback from others and adjust your way of working as needed.Active participation in academic responsibilitiesTeaching has helped me develop confidence that has served me when presenting at conferences and networking with professionals. It has also reinforced my learning in my subject area.&nbsp;Teaching diverse students with varied cultural backgrounds and learning needs can help you develop skills to create inclusive learning environments.Developing a professional support networkFor me, networking is about forming meaningful connections that support your growth and amplify your visibility. I remember sharing my research insights in a LinkedIn post on international business expansion. It not only sparked discussion among peers but led to an invitation for collaboration on a research project. It was also a reminder for me that you don’t need to rely solely on formal recognition to increase your visibility and reputation. You can create opportunities by proactively showcasing your achievements.&nbsp;At research conferences, instead of attending back-to-back sessions, I focus on connecting with a few key speakers or attendees whose work aligns with mine. At one of the doctoral symposiums, I made it a point to speak to a keynote speaker whose research complemented my dissertation topic. That one conversation has led to a mentoring relationship and helped me gain critical feedback on my research approach. This experience reinforced the importance of prioritising quality connections over quantity.I believe in building relationships that provide ongoing support and facilitate the exchange of ideas. The best part of having these kinds of people around is that you can bounce ideas off them. The PhD adventure is not an easy ride, so having folks who “get it” will make all the difference. You'll share, learn and grow together, and it makes the whole journey a little less lonely.The above strategies will help PhD students develop a vigorous research mindset that strives towards new knowledge, skills and resilience. This approach will not only help in your individual growth but help you positively contribute to the broader academic community.Noman Mahtab is BA business management and entrepreneurship&nbsp;subject lead at the London College of Contemporary Arts.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How to transition from a student to a researcher mindset 

Tips for developing a professional network, building resilience and making a realistic research career plan

In part one, we covered confidence and connection for improving public speaking. My next three tips are the three criteria used in the science communication competition FameLab to mark the presentations: content, clarity, charisma. Taking part in FameLab (back in 2007!) was an eye-opening experience for me, as it was the first time I looked critically at my presentation material and asked myself: “Have I double-checked my sources? Have I verified that everything I am including in my presentation is accurate? If I was in the audience, why would I care about my content?”&nbsp;What’s the story? Creative ways to communicate your researchAmplifying research: five features of successful impact generationGet your research out there: 7 strategies for high-impact science communicationTheir advice is to ask your family and friends to listen to your presentation and tell you what they understand, which I found very useful. I engaged with my grandmother, and she very kindly let me rehearse numerous times before the competition date (I might need to mention that her hearing was quite impaired, so talking to her also helped me learn how to project my voice).&nbsp;ContentHave you ever heard of the definition of a “natural” speaker? A natural speaker chooses a topic that excites a passion greater than the fear of speaking.However, especially in a university or a school environment, you don’t always get to choose what to talk about. If this is the case, then my advice is to do your research, to really get to know your topic and to find an interesting point of view. This could be a narrative you create, an interesting prop or answering the “so what” question. Here are two examples from FameLab talks that bring to life what I mean by a natural speaker or an interesting point of view.ClarityIn my opinion, in order to express your ideas clearly, you need to have deeply understood what you are talking about. This brings us back to content – understand your content and then try to communicate it to someone who hasn’t heard about it before. Afterwards, make sure to ask for specific feedback: What do they like about your presentation? Can they understand everything? Is something unclear and needs changing? What would their top three suggestions be to make it clearer?&nbsp;Clarity is also about the language that you use:&nbsp;Keep it simpleRemember that the spoken language is different than the written language&nbsp;Use many verbs and active voiceCut off anything that’s not necessary from your sentenceDon’t use jargonTry to speak clearly, without mumblingMake pauses and find a comfortable talking rhythm.One more thing to consider is how much time you have and how much you can realistically talk about without losing your audience. It is good practice to have one main message and to keep reinforcing it after every section of your talk. What is the one thing you want your audience to take away from your talk?Handle your numbers graciously and don’t be afraid to sacrifice precise details that slow your flow. Use scale to put things into perspective. For instance, to show the difference in scale between a thousand, a million and a billion, I enjoy asking this question:“Did you know that 1,000 seconds is around 16 minutes, a million seconds is around 11 days and a billion seconds is around 32 years?”A great way to ruin it would be to get into unnecessary detail – for example, “16.67 minutes equals 16 minutes and 40 seconds.”Another way to handle numbers is with comparisons. A nanometre is a billionth of a metre. This is extremely small. How small? Comparing a nanometre to a metre is like comparing a tennis ball with planet Earth.&nbsp;CharismaCharisma is perhaps easier to witness than to describe. It is that little something that you will remember afterwards. It is usually a mixture of things, including the content and clarity mentioned above, as well as the creativity that goes into a presentation, the body language and the storytelling. My biggest tip for this one is to be authentic. What do you find engaging in a conversation? What is the main idea you want to communicate that actually excites you? What would be the best way to visualise it for your audience and make it personal?Body languageWhile you are talking, what is your body saying? We know body language is a very important part of the delivery. In fact, it can make all the difference, as it helps people hear what you are saying and focus. Here are some things to consider:Voice: These videos are from the Wellcome Trust Collection, created for the exhibition “This is a Voice”. Explore pitch and articulation.Posture and stance: When presenting, the way you stand can help you deliver your message or can take away all focus from it. Imagine for a minute a speaker pacing up and down throughout the entire talk – would it help you to concentrate on what they are talking about? What would be better and feel natural to you? My go-to moves are moving slowly between specific points of my stage and stopping to add emphasis.Eye contact: Making eye contact is an important part of your presentation. If you don’t, it feels like you are ignoring your audience and odds are that they will react to this by not paying attention. Concentrate on a few friendly faces but don’t single out anyone. If you are not comfortable making eye contact, you can look just above their head.StorytellingHuman beings have been telling stories since the beginning of time. It’s a fundamental way of sharing information, feelings and ideas. And you can use it as a tool to make your presentation stand out. You can have your talk built as a story, or you can have a short story in your talk.&nbsp;The three basic elements of a story are the plot, the characters and the setting.&nbsp;Plot&nbsp;A story needs to have a beginning, a middle and an end. It starts by stating the current status of the world and the way things have always been done. Then something happens that creates a change. A problem needs to be solved. The middle part of the story shows how this is going to happen, and the outcome will define how the world will be from now on. The new status is your finale.There are many different plot structures, some of my favourite ones being “Overcoming the Monster” (the protagonist must defeat or escape from a powerful antagonist), “The Quest” where the protagonist has a mission or a goal to pursue and the “Rebirth” where the protagonist undergoes a transformation. Sophie Bashforth, at the London FameLab Final in 2018 at the Science Museum, wanted to talk about her research in accelerators. She chose an interesting point of view and a quest plot, and she narrated beautifully how a murder was solved using the particle accelerator as a microscope to collect evidence.&nbsp;Characters&nbsp;Take some time to think of some of your favourite characters in fiction. Then try to break them down. Who are they? What motivates them? Think about their personalities, their values, their attitudes. What are their interests? What does their life look like? &nbsp;I still remember a video produced for School Lab, the Greek version of FameLab for schools, where the pupils had created larger-than-life characters to represent viruses, bacteria and white cells. They staged an epic, flamboyant battle to show how our immune system fights the intruders.&nbsp;Setting&nbsp;The setting of a story can be very varied. It goes beyond time and location; it includes the atmosphere, the social conditions and the environmental factors. Some stories are defined by the setting. For example, Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity is defined by its setting: the vastness of space. The whole story was about surviving in extreme circumstances and the setting was, in a sense, the big antagonist of the story.&nbsp;Here are two TED talks about fictional worlds and heroes to get you started.&nbsp;Sharing your ideas with the worldThere is no standard formula for an arresting presentation, but I hope you might have found my advice useful and thought-provoking. My last tip is that if you structure your presentation around a big idea you want to communicate, then your presentation will be effective and powerful.&nbsp;If you’d like to get started in a friendly, supportive environment that offers training and networking, you can apply to compete in FameLab. Applications for the 2025 competition are still open until 30 January.Anna Christodoulou is the senior knowledge exchange manager at the University of Westminster.&nbsp;

A guide to better public speaking: part two

The second in a two-part series, here’s how to hone your public speaking skills, using the three Cs

A practical guide to better public speaking: part two

Postgraduate programmes, including master’s and doctoral courses worldwide, are notable for nurturing critical thinking, rigorous research skills and intellectual independence. A pivotal part of this journey is the thesis course – a capstone experience where students engage deeply with an original research question, applying the skills they’ve acquired. Yet, ensuring this experience is both enriching and accessible requires continuous dialogue between educators and students.&nbsp;At the School of Economics at the University of Queensland, our online survey and interviews with 20 master’s students led to one simple piece of advice: “Plan ahead! Nothing is too early when it comes to writing a thesis.”&nbsp;Early preparation is essential for a successful thesis journey. Students should begin by exploring potential supervisors and aligning their research interests as early as possible. Likewise, selecting the right courses early on is crucial for building the skills and knowledge necessary for their thesis. Thesis course coordinators should emphasise this message at the earliest stage.The postgraduate coursework thesis At our school, master’s students can choose to complete a thesis course over one or two semesters after finishing prerequisite courses in statistics and research methods. These students must conduct research and write a thesis on a topic of their choice within their area of interest.Spotlight guide: Advice for surviving your PhD dissertationStrategies for writing a PhD dissertation: write before you’re ‘ready’One thesis, two supports, three monthsAs postgraduate coordinator and programme leader of the master’s programme in international economics and finance, Shino Takayama was the thesis course coordinator, while co-author&nbsp;Ransi Jayawardena&nbsp;served as the course administrator. It quickly became apparent that thesis students often struggled to find a suitable supervisor and identify a topic where they could effectively apply their knowledge. So, we conducted surveys and interviews with these students to confirm that the difficulties we observed indeed aligned with their experiences.&nbsp;Our goal in identifying these points is to enhance the learning experience for students in the thesis course.1.&nbsp;Early guidance on course selection&nbsp;&nbsp; Students pointed out the need for clearer guidance early in their programme on how courses such as statistics connect to potential thesis topics. This feedback highlights the importance of helping students see these connections from the start. For instance, respondents asked which courses were most relevant for those aiming to explore macroeconomic policy versus those diving into micro-level labour market analysis in their thesis. Mapping thesis topics to coursework early in the programme will help students make informed choices, ensuring they tailor a strong foundation to their research interests.&nbsp;&nbsp; Some students highlighted the importance of developing technical skills such as data analysis in writing their economics theses. This also highlights the importance of early guidance on course selection, because students will have more time to develop a necessary skill for conducting their thesis research.2.&nbsp;Streamlined supervisor matching&nbsp;&nbsp; Selecting a supervisor is one of the most critical decisions a student makes during their thesis journey. Our students called for a more structured process to help them find supervisors whose expertise and mentoring styles aligned with their research goals. Transparent directories of faculty specialisations, combined with opportunities for informal interaction through workshops or seminars, can facilitate this process.&nbsp;In our school, we collect potential thesis topics from each faculty member and circulate them to students. This way, students can choose a topic that aligns with the research interests of a potential supervisor.3.&nbsp;Academic writing support for international students&nbsp;&nbsp; Finally, we recognise that for international students, academic writing in English can be a challenge. The conventions of scholarly expression differ across cultures, and international students noted the need for an academic writing course. Such a course could cover essentials such as constructing clear arguments, proper citation practices and understanding the nuances of academic tone. By reducing barriers to effective communication, students can improve their ability to present research with confidence.&nbsp;An academic writing course is occasionally offered at our university. Those who attended the course expressed the view that it was useful. It is important to share this information with students.Guiding students towards a successful thesis journeyIn the first week of term we held a lecture to provide guidance to students enrolled in thesis courses, where we encouraged them to review past theses. At our university, the library maintains a collection of theses that received high scores upon approval. Additionally, two survey respondents emphasised the need for better access to library resources tailored to thesis-writing. They highlighted challenges in locating relevant journal articles, datasets and specialised reference materials critical to their research. As a supervisor, I always demonstrate how to find the right information sources to my advisees. In future, we may organise a session in collaboration with library staff to guide students on effectively using library resources.Our survey showed what students need to successfully complete their theses. By listening to their voices, we can transform their thesis journey into an experience that is as empowering as it is educational.&nbsp;Shino Takayama is senior lecturer and Ransi Jayawardena is postgraduate admin officer, both in the School of Economics at the University of Queensland, Australia.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

What master’s students need for their thesis experience

Early preparation is essential for students’ successful thesis journey – so postgraduate course coordinators and programme leaders should put supports in place from the beginning

Enhancing the thesis experience: insights from master’s students 

As an educator, I have been using X for more than a decade to help me build student engagement and course communities. But recent changes and concerns have made me (and others) rethink the platform.Luckily, there is now Bluesky, the new decentralised microblogging site which promises a safer and more positive space. With 27 million users and counting, it’s no surprise that Bluesky is gaining incredible momentum,&nbsp;particularly within the academic community.&nbsp;So, if you’re an academic who has been contemplating using Bluesky, this resource is for you.Step 1: Set up a friendly profile (which isn’t all about work)As Rose Wang, the COO of Bluesky,&nbsp;recently said in an interview with Buffer: “There are many ways to be successful on Bluesky, but the main thing is bringing authenticity.” This starts with setting up a profile, including a photo, bio and banner, that showcases what you do, ideally without focusing solely on work. For instance, I like&nbsp;Damian’s banner which humanises his brand while complementing his professor bio. Having a consistent look and feel across platforms is important, but you can get a little more creative on Bluesky than on, say, LinkedIn.
  
      
  
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&nbsp;Pro tip: If you have your own domain, you can use it as your Bluesky handle. This can be a great branding element but it could also unlock future experiences, such as clickability (as&nbsp;Rose alluded to in her Buffer interview).&nbsp;Using this instructional video by Matthew Rathbun, it took me less than 10 minutes to change my Bluesky handle from the generic @WahibaChair.bsky.social to&nbsp;@WahibaChair.com.You can navigate to your account under “settings”. There, you will find a section to change your handle if you have your own domain. Bluesky will provide you with domain name system (DNS) settings to update your host account and verify your domain.&nbsp;Step 2: Find and build your audience (from within and outside of Bluesky)If you’ve used X before, you can migrate your followers by using&nbsp;the Sky Follower Bridge Chrome extension. You will then have the option to follow them all or selectively on Bluesky.&nbsp;Since I have more than 30K followers on X, I have been slowly curating which users I would like to follow on Bluesky. The process can take a while, but you can do it in stages.&nbsp;You can also ask your LinkedIn connections whether or not they have joined Bluesky.&nbsp;The best way to start following users aligned with your personal or professional interests is to explore starter packs. These are curated lists of accounts, similar to X’s public lists. This Bluesky directory has more than 220,000 starter packs to choose from.&nbsp;For instance, “higher education” has&nbsp;a growing list of more than 770 starter packs.&nbsp;If you would like to be added to some of these starter packs, you can ask the creator/s.&nbsp;Pro tip:&nbsp;Can’t find what you’re looking for? You could consider creating your own starter pack. It’s easy and takes only a few minutes. Navigate to your profile and click “starter packs”, then click “Create”. When sharing your starter pack, you can&nbsp;generate more engagement by tagging the accounts you included and asking who else should be added.&nbsp;Time to switch? A university’s guide to BlueskyIt’s time: how to get your department off XFour ways to cultivate an engaged social media communityStep 3: Listen and curate content using feeds&nbsp;The best way to learn Bluesky is to listen to what others are saying in your niche.&nbsp;In addition to starter packs, you can also follow feeds based on your interests. These are curated posts based on topics, hashtags and keywords.&nbsp;If you navigate to “#feeds” under your profile, you can search for topics and pin them for easy access. I would recommend the&nbsp;#EduSky and&nbsp;#AcademicSky feeds for higher education but note that #EduSky also includes K-12 content.&nbsp;Once you add these feeds, they will appear as a tab under “Home”.You can then engage with posts that may be interesting or relevant by replying or quoting,&nbsp;like what I did here with Jen. As that channel grows, users are hungry for genuine interactions.&nbsp;Step 4: Create posts around your (and your audience’s) interests&nbsp;To help onboard new followers, you could share a quick “hello” post about what brings you to Bluesky, what your interests are and what kind of content you will share.&nbsp;You could then pin this post to your profile, like what Damian did&nbsp;here.&nbsp;Once you get more comfortable with the platform, you could start posting about your teaching, subject matter expertise, research areas, speaking engagements, personal interests and much more. To make your posts more engaging, you can tag relevant accounts, add compelling visuals and ask your audience a question.&nbsp;You could also include the #EduSky and #AcademicSky hashtags where appropriate to help others discover your content.Pro tip:&nbsp;While there is no scheduling feature on the platform (yet), you could use Buffer, one of Bluesky’s earlier partners, to help you schedule posts.&nbsp;Step 5: Engage. Experiment. Learn.&nbsp;The content you create and curate will help you generate organic engagement, which is what the platform is all about. While Bluesky still feels like a cosy corner in which to build communities, this is the perfect time to experiment and make new connections. This resource will hopefully help you get started, but you can learn more about Bluesky&nbsp;on the Buffer site.Have you been experimenting with Bluesky? Do you have any tips we should add to this list?&nbsp;Wahiba Chair is an assistant professor at University Canada West.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.&nbsp;

An academic’s guide to Bluesky

With many HE professionals making the switch to Bluesky, here are the steps you need to take to get started

Peer review is famously a time-consuming process that requires sufficient expertise in research, writing and whatever subject the paper is on. It’s rare for this hard work to be financially compensated. Nevertheless, many successful and highly sought-after educators choose this role as a part of their career.&nbsp;Here, I’ll explore the advantages of engaging in peer reviews, as well as challenges to anticipate. This reflection, based on my experience, may help colleagues who are thinking of stepping into the role of reviewer.Benefits of being a reviewerHaving been a reviewer for educational journals for more than four years, I’ve identified several benefits.Status and reputationPeer review is a wonderful opportunity for early-career educators to prove their expertise, raise their status and receive appreciation. Use the reviewer certificates that journals issue to spruce up your portfolio.&nbsp;Understanding peer review: what it is, how it works and why it is importantDon’t be cruel: how to write a fair peer review reportA DIY guide to starting your own journalThese reviewer certificates are also evidence of engagement in scholarly activity, which can be useful when writing a CV or completing a performance-evaluation record.Improving skillsPractice makes perfect, and critique and critical thinking are skills that require regular application to improve.&nbsp;You will also gain experience. Peer review activity perfectly combines the opportunity to practise critical thinking and expand your mind, learning from the papers you’re reviewing.BeneficenceEducators tend to enjoy teaching others. Peer review allows you to share your expertise and improve the research and writing skills of your peers.I personally find it rewarding to see how manuscripts evolve based on my suggestions. If I receive an author’s gratitude in response, I feel like my hard work has paid off.&nbsp;On a broader scale, engaging in peer review elevates the overall quality of scholarly articles in the field of education, which makes it a contribution with far-reaching implications.NetworkingThrough professional interaction, a reviewer can get to know the authors better and even be recognised by the editorial team. This could result in joint projects and initiatives.LearningSurprisingly, peer review is also a learning opportunity. First, this activity necessitates thorough reading of the paper, which enriches personal knowledge. Second, when reading other reviewers’ comments, it’s a&nbsp;great moment to calibrate personal judgement and compare perspectives.Aiding personal publishingSince peer review is rarely a paid activity, journals are eager to reward contributors to article reviews through other means, such as offering a reduced price on your own publications. This bonus can serve as a valid incentive for prospective authors of recognised journals.The challenges of&nbsp;peer&nbsp;reviewWe’ve looked at the benefits, but there are also a few challenges to consider when you’re deciding to accept a paper for review.TimeThorough peer review is a time-consuming process. You never know at the outset how many rounds of revision might be required. When making a commitment, you need to be prepared to allocate sufficient time for this work.ExpertiseWhen addressing a review proposal, the editorial board assumes that you are competent regarding the article’s material. A mismatch in expertise might result in a biased judgement on the quality of the paper and this could have negative implications for the authors or the journal’s reputation. For that reason, I personally recommend estimating your level of expertise before accepting a manuscript for review. Skim the abstract or the complete manuscript, which is typically enclosed with the proposal, and gauge your familiarity with the topic and research methodology.&nbsp;CommunicationInteractions with authors can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or negative reactions to feedback. On rare occasions, I’ve encountered resistance to my suggestions or received unprofessional responses. When this happens, don’t take these reactions personally. Fortunately, instances of poor professional ethics are diminishing as awareness of appropriate conduct grows.There’s no doubt that the role of a peer reviewer is demanding. However, it offers multiple professional and personal benefits, from bolstering one’s reputation to fostering skill and knowledge enhancement. In my opinion, despite the potential challenges related to time commitment and interpersonal issues, the rewards make it a valuable contribution both to the educator’s status and to the growth of the academic community. I highly recommend this role to my colleagues, as it enriches their field while offering them insights and recognition in return.Arina Ziganshina is head of assessment at Dubai Medical College for Girls.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the&nbsp;Campus newsletter.

The pros and cons of peer reviewing

Weighing up whether to take on the role of peer reviewer? Arina Ziganshina draws on her own experience to outline the upsides and downsides

Communicating clearly in front of a group of people is one of the most valuable life skills you can acquire. It will help you throughout your career and in every aspect of your life.&nbsp;I’ve been working in the field of science communication for almost 18 years now, during which I have attended numerous presentation skills masterclasses, delivered a few myself and spent quite a lot of time on stage. I have experimented and made a fool of myself (on more than one occasion), but also shared my ideas effectively and inspired audiences. I am very passionate about communicating complicated ideas in a simple and pleasant way and here I’ll share some of my ideas on how to do so.Let me introduce you to the art of saying helloConferences, TED talks and social media: the ultimate tools for academic profile buildingTips for effectively communicating your research’s impactI’m an alumna of FameLab, the world’s largest science communication competition, which offers bright young academics the chance to pitch their research to a panel of judges for three minutes. Competing has really shaped my own journey to better presentations, and my advice has been influenced by the advice and feedback I received along the way. Applications for the 2025 competition are still open until the 30th of January.ConfidenceWhy are we afraid of public speaking? Author Scott Berkun, in his book Confessions of a Public Speaker, offers an interesting explanation. Our brains, for all their wonders, identify the following four things as very bad for survival:&nbsp;Standing aloneIn open territory with no place to hideWithout a weaponIn front of a large crowd of creatures staring at you&nbsp;In the long history of all humans, any situation where the above were true could very well mean that you would soon be attacked. Your body needs to get ready to fight or flight, and an adrenaline rush makes your palms sweaty, your breath quick, your feet shaky and your throat dry.Is there a way to stop this happening?&nbsp;Well, no.&nbsp;Even the most celebrated public speakers in the world, people who speak to large crowds for a living, still feel anxious before going on stage. The difference is that professional public speakers prepare. They plan before they speak. They practice.Addressing your anxiety symptomsHow can you prepare when you know that your legs will shake? Try to think in advance of what you can do to help yourself. You could, for example, place yourself behind a podium. If your mouth goes dry, you could carry a bottle of water with you.&nbsp;When I started giving presentations, people could easily understand that I was nervous: my voice trembled. I couldn’t think how to alleviate this, so I thought I would be upfront about it. I welcomed my audience, thanked them for their time and asked them if they had noticed that my voice trembled. I then explained I was nervous but that wouldn’t stop me. Annoyingly, the more I did this, the less my voice trembled until it finally stopped happening at all.&nbsp;Don’t fail to prepareWhen I mentioned above that I have made a fool of myself on stage, I truly meant it. One of my most embarrassing experiences was in 2008, at a prestigious event where the British Council had brought together FameLab alumni from all over the world to network. Each national team of alumni had 15 minutes on stage to introduce themselves. When my team met to get organised, we decided we would do a mini science show with live experiments, and then we would do a quick dance around the Zorba soundtrack (I believe you can guess where we were coming from).&nbsp;We wrote a script, we went shopping for the experiments and we sourced the music. We thought we were ready, but we never rehearsed. So the evening comes, and we find ourselves on stage – half the props were forgotten, no experiment worked, the Zorba music played over our voices…so we decided to drop the science show and to start dancing. And then the music stopped. Absolute silence followed. I remember getting off stage, my ears burning. I remember this feeling every time I see people frantically adding slides in their presentation while the previous person is talking.&nbsp;I can laugh about it now, but I believe this experience is the reason for my very personal presentation rule: before I present anything, from a short talk to a job interview, I rehearse at least five times in front of an audience. Usually, a very reluctant audience of friends and family, who didn’t see me coming early enough to escape. This works even better for me, because if I catch the attention of this captive audience, who have no problem telling me when I am not good, then I know my actual presentation will go well.&nbsp;ConnectionThere are many ways to be charismatic on stage – I would argue as many as there are humans on Earth. But there is one tried and tested way to deliver a bad presentation. We all know it – speakers sitting down, speaking softly, mumbling, reading from their notes, their backs to their audience, doing everything possible to avoid making a connection.&nbsp;Before giving a presentation, think about why you are giving it. Who is your audience? Why is a group of people sitting in a room or waiting for you online?&nbsp;People might want to learn something that you know – this could be a cooking tip, a life skill or a way to solve a problem they might have. People are also eager to listen when they know they may be inspired. Are your words going to motivate them to do something? Or, even simpler, are you going to share an interesting idea, something to stimulate them mentally?&nbsp;Of course, people are eager to listen when they know they will be entertained. This is more than listening to someone making a joke. One can be entertained by a nice visual, by a story, by something they find surprising.&nbsp;Social networking is when people are willing to listen to you because they might be interested in working with you, in sharing their own ideas in return, in meeting people who are interested in the same things as they are. In a captive audience situation, such as a classroom, offering any of the above will make you stand out as the speaker who made them think, gave them a good time or inspired them to do something.&nbsp;I strongly believe that your audience wants you to succeed. They are investing their time in listening to you, and the only way for their investment to bear fruit is if you do well. Think of your audience as a supportive group of people who want you to succeed, who want to make a connection with you.&nbsp;Also, they don’t have your script. So, it’s perfectly okay if you forget something, skip a part or find out that you left your demo at home! As long as you can pull together a presentation that makes sense, with a beginning, a middle part and an end, your audience will never know any different.&nbsp;Find A practical guide to better public speaking: part two here.Anna Christodoulou is senior knowledge exchange manager at the University of Westminster.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered directly to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

A guide to better public speaking: part one

Getting through long, not-so-interesting talks is a common experience in academia. But if we all agree it can be done better, how can we start delivering better presentations? 

A practical guide to better public speaking: part one

The ability to publish academic work is an increasingly important professional skill for university postgraduates worldwide. In Kazakhstan, where most university students come to English as a second or other language, contributing to disciplinary conversations in English-medium international journals can be daunting. Here, we’ll describe how an in-house student-led peer-review journal can help develop research literacy for a new generation of education professionals.&nbsp;Background and value of an in-house student-led journalThe Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education Research in Education journal&nbsp; (NUGSERiE) was first conceived in 2015. At the time, Kazakhstan was climbing the international rankings of published articles by number of documents (from 97th in 2010 to 68th in 2015), but hadn’t ranked by citations per document (216th in 2010 and 217th in 2015). Although the country’s research community was comparatively more productive, it did not mean that research quality was improving.&nbsp;A DIY guide to starting your own journalHow to sustain a journal and beat the academic publishing racketDemocratising research through open access journalsThis indicated that universities were not sufficiently supporting the suite of skills and dispositions related to research literacy – inquisitiveness, critical evaluation, organisation, knowledge construction and communication. In addition, academic programmes often overlooked the importance of academic socialisation.To support doctoral students in meeting strict requirements to publish in Scopus-indexed journals prior to graduation, we aimed to provide opportunities for students to collaborate, experience the publication process and gain leadership experience. For this purpose, we put out a call for student editors in the autumn of 2015 and published our first issue in June of 2016.&nbsp;Eight steps to creating a student-run peer-review journal&nbsp;Step 1: Find a willing faculty member to serve as adviser and guide as a part of their teaching or service. Philip was our academic English instructor and founding chief editor from 2016 to 2018. Andrew took over this role in 2023 following a break during the Covid-19 period, and continues today as faculty adviser.&nbsp;Step 2: Recruit editorial board members. We began with three managing editors (one PhD student, one MSc student, one alumna) and seven board members representing each of our school’s programmes.Step 3: Task the editorial board with drafting a scope and aims statement. We used that to decide on a name and logo for the journal.Step 4: Create&nbsp;online and in-person presence. The university library has a permanent URI for the journal. We created a social media page&nbsp;and post tips about academic publishing, and regularly visit classes and network with faculty to promote the journal.&nbsp;Step 5: Secure institutional support&nbsp;in providing website server space (we used OJS, free journal administration software), IT support, printing costs and infrastructure. We used the editorial board materials and social media posts to make our case.Step 6: Recruit authors and peer reviewers. We included master’s and doctoral students, alumni and faculty, although faculty could only submit if co-authoring with a student.&nbsp;Step 7: Train authors and peer reviewers. We hosted workshops to help authors adapt theses and other course writing to meet the journal’s article types, and required peer reviewers to attend a practice session using a sample paper and reviewer rubric.&nbsp;Step 8: Share your successes, get feedback from participants and build the journal’s identity and reach. We have presented in local conferences&nbsp;and drafted collaborative research about the journal, always offering students opportunities to take on leadership roles outside the university.&nbsp;Benefits and ongoing challengesIn a survey of 37 participants, journal members reflected on participating in the life of the journal. Reviewers reported gaining confidence in seeing themselves as qualified contributors in the research community and how their reading was making them better writers. Authors commented that going through anonymous peer review emboldened them to submit their manuscripts to international journals, and that participation in the journal shifted their view of authorship from one of transmission and citation to a community of practice. Editors were involved in training new peer reviewers and mentioned becoming more careful reviewers themselves, paying less attention to grammatical accuracy and more to argument building.&nbsp;
  
      
  
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These benefits did not remain within the walls of our university, however, as GoogleScholar automatically indexed our journal page, and individual manuscripts began to be cited in conference proceedings, graduate theses and regional journals. By these metrics, students are not merely practising research literacy – they are genuinely participating in the wider academic research community.&nbsp;While we encourage others to create student-run journals, we must point out some hurdles we have faced along the way. First, while our school continues to pay for a batch of printed copies, we lost the institutional support for the website server during a Covid-imposed hiatus. Second, our peer reviewer pool has gradually become dominated by faculty members, as the recruitment and training of student and alumni peer reviewers has suffered due to staffing shortages and heavy workload for the faculty advisers. Notwithstanding these challenges, we look forward to ushering the journal into its 10th year in 2025.Andrew Drybrough is an instructor and Philip Montgomery is assistant professor, both at Nazarbayev University.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Eight steps to launch a student-led peer-review journal

To help PhD students gain the skills required for publication and improve research literacy, consider an in-house academic journal

Many in higher education still play the “publish or perish” game, while others say too many publications are out there already. In my field – I work at the intersection of wireless systems, artificial intelligence (AI), game theory and cyber-physical systems – and, frankly, in all technology fields, I believe we have a responsibility to publish.&nbsp;And this is why.Publishing research advances knowledge and contributes to the greater good&nbsp;Publishing as a process is not controversial, but there are dissenting voices. Some argue that there is no need to publish, but instead focus should be just on building products. Others argue that in today’s world, with so many publications out there, only breakthrough research should be published. &nbsp;Not every single paper will be game-changing on its own. However, research is like an ongoing dialogue in which scholars build on existing theories, challenge assumptions and introduce new perspectives. Particularly in fields like mine, knowledge is cumulative, with small innovations combining with others to advance the field. I put it this way: the single research paper that instantly revolutionises the field is a rare occurrence indeed. History has taught us this already; there is, after all, only one Einstein. Instead, every published study adds to this dialogue, offering new data, insights or methodologies that other researchers can use to inform their own work. It is this cumulative work that revolutionises disciplines.Spotlight: Unlocking the potential of open access and open researchIn a world of AI, academic publishing that needs to changeLife after publication: promote your work for maximum impactThis is especially true in fast-moving, life-changing fields such as wireless networks or AI. It is not just a means of professional advancement but a critical mechanism for advancing knowledge, catalysing innovation and driving the global community forward. For faculty and graduate students alike, publishing research has profound implications that extend beyond individual gain, benefiting the broader academic community, their institutions and society at large.Publishing and making research accessible can contribute to important advances at later dates as well. For example, AI was invented years ago but computing needed to catch up. When the field did catch up, some five to seven years ago, neural networks helped revolutionise AI.&nbsp;Learn from peer review and replicationPeer review allows others to both criticise and undergird your research. In the field of medicine, for example, new treatments or techniques cannot be widely adopted until they have been validated through peer-reviewed publications. The same is true in fields like engineering, social sciences and humanities, where innovative research can reshape industry practices, public policies or cultural understandings. By publishing their work, researchers ensure that their discoveries are accessible and can have a tangible impact.&nbsp;Sure, there are drawbacks to the peer-review process, but with all its flaws, it remains critical to ensure the quality of the research and its trustworthiness. Without it, anyone can make unsubstantiated claims that may lead to a backward step in science rather than moving it forward.Closely related, research outcomes can only be useful if others can replicate them. Without publication, there is no replication.&nbsp;Attract funding and collaboratorsPublishing promising research can attract funders and collaborators who have an academic, philanthropic or other interest in the field. Moreover, securing research funding can be easier if a researcher is oft-cited since publications add credibility. Funding agencies, both public and private, typically look for evidence that their investment will yield meaningful results. A strong publication record demonstrates that a researcher is productive, capable of conducting high-quality work and able to contribute to the scientific or academic community.&nbsp;Similarly, publishing research facilitates collaboration within and outside of the academic community. When researchers share their findings, they invite others to engage with their work, either by building upon it or challenging it. This exchange of ideas leads to new collaborations and innovations. Through publications, researchers can find like-minded colleagues with aligned expertise, leading to interdisciplinary research that addresses complex problems from multiple perspectives.Challenge and teach studentsFor students, the process of publishing teaches essential skills, such as writing, critical thinking and how to respond to peer feedback, which are crucial for success in both academic and non-academic careers. Students who are deprived of publications may also lose motivation if they are not supported in their work by the academic community.&nbsp;Publications are also the basis for books that students eventually cover in class.&nbsp;As faculty who teach in addition to research, it is all but mandated for us to help students channel and build on their distinct strengths to catalyse high-quality research and get it out there.I think about it this way: we are training students to market their work in addition to achieving the technical goals of the work. It’s not only about the research itself, but also about how to present it, how to receive criticism, and how to potentially adapt the work as needed based on this feedback. This is something students will need to know as they enter the proverbial real world.&nbsp;Build professional and institutional reputation&nbsp;Academic careers, especially for faculty, are still sometimes assessed in part on scholarly output. But it’s not about the prestige. Without published research, there is no tangible evidence that a researcher has the scientific credibility to speak on a particular field. This becomes extremely important if called upon to shape the future of a field in the government, industry or academia. Similarly, publications help students establish professional identity and credibility in their field – it is “branding” themselves as outstanding researchers and, more importantly, as leaders in their field.&nbsp;Publishing research is a cornerstone of academic life, offering immense value to both faculty and graduate students in higher education. It serves as a critical mechanism for advancing knowledge, driving innovation and building intellectual capital across disciplines. The significance of publishing research extends far beyond personal academic success; it quite simply advances science and society. In other words, publishing is not the end goal – advancing science is. By making our research accessible to the wider academic community, we help ensure that our work has a lasting and meaningful impact that can improve quality of life around the world.Walid Saad is a professor in the Bradley department of electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Tech. He also leads the Network intelligEnce, Wireless, and Security (NEWS) laboratory and is the Next-G wireless lead at the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Without publication, advancements in knowledge will be stifled or even halted altogether, writes Walid Saad. Here he explains the many benefits to publishing for established scholars and students alike

‘Researchers have a responsibility to publish’ 

Knowing what, when and where to publish research is a strategic process. Academic researchers need to evaluate factors such as the readiness of their work, career timelines, feedback loops and the demands of their field. Balancing these elements will help faculty and graduate students alike to determine the optimal content, time and place to publish.Readiness and maturity of research findingsOne of the primary considerations for researchers is the readiness of their findings. High-quality research means that the question has been thoroughly posed and addressed, methodologies are sound, data has been rigorously analysed, and findings have been interpreted meaningfully. Rushing to publish half-baked or poorly analysed work, on the other hand, can lead to criticism, retraction or a hit to the researcher's credibility and, possibly, to their field.&nbsp;Give your academic paper its best chance of being acceptedResearchers should harness the explorer’s spirit to find their career pathHow much should you publish?The quality of the research is founded even before the work begins. Researchers must ask themselves: does this work contribute something new to the field? Is it comprehensive enough to provide clear conclusions? This self-evaluation is critical for ensuring that the research will be robust and ready for peer review when the time comes.This applies to faculty and to graduate students. I always tell my students that they need to clearly understand what the research will accomplish and why we’re doing it in the first place, and that can help determine the timing of publishing the work. Students must be able to deeply understand their research and be able to defend it and articulate why they’re doing it. Think of a criminal attorney who must have all the evidence and skills to mount a successful defence of clients.The feedback loop: internal and external reviewsAnother essential step in determining publication timing is receiving feedback. Researchers often present preliminary findings at conferences or departmental seminars or through informal peer discussions. This allows them to refine their arguments, adjust methodologies and address potential gaps in their work based on critical feedback from colleagues. For example, a doctoral student may present preliminary findings at a major conference to gather critiques that help shape the final draft of their dissertation or journal article. Similarly, faculty members frequently seek the insights of collaborators or colleagues before moving forward with submission.My research is at the intersection of wireless systems, artificial intelligence, game theory and cyber-physical systems. In these fields, my philosophy is that if we can first solve an initial piece of a significant problem as a proof-of-concept and that can then be published at a conference for amplification and peer feedback potentially, then we can work towards a more comprehensive publication in a journal. It’s almost like teasing a piece of promising research to catalyse collaborations and obtain helpful feedback that progresses the work. Also, in some cases, the initial solution can be filed as a patent prior to publication.Career and institutional deadlinesFor faculty members, professional milestones such as tenure reviews, annual performance evaluations and promotions play a significant role in shaping publication timelines. I’m no fan of the “publish or perish” idiom because publishing research should not be a quantitative game. My advice for faculty – and for students, for that matter – is to make sure the research contributes an important advance to the field, and that is more important than any deadline or personal agenda.Graduate students face different pressures. Many students publish portions of their thesis or dissertation research in peer-reviewed journals or present it at conferences before graduation. This helps bolster their credentials and provides valuable experience in scholarly communication. Academic advisers often guide students to publish&nbsp;when significant findings have emerged, which can also help in securing future fellowships or industry jobs.Discipline-specific norms and journal considerationsAcademic disciplines have their own publication norms. People, like me, who work in fast-evolving fields such as wireless communication or AI may wish to first share their findings through conference proceedings to stay ahead. On the other hand, researchers in fields like history or literature might focus directly on producing comprehensive, high-impact journal articles or books. Researchers need to understand their discipline’s expectations and align their publication timing accordingly.Additionally, targeting specific journals or conferences can affect the timing of publication. High-impact journals often have more rigorous standards and longer peer-review processes. Researchers must prepare for these timelines. Moreover, sharing publications online through repositories like&nbsp;arXiv is essential, as it helps expose the community to the work more broadly, while it is being peer reviewedCollaboration and funding requirementsFor collaborative projects, determining when, where and what to publish involves coordinating with co-authors and funding agencies. Researchers may have obligations to publish certain findings based on grant requirements or collaborative agreements. This adds another layer of timing, requiring clear communication and alignment among all stakeholders.Deciding what, when and where to publish in higher education is a nuanced process. Researchers need to strike a balance between producing high-quality work and meeting the demands of stakeholders. Ultimately, understanding the complexities of timing allows researchers to plan and publish research that advances knowledge and supports professional growth.Walid Saad is a professor in the Bradley department of electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Tech. He also leads the Network intelligEnce, Wireless, and Security (NEWS) laboratory and is the Next-G wireless lead at the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Trying to decide what, where and when to publish research?

It’s a strategic balancing act, writes Walid Saad. While academic researchers often know why it’s important to publish their work, the timing, location and medium can be less evident. These tips are geared to sharing research for maximum effectiveness

A practical guide to writing a literature review

From organising key search terms to checking citations, this video offers simple, practical tips to crafting a literature review that will lay a sound foundation for your academic paper

We often think that postgraduate students are familiar with the higher education setting and can embark on their continuing studies or research at pace. But this can be a mistake, and we can risk their success unless we consider these four aspects.Be (more) aware of postgraduate student backgroundsPostgraduate students are often from diverse backgrounds and have diverse needs. They all need to reach the expected standards at the end of their training, but everyone has a different starting point. Being aware of this diversity is an important first step.&nbsp;Understand the respective circumstances of your students and the context in which they are transitioning into PhD studies. We need to care as much at this point as we do at the start of their academic careers.Intercultural communication between PhD supervisors and candidatesSet your PhD students up with opportunities to debate and shareTips for new PhD supervisors: how to hold effective meetingsWhether we think of those undertaking PhD studies as researchers or students, I believe that our role is to train and mentor them, giving them the skills they need to succeed. I like to think of them as our colleagues of the future, as ambassadors of our university, and that building a strong and supportive relationship is the cornerstone of our approach.After all, we know that our institutional landscapes thrive on diversity and the contrasting views and life experiences that our students can bring to our communities. Good data and background practices need to be introduced to reflect this information, so we can be more aware ahead of our students beginning their programmes.Be proactive and put yourself in the shoes of your studentsWe can forget that students can be changing institutions and even moving countries to continue their studies. For myself, working in a Russell Group university, I appreciate that this learning environment can feel very different for some students and we need to support them as they adapt to a new research culture and expectations.Assuming that students have been there and done it is a mistake. Put yourself in their shoes. Think about the basics, such as accommodation advice, opening a bank account and registering with a GP surgery. This sort of practical information is at the heart of helping students settle into their new environment. Students from diverse backgrounds will certainly feel that things are done differently from what they are used to. Help them reduce those feelings of anxiety or feeling like an outsider by creating a supportive environment within your research groups.Be there for your students in as many ways as possibleRemember how much your students need you. You are their tutor, their guide and their aide – in the good and bad times. Enable them to understand that you are there for them for whatever they need. This is particularly important when academic or personal difficulties arise. Supervision time can sometimes be more irregular to suit their research plans – but you can be there more regularly for wider pastoral support.Beyond this, you must work to connect and signpost students to tailored sources of support, either institutional or informal within their PhD community. Try to identify those with similar backgrounds and put them in contact. I often tailor connection building as this really helps students to find peers with a similar background – and often someone they can ask questions of that they may not otherwise ask.Be yourself and a role model for the academic systemAs academics, we need to remember that we have been in our students’ shoes and we should be open and honest in sharing our experiences. This approach enables us to think and work as role models for the academic system. I firmly believe we should talk about our careers too. Sharing the highs and the lows enables our students to see they are not the first to have made mistakes, to face new challenges and to experience the dilemma of what to do after a PhD. We are human and we should show up as humans in each and every interaction.Above all else, we should make the PhD experience memorable. It is the small interventions that can really have the most significant impact on the experience of our students.I specialise in the area of sanitation, so when my students have their first paper published in a peer-reviewed journal, I present them with a copy of the front page in a frame and we have tea and cake to celebrate. When they pass their viva, they are invited to sign a toilet seat, which is then mounted on my office wall. I currently have 15 signatures on the toilet seat and will soon need to ask them to sign the other side – and eventually buy another from the DIY shop.
  
      
  
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I am regularly asked “When will I get my frame?” and “When will I get to sign the toilet seat?” These are moments of extreme pride for my students – and indeed myself. This is all I need to know that they have thrived during their time at the university and enjoyed an amazing experience, as indeed have I.Miller Alonso Camargo-Valero is associate professor of bioResource systems at the University of Leeds.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Four ways to enhance the postgraduate student experience

Postgraduate students are our future colleagues – let’s put ourselves in their shoes. Here are four ways to help your PhD students thrive in higher education

The increasing diversity of PhD&nbsp;types and cohorts highlights that doctoral study is an intercultural space where researchers from different backgrounds and pathways interact. Supervision provides an environment for practising and enhancing intercultural competence in online and in-person communication.Worldwide, discussions around intercultural supervision have focused mainly on interactions between supervisors who are native speakers of English and international students. However, culture goes beyond national origin to encompass religious, gender, disciplinary and community affiliations. So any interaction and relationship between supervisors and supervisees is, in&nbsp;fact, intercultural. For example, an exchange between a Chinese supervisor and an Australian candidate is considered intercultural, as is an interaction between an Australian Catholic male supervisor and an Australian Buddhist female supervisee.Resource collection: advice for surviving your PhD dissertationRead more: ‘I’ve been a research supervisor for 35 years and I’m still learning’How to foster PhD excellenceIf the relationships between supervisors and supervisees do&nbsp;not acknowledge these intercultural aspects – and manage them effectively – this can negatively impact academic performance, satisfaction and timely completion.What are the common intercultural challenges?Interactions between supervisors and candidates occur in formal and informal contexts, such as feedback-giving sessions, small talks or research discussions. Misunderstanding can occur for many reasons, including language competency, communication style and cultural conceptualisations.Supervisors and candidates may encounter challenges in comprehending each other’s accents, word choices or sentence complexity. These challenges will lead to misunderstandings and misperceptions of each other. More often, if a candidate is from a non-English-speaking background, they are likely to lack confidence in their language proficiency, while the reality is that communication is a two-way street. Each speaker has their own identity and ways of expressing themselves using diverse resources, including languages and codes.Another challenge is differences in style. These will be reflected in aspects that include using different terms of address, casual versus formal ways of communication, brief versus detailed information, and learning and teaching styles. Supervisors may prefer a learning and teaching style that is&nbsp;not necessarily familiar to candidates.Cultural conceptualisations are important because we rely on them to make sense of an interaction, a person, an event or a place based on our knowledge, information and experience. For example, a supervisor can be conceptualised as a guide, teacher, mentor, colleague or co-learner, and a candidate as a follower, apprentice or colleague. These conceptualisations may not reflect our current doctoral education context, which redefines the roles and relationships of supervisors and supervisees. When there is a mismatch in the conceptualisation of roles, misunderstanding will occur.Supervisor-candidate intercultural communication modelAs supervision is an intercultural space, supervisors and candidates need to attempt to acquire and enhance their competence to understand each other better, avoid assumptions and stereotypes, build rapport and openly and effectively discuss with each other. Below is a recommended model, based on Byram&nbsp;(2020) and Sharifian&nbsp;(2013), that emphasises five domains crucial to successful intercultural communication in supervision: awareness, multicultural mindset, knowledge, attitudes and skills.
  
      
  
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&nbsp;So, how do we ensure better supervisor-candidate communication?Be aware of the factors that hinder and enable communication between supervisor and doctoral candidate. These include differences and similarities, and the extent to which culture influences communication. Awareness of cultural differences is not meant to create cultural distance but rather to help minimise assumptions and motivate negotiation in interaction.Have a multicultural mindset. This means appreciating and showing genuine interest in linguistic and cultural diversity, acknowledging that our cultural conceptualisations are enriched with each interaction, and recognising that our communication skills will improve. We do not need to be multilingual to have a multicultural mindset.Have a good understanding of academic and disciplinary cultures outside our own and of each other’s ethnic cultures as well as other factors such as gender, religion, identities and professional background. Our layers of culture influence how we talk, write and interact, so knowledge about these cultural factors – including what and why – will help us to minimise assumptions and judgement.Be open-minded, appreciative, respectful and curious about each other’s cultures. This attitude helps to build trust and rapport between supervisors and candidates. Negative stereotypes about each other can significantly hinder communication between supervisors and candidates because patience and willingness to try will be minimal. Therefore, when supervisors are interested in, appreciate and respect candidates’ cultures, candidates feel empowered. A simple act might be trying to pronounce each other’s names correctly.Practise different intercultural communication skills. When it comes to communication, we usually focus on speaking. Listenership is, however, equally important. Mindful listening without judgement helps us deeply understand each other’s ideas. As supervisors and candidates will not share all cultural aspects, clarifying and seeking clarification are crucial.Practise critical reflection regularly. We are expected to explicitly acknowledge that no matter how much we try to understand each other, we are still learning, and mistakes can occur.&nbsp;Training is needed to develop intercultural competenceDespite the influence that intercultural relationships have on interactions between supervisors and candidates, research training and supervisor development programmes have not yet implemented intercultural competence training effectively. This issue must be addressed, especially since doctoral education at a distance is becoming more popular. Training should occur during the candidates’ orientation sessions and the supervisors’ professional development workshops. Universities could introduce workshops, self-directed learning modules and forums for supervisors and candidates to exchange and support each other and improve intercultural communication skills. These skills are not just necessary in the supervision space. They are essential in working with research and industry partners, at work and in daily life.Thuy Dinh is research, curriculum and learning coordinator (researcher development) in the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and vice-president (research, enterprise and global) at the Western Sydney University, Australia.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Culture goes beyond language and national origins, so doctoral supervisors need curiosity and an open mindset in their interactions to maximise performance and timely completion

Intercultural communication between PhD supervisors and candidates

The academic publishing community has been rocked by stories of authors using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to write articles and create images for publications. Slightly over 1 per cent of articles published in 2023 were written with the assistance of large language models (LLMs), according to one study. In my view, this is likely to be an underestimate.&nbsp;Published articles, which have now been retracted or removed because they featured GenAI content, were found to include verbatim generic responses from LLMs:“Certainly, here is a possible introduction for your topic: Lithium-metal batteries are promising candidates for…”“In summary, the management of bilateral iatrogenic I’m very sorry, but I don’t have access to real-time information or patient-specific data, as I am an AI language model.”&nbsp;&nbsp;These cases and others, such as this headline in&nbsp;Business Insider, “An AI-generated rat with a giant penis highlights a growing crisis of fake science that’s plaguing the publishing business”, highlight the challenges academic publishing has in adapting to the analytical and generative capabilities of AI tools.Clearly, GenAI tools have the potential to exacerbate the crisis in confidence in academic publishing because readers are unsure whether what they are reading was written by humans, machines or both. At the same time, academic publishing, in many contexts, is gripped by a publish-or-perish culture, where academics have a strong incentive to outsource their writing to GenAI to increase their productivity.&nbsp;Could AI manage your research project?Three ways to leverage ChatGPT and other generative AI in researchEmbrace AI tools to improve student writingWe need to change our mindset towards GenAI tools to regain the narrative and restore trust in academic publishing. Here, I’ll provide suggestions on how we can move forward.&nbsp;What are the guidelines on GenAI use?In response to the development of GenAI, publishers and journals, under the advisement of the&nbsp;Committee on Publication Ethics, now require contributing authors to declare their use of GenAI in their writing process. Times Higher Education also requires authors to declare their use of GenAI. Similar requirements are a common feature of&nbsp;university assessment guidance. However, the voluntary declaration approach does not seem to have the desired effect. Journal editors I have spoken to said they rarely receive GenAI declarations with submitted articles.&nbsp;A study of university students’ AI use declarations found similar non-compliance results.&nbsp;Another study suggests that the academic community fears that GenAI disclosure will give editors, reviewers and potential readers a negative perception of the authors.&nbsp;Within universities, students fear being unfairly judged or penalised for accurately declaring their AI use in assessments. These concerns could be valid, with humans viewing texts they think are machine-translated more negatively than texts they think were translated by humans, according to one study. Deception seems preferable to transparency, because transparency is seen to carry the greater risk to the author. &nbsp;How we really engage with AI tools&nbsp;The practice of disclosing AI use may not reflect how we use GenAI tools today. GenAI functionalities are increasingly embedded in our daily work tools. Microsoft Word has Co-pilot, Grammarly has writing assistance, and these are just two of the many tools that we might use as part of our research process and writing. We might use an LLM to “discuss” our initial research ideas, we might use an AI academic research engine (such as Consensus AI, Scite or Elicit) to gather and summarise literature, we might ask another LLM for feedback on a research tool design, and we might get assistance from MAXQDA AI-assist during our data coding. We might switch on Grammarly or Microsoft Co-pilot when we are writing, selecting or dismissing suggestions on style, tone and language synchronously as we write. This blurs the lines of knowing what uses are acceptable, what uses need declaring or whether we received assistance from AI at all.&nbsp;How we normalise GenAI in academic writing&nbsp;In essence, using GenAI has become normalised in our academic writing processes. Many authors and students turn to GenAI tools to augment their intelligence and abilities but keep human oversight and ownership over the content they create. We need to consider how to reform academic publishing in a world where GenAI is normalised.&nbsp;First, we need to shift our mindset from seeing the use of these tools as a sign of deficit to a sign of enhancement. The responsible and ethical use of GenAI with the author’s oversight and accountability is perhaps no different from outsourcing tasks to research assistants or professional proofreaders. The author’s responsibility to verify information and check the accuracy of the tasks completed is the same.&nbsp;Second, we must develop methodological models and frameworks to show us how to use GenAI ethically, legally and transparently to support authors’ knowledge-production activities. Using GenAI to verify human coding procedures could enhance the quality of data analysis, for example. Creating models where GenAI is used as part of the process and protocols for writing about these processes can be drafted and tested.&nbsp;Third, authors and students need to be educated about the ethical issues associated with using GenAI tools. Authors can take steps to address concerns regarding bias and intellectual property rights when they have increased AI literacy.&nbsp;Once the normalisation of GenAI in academic publishing is accepted, it becomes easier to discuss the ethical and responsible uses of these tools. Users can come out of the shadows, and we can be more open, honest and reflective about our uses of GenAI. In this way, trust in academic publishing can start to be regained.&nbsp;I used Grammarly to assist me in writing this article.Benjamin Luke Moorhouse is an assistant professor at the Hong Kong Baptist University.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

In a world of AI, academic publishing needs to change

Scholars are using generative AI to assist them with writing articles, but should they be punished for it? The academic publishing community may need to change its mindset, writes Benjamin Luke Moorhouse

We’re living in a world of artificial intelligence – it’s academic publishing that needs to change

Writing of all kinds is an intrinsic and fundamental part of academic life, but prioritising the time to do it can be a real struggle. Our Time to Write (T2W) project started life in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic,&nbsp;responding to requests from colleagues struggling to balance workloads and stay connected while we worked online, and then even more as we returned to campus. Since then, it has remained as popular and relevant as ever, and we have used UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) research culture enhancement funding to expand the programme with writing retreats and a community of practice for facilitators.The project is rooted in collegiate, social approaches that support connection and community, providing opportunities for individuals to develop positive writing habits and explore different methods of protecting time. We began by running a series of “power hours” of writing for Academic Writing Month in November 2021, inspired by the work of Stephanie Zihm and&nbsp;Claire Reid-Mackie and building on the writing bubbles run by our team the previous year.The power hour runs every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and any members of staff with writing tasks to complete can attend for individual sessions or sign up for the whole meeting series. Each session starts with goal setting before we switch off our mics and cameras for an hour of concentrated writing time. The host then calls people back together to share progress with each other. This has become a valued space of friendly and non-judgemental connection, as we both celebrate and commiserate together.&nbsp;Protect your emotional well-being for a happier writing experienceFive ways to beat the procrastination monsterWhat is your academic writing temperament?Our approach is informal and running the sessions through a Microsoft Teams group enables people to engage flexibly over the year, around teaching or any other commitments, while retaining the power of an organised hour in their diaries. It is important to us that all colleagues who are engaged in academic writing within the university are invited and feel welcome, and participants include academics of all stripes, from PhD to professor, as well as technicians and professional colleagues. More than 240 colleagues have participated over the years and we have a core group of 20 to 30 regulars, many of whom help host sessions or have gone on to organise local power hours for colleagues or students in their departments.It was in fact the community that inspired the first writing retreat, having been asking for one since the first power hour, and we have adapted Rowena Murray’s structured approach to retreats and social writing spaces to design an expanded version of the power hours. These retreats run over one or two days, with a mixture of on- and off-campus venues and focus on supporting healthy, positive writing habits as well as time to write.The efficacy of writing retreats for leveraging positive personal outcomes is well established in the literature, with emphasis on supporting equity and inclusion to research, enhancing belonging and increasing well-being. Time to Write underlines all these benefits and provides further insights into the personal and cultural effects of supporting protected time for writing tasks. We are now undertaking evaluation activity to evidence the impacts of:Opening opportunities to all staff undertaking academic writing tasksInclusive and accessible design, including providing time within the working day/weekProviding consistent, long-term protected time to writeOrganising “university-approved” protected timeConnecting colleagues and encouraging self-organisation.Time to Write has enabled participants to build positive relationships with their writing. They are forming healthier, more sustainable writing habits that work for their personal circumstances. Individuals can plan their writing workloads, resulting in higher-quality (and often increased quantity) papers and research outputs, and the opportunity to take part in repeat sessions has resulted in people coming together to form writing communities. Retreats we run later in the year often start to feel like reunions!&nbsp;Beyond this, staff feel that the university has listened to their problems and offered a (partial) solution. Funded time to write, particularly on retreat, helps them feel seen and valued by the institution.&nbsp;Meanwhile, the university is also benefiting from Time to Write. Alongside increasing well-being and tackling loneliness, the project encourages participants to own culture change on a local level. We are seeing high engagement from female academics, many of them mid-career, while our open approach means we have created spaces that are welcoming to all staff, providing a space to connect across disciplines, job roles and levels of experience. The project is directly contributing to institutional obligations within the Researcher Development Concordat and other equality charters, as well as supporting that ever-present key performance indicator: more and better grants and papers.&nbsp;Time to write is a necessity, not just a nice-to-have, in creating an inclusive, equitable research environment. Our challenge now is embedding the T2W project into university business as usual. We are using theory of change and creative evaluation techniques alongside engagement data, surveys and focus groups to establish the benefit of regular, centrally supported protected time for both individuals and the institution.Rosie Wadman is a senior teaching fellow and Jess Macpherson is a teaching fellow; both are academic developers in the Centre for Higher Education Practice at the University of Southampton.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How a project for academics to carve out writing time has grown from ‘power hours’ to writing retreats, community, increased well-being and higher-quality papers

Time to write is a necessity, not a nice-to-have

Returning to my research career after an eight-year break, I&nbsp;encountered the term early career researcher (ECR) for the first time. Initially, I&nbsp;didn’t realise it applied to me. It had been more than 15 years since I&nbsp;earned my PhD, and, apart from during maternity leave, I’d worked more or less continuously (although admittedly not in a way that is stereotypical of an academic career).Finding a consistent definition for ECR is no easy task. It mostly depends on self-identification; if you identify as an ECR, then you probably are one. If you don’t but are still on a fixed-term contract, it is unclear where you fit. This type of ambiguity is something an inclusive research culture should be moving away from.The term “ECR” is a fairly recent addition to the research career vocabulary, and the reasons for introducing it were well-intended. Expecting researchers at early stages of their careers to compete with well-established researchers for funding was deemed, rightly, unfair. In addition, describing researchers as younger is a form of age discrimination that is no longer openly endorsed.&nbsp;Unfortunately, though, the term ECR starts to fall short with careers that don’t conform to the deeply ingrained academic ideal of a linear career track. Implicit in the ECR role is the notion of career progression: that the researcher will move from early career to further stages of the career path. Employing researchers on fixed-term contracts means that for most progressing linearly is just not possible for a multitude of reasons, not least because career decisions are not made in isolation and must be offset against other life considerations. The overall effect is that a researcher’s career starts to extend temporally from the early to mid-stage, possibly even later stage, along with compounding of their skill set. Defining this group of highly skilled researchers as “early career” seems somewhat contradictory, as they are often more mid-career than their peers at the traditional mid-stage.To date, only one study has been published on longer-term researchers at the fixed-term stage, naming them long-term research staff (LTRS) and defined as having “a&nbsp;minimum of eight years post-PhD or highest degree in employment on research-only temporary contracts”. A third of research staff (34&nbsp;per cent) have been employed on temporary (fixed-term) contracts at one or more higher education institutions for more than 10&nbsp;years, according to Vitae figures. But this group of researchers is often overlooked in the broader research ecosystem, with the focus instead on ECRs. Because of their longer career paths, LTRS tend to be at a different stage of life and are more likely to have committed to a research career. Supporting LTRS and their careers, therefore, requires different considerations.Technological innovations in the workspace have transformed how research is done. Yet our career paths and workplace habits, envisioned more than 40 years ago, have not benefited from the same transformation. With rising retirement ages, more women in the workforce, the economic need for dual-income families and shifting work attitudes, it must surely be time to reimagine research careers.LanguageLanguage is critical for inclusion of any under-represented group. Endorsing a term to describe these researchers would enhance their visibility and inclusion in research culture policies and practices.Resource collection: Is your academic career cleared for take-off?What is tenure in higher education – and how to get itPathways to prosperity in casual academiaDataGathering and monitoring data are necessary to understand the extent of LTRS in a broader context and bolster evidence on research careers; to challenge biases and ensure that LTRS are not ignored or othered by the research community and to determine the impact of policies and practices on institutional practices.Institutional practicesFrom a business perspective, the use of fixed-term contracts is meant to be temporary, a safeguard for the organisation before committing to costly permanent employment. In academic research, fixed-term contracts are seen as the only way to job security. As 13&nbsp;per cent of Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) researchers on short-term contracts of 10&nbsp;years or more have been employed at the same institution, institutions should be transparent on when the “probationary period” will end.ReskillingClosing the door on a research career is no easier for those on fixed-term contracts than for “established” researchers. Funding for professional development opportunities or coaching could help LTRS transition their skill sets to other job sectors. Undertaking an internship or volunteering in a new job sector are less likely options for LTRS.Building sufficient career capital on a backdrop of precarity and insecurity is not a linear process. Although limited by a small sample size, the only study on LTRS found that they were mostly women whose caring responsibilities extended their career paths. If this is reflected more broadly, it may speak to the stubbornly persistent challenges that these groups face in the research environment. To sustainably harness the full potential of researchers and keep pace with the needs of an evolving workforce, we must include all researchers. Using the correct language should be a first step towards this. The term ECR is a useful step away from age-related language and towards equity, but it does not capture everyone. Creating a more inclusive research culture requires addressing the needs of LTRS as well.Rachel James is a researcher at the University of Edinburgh.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Here’s how we can support long-term research staff

Language use and reskilling are just two of the considerations for higher education institutions when it comes to supporting staff who don’t fit into the early career researcher category 

Since the Covid pandemic, many sport, exercise and health science researchers work remotely when not testing. This creates an issue for those conducting higher-risk testing who require an additional person in the room in case of ill health or accidents and, in some cases, to comply with safeguarding procedures. At Loughborough University, the technical team tried to cover this work, but the demand soon grew to a level that was not sustainable alongside their other duties.&nbsp;Students also want work experience opportunities to increase their employability or the strength of their applications for further study or jobs. Performance scientist Steve Ingham highlighted this need for applied experience in his 2022 Letter to the 15,000 because many students were finishing their degrees without the level of practical skills needed for applied roles due to constraints on lab time while studying. Additional lab or practical experience opportunities might also be insufficient due to insurance, ethical and contractual constraints.&nbsp;THE Awards 2024 spotlight: learn from the best in UK and Irish higher educationBuddy system: creating community through writingHow to develop a researcher mindset as a PhD studentThe “research buddy” scheme is a voluntary opportunity for undergraduate and MSc students within the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences (SSEHS). The scheme was set up by myself and my colleague Lynsey James, a teacher at Loughborough University, in cooperation with the university’s Coaching and Volunteering Academy (CVA). The aim of the scheme was to enhance student experience and upskill students while also providing a solution to the lack of personnel available for testing support.&nbsp;Setting up the ‘research buddy’ schemeSetting up the scheme required effective communication between myself and Lynsey, the PhD researchers, the senior leadership team (SLT) and the CVA at Loughborough who advertised the opportunity. As we were unsure of the demand from the PhD students, we estimated how many research buddies we would need to begin. We advertised the opportunity to undergraduate and MSc students within SSEHS and shortlisted 25 candidates. We then recruited PhD students on to the scheme who needed research buddies due to the nature of their testing (for example, higher-risk testing methods from a health and safety or safeguarding perspective). Before starting their roles, the research buddies completed lab inductions (online and in person) and were shown a venepuncture blood sample in case of any adverse reactions.&nbsp;Issues encountered&nbsp;As the students all had lectures, seminars and other commitments to work around, on certain times and days, no students were able to sign up. We had this issue especially on Tuesday mornings because this is a popular day for researchers to run main trials if they also have recovery visits 24, 48 and 72 hours post. (It is easier for participants to standardise diet and exercise on Monday than at the weekend.) We also had a few periods of the year where fewer research buddies were signing up (such as during university holidays and exam periods when research testing was still taking place).After a couple of months, we had gone from two to 10 researchers signed up to the scheme, and the 25 research buddies weren’t sufficient to cover the hours the researchers were requesting alongside their academic studies. Some research buddies also lost interest due to the observational nature of the scheme – once they had watched the same thing a few times, they found it a bit monotonous.&nbsp;Scheme development&nbsp;When assessing the success of the scheme, feedback from both the researchers and research buddies at the six- and 12-month timepoints allowed us to adapt the scheme so that it was beneficial to all involved. A few of the changes we made following feedback at six months were the recruitment of another 15 research buddies, a weekly email to remind students to sign up for testing slots and making the participant information sheets for the studies available to the research buddies to give context before they attended sessions.After the scheme had been up and running for a year, we received approval from the SLT to add an additional level. This was due to the success of the scheme and requests from students wanting to gain more hands-on experience because initially they could only observe testing/make notes and communicate with the researcher/participant. Once students had completed 20 hours of volunteering, they could move to level two and receive training on commonly used testing techniques, which they could then do within the testing sessions under the supervision of the researcher.&nbsp;Impact and takeaways&nbsp;The scheme has been a success so far and it has helped students develop their hands-on and communication skills, while also giving students experience of what goes into running a research study. This is a great starting point going into third-year and MSc research projects.&nbsp;All students involved said that they enjoyed the scheme and those continuing studies for the next academic year were keen to get more hands-on in the testing sessions once they have progressed to level two. This type of scheme is a valuable addition and something that could be implemented at most institutions and adapted to suit different departments and disciplines.&nbsp;Sally Carter is a technical officer in sport health and exercise sciences at Loughborough University. She was shortlisted in the Outstanding Technician of the Year category in the 2024&nbsp;THE&nbsp;Awards. A full list of nominees can be found&nbsp;here.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered directly to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

A novel volunteer programme has been giving students hands-on sports research experience and maintaining high standards of health safety. Here’s how it works

Implementing a ‘research buddy’ scheme

Effective communications support various institutional objectives, from fundraising and student recruitment to influencing policy and expanding research impact. But the voices that represent universities in the public sphere are overwhelmingly white. This, coupled with the fact that Black academic staff make up only 1&nbsp;per cent of professors in the UK, among others, perpetuates the false perception that Black and minority ethnic (BME) researchers make little or no contribution to scientific discovery and research. It is, therefore, vital for institutions to ensure that they provide opportunities for BME researchers and PhD students to speak about their work and showcase their expertise both inside and outside academia.In response to this, Imperial College London started the Imperial As&nbsp;One Media Academy to offer expert communications training to BME staff and PhD students. It aims to increase the number of media-trained individuals from BME backgrounds to help them magnify the impact of their work and raise their profiles.Since 2020, we have trained more than 100 researchers, with alumni going on to make media appearances, pen blogs and speak on podcasts. A great example is a recent feature in The&nbsp;Observer, in which Mehdi Saeidi spoke about his work transforming treatment for injured people in crisis zones.The Imperial As One Media Academy comprises five workshops, from which we highlight five ways that researchers and PhD students from BME backgrounds can amplify the impact of their work. They are as follows:Engage with the mediaWhether it’s a quick phone call with specialist press or a national TV interview, engaging with the media can raise awareness of your work among the public and policymakers. It remains one of the most effective ways to expand the reach of your research findings, provide expertise on a topical issue and communicate difficult messages to a wider audience.Doing interviews can be overwhelming and daunting, especially if you don’t have much experience. But remember that journalists just want you to help them break down complex information. With enough practice, you can become a reporter’s “go-to” expert on a particular topic.Get socialYou can use social media to publish videos, images and text that communicate key aspects of your work in original and accessible ways. Understanding how social media platforms work and choosing the right one is important. For example, many academics primarily use&nbsp;X, so learning to distil your research into bite-sized threads or short videos is key.Tips include thinking about your target audiences and what they might find most interesting about your findings, avoiding technical jargon and explaining your research the same way you would to your friends. Ensure that there is a beginning, a middle and an end.Social media platforms expose content producers to abuse, so staying safe online is important. Don’t be afraid to block or mute people who leave unpleasant comments on your posts.Resource collection: Being Black in the academyBacking Black scholars: here’s how universities can do betterFool’s gold: career advice for young, Black academicsFlex your writing skillsWriting articles is a great way of showcasing your expertise. Ensure that you do so in a clear and accessible way. A couple of ways to get involved in writing include contributing to your institution’s blog or writing a letter in response to a news article relevant to your area of work. Short and to-the-point letters are more likely to be published; aim for fewer than 200 words.It’s best to write your articles from a particular point of view, which can be difficult for researchers who have had objectivity drummed into them, but if you provide a new slant on something, your work is more likely to be widely read.As your profile and confidence grow, you may be offered opportunities to write opinion pieces for news outlets. This is a great opportunity to contribute to a topical issue, spark debate and influence change.Get talkingPodcasts have experienced phenomenal growth in recent years, especially with younger and more diverse audiences. They are excellent at reaching specific audiences with niche interests, and presenters are always on the lookout for guests, so be bold and approach them.Whether you are interested in appearing on podcasts or have an idea for your own, it’s important to practise interview techniques. When listening to a podcast, put yourself in the host’s shoes and predict the questions they will ask next; imagine how the guest would answer the questions.Influence policyYou can get started having discussions with policymakers early in your career. Try the following:Areas of research interest lists can be a good place to start. Government departments issue these to encourage the research community to get in touch if they have relevant findings in areas of interest such as public health.The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology offers another route to showcasing your expertise to policymakers. It ensures that the right information and evidence goes into policy briefings available to MPs and organises outreach activities such as networking events. Subscribe to its weekly email round-up to stay updated when new opportunities arise.You can also identify MPs and policymakers likely to share your interests by using the search tool TheyWorkForYou. One of our graduates used it to find out about a parliamentary event directly related to her research. She attended the event and made important contacts that could pave the way for her research to inform future policy.Finally, many UK universities have public affairs and policy engagement teams keen to learn about and share the work of their institution’s researchers. Connecting with these teams and outlining your areas of expertise can lead to opportunities to contribute to calls for evidence and speak at briefings, workshops and events for policymakers.The inaccurate notion that BME researchers do not contribute must be addressed. Researchers have a wealth of tools and opportunities to share their work and, in doing so, can increase its impact, boost representation and inspire the next generation of BME academics.&nbsp;Maxine Myers is a communications manager at Imperial College London.&nbsp;Imperial College London is shortlisted for Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the Times Higher Education Awards 2024 #THEAwards. A&nbsp;full list of shortlisted candidates can be found here.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Media training can combat low BME representation in academia

Advice from Imperial College London’s new media training academy to help BME researchers build their profiles and increase the reach of their research

Many of our PhD students join as art, design or communication practitioners. They are keen to further and deepen their knowledge of research methods and methodologies, while enjoying regular points of contact with their peers, and gain from critical feedback situated within a safe academic environment. That’s where “Methods of Intent”, a peer-led seminar series, and “itinerant space”, an alternative publishing platform, come in.&nbsp;Support peer-to-peer engagementThe success of Methods of Intent resides in its co-created curriculum undertaken by myself and students, supported by a small team of staff researchers. The series of weekly seminars, workshops and conversations seeks to deepen insights into communication research through peer-to-peer engagement.&nbsp;The intent is to share and expand our collective understanding of the multifarious ways in which communication research might be critically explored, tested and disseminated through theoretical and practical ways of knowing. It builds on students’ prior knowledge and aims to expand on and disrupt what they have already learnt. Methods of Intent discourages learning hierarchies. Instead, it supports open, transparent research conversations, fostering mutual respect and collaborative working practices.&nbsp;Methods of Intent provides the scaffolding for research conversations, while the online publication, itinerant space, offers a site for applied practices.Subvert academic publishing practices&nbsp;itinerant space is an experimental online platform for doctoral researchers, which reflects upon conventional academic publishing practices and subverts them by exploring new ways of publishing research-in-progress. The journal supports four different formats – text, image, time-based and Sandbox – to accommodate the variable ways in which research extracts can be presented.&nbsp;THE Awards 2024 spotlight: learn from the best in UK and Irish higher educationPublication-based doctorate: is it for me?Transitioning to a PhD: common struggles and how to overcome themThe journal’s editors are PhD students in the Royal College of Art’s School of Communication. My role is to oversee and support the project while also lending guidance, which usually takes a cue from my own experiences of academic publishing – and attempts to innovate. Editors and contributors pose issues that have been brought up via Methods of Intent. The following are three key areas of debate that have emerged.Re-think peer reviewPeer review has been contentious. This has led to the jettisoning of the old model of anonymous blind reviewing and given way to the creation of an open and transparent system, where the students meet and talk with each other about how best to foster the development of a contributor’s works for publication. This forum is informal, but not un-rigorous. Arguments can be heated, but in general talking through a problem works.&nbsp;itinerant space began with conversations between students within the School of Communication, but has now reached out to work with other RCA doctoral students, to enhance interdisciplinary dialogue.&nbsp;Publish research-in-progressThe format of the journal has been vigorously debated. One of the key questions the editors raised was how to capture the exploration of a practitioner’s process in an online space. Their solution was to introduce&nbsp;Sandbox. This is an application within the journal that lends itself to a versatile digital canvas, where contributors have control over presenting their visual compositions of text, image or time-based elements. This app offers a more playful, experimental approach to the display of research-in-progress for art and design practitioners. The results are spectacular.&nbsp;Develop an ethical approachEthics has been an inevitable focus. Debates on inclusion, freedom of speech, who is “allowed” to speak, and theories around class, decoloniality and gender have underpinned Methods of Intent and the online journal. What’s also been important is what constitutes ethical practices in terms of publishing processes, such as meeting website accessibility compliance.&nbsp;The editors have been pro-active in promoting inclusive practices such as facilitating workshops, as part of the doctoral training programme. These are based on clear ethical guidelines, which are circulated as part of the journal’s open calls for submissions. Each contributor has a say and technical support is available for all.&nbsp;Practical tips for setting up a publishing initiativeWhat to consider practically when setting up publishing initiatives:Don’t be in a rush. It takes time to set up online or print-based publishing platforms and to put into place the support for students taking the lead on the project.&nbsp;Think ahead. Co-develop a three-year strategic plan that builds in flexibility, while establishing a clear trajectory of vision and practical milestones for the journal’s operation and development.&nbsp;Make sure you’re informed by university policies on, for example, ethics, academic freedom, website management and accessibility compliance.&nbsp;Anticipate cycles in the academic year to avoid directly impacting each editor’s and contributor’s existing PhD research workplans.Integrate skills sessions for academic publishing into existing doctoral training, like Methods of Intent, where all research students may benefit from sharing experiences of applied publishing practices.&nbsp;Encourage collective ownership based on open and transparent discussions for setting up and implementing the journal’s principles and decision-making processes.Listen to students and keep in mind their own research goals and their aims for publishing. Recognise that the experience will not be the same for each student, and be mindful of inclusive practices.&nbsp;Foster an active research communityWhat fuels my commitment to Methods of Intent and itinerant space is to be involved in a process that contributes to PhD students gaining confidence as early career researchers. I have seen students at their best, co-operating in a way I never thought was possible. Students are actively involved in decision-making and learn from the insights that emerge from these processes. Just as importantly, they also have a good time. Playfulness and conversation are at the centre of everything, and a lot of cups of tea and biscuits are consumed.&nbsp;These two conversation spaces have led to students sharing and expanding their peer research networks, whether within the RCA or more widely into professional and academic practices. It’s been a privilege to witness how students have met the unanticipated challenges of publishing itinerant space, challenges that arise when working with a diverse set of subjects and individual positionings. What results is an active research community, forever forward-looking, wherein members support each other as they become independent researchers.Teal Triggs is professor of graphic design and postgraduate research lead in the School of Communication at the Royal College of Art.&nbsp;She was shortlisted in the Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year category in the 2024 Times Higher Education Awards. A full list of nominees can be found here.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Set your PhD students up with opportunities to share

Creating alternative publishing opportunities and space for peer-led conversation are a vital part of the PhD research student journey. Teal Triggs launched two initiatives to do so

Set your PhD students up with opportunities to debate and share

Having been a PhD supervisor in departments of philosophy, politics and international relations at four universities over the past 35 years, I’ve supervised more than 30 students to successful completion. Yet, I’m still making mistakes!Each time, I&nbsp;learn more about how to build supervisory relationships in a way that is most helpful for each student’s needs, and how to supervise in a way that improves their chances of starting and finishing doctoral work successfully. Here are my tips, drawing on the practical lessons I&nbsp;have learned. They reflect past failures as well as successes, and are always a work in progress.Be proactiveRespond encouragingly to enquiries from prospective students and work with them on refining their research proposal and application. This won’t always result in the student coming to work with you, but if you don’t try, you certainly won’t succeed. This kind of engagement maximises the chances of a stronger research proposal and of the student gaining funding through national or institutional schemes.Boost confidenceThe PhD is a long process, and crises of confidence happen. This is especially the case at the midway point, when supervisees often cannot see the wood for the trees. When discussing draft work, always bring the student back to how this part of the research (the tree) fits with the overall aims of the project (wood). Remind them that the PhD is an apprenticeship – no&nbsp;one expects it to be perfect, and it’s the beginning of their serious thinking, not the end. Get them to produce writing regularly right from the beginning, so that they get used to their drafts being looked at – this avoids the trap of perfectionism, common in many academics.Be constructiveJust because doctoral researchers are peers within the research community, it doesn’t mean that all those arguments for constructive feedback or feedforward for undergraduates don’t also apply to them. Start with the positive in any summative comments on drafts. Draw out the constructive implications of yours and others’ assessments of their work. Handle the first journal rejections they get by insisting on a cooling-off period to get over the shock, then work through the unfairness or otherwise of the review, gently taking them through the reasons why desk rejects happen.Be sympathetic and honestAs a supervisor, you are your students’ champion and supporter. You must also be professional and realistic if things go seriously wrong. It’s tempting to cover for your students by making misleading claims about their progress or ignoring evidence that they are not going to be able to complete, but this will ultimately prove counterproductive.THE Awards 2024 spotlight: learn from the best in UK and Irish higher educationHow to foster PhD excellenceAdvice for supervising a PhD by published worksWhen there is a crisis, take advice from your director of graduate studies, clarify the regulations and possibilities, and have an honest conversation with the student to produce a plan to navigate the problem. Sometimes giving up the PhD is the right answer, even if that is not what the student wants to&nbsp;do.Learn from your peersWorking with co-supervisors has taught me the most about supervising effectively. Initially, this was working in tandem with more senior colleagues and realising that my own experience of supervision as a student was not the right model to follow. Later, I&nbsp;learned from younger colleagues with a much more professionalised early career experience than my own.If opportunities for peer learning are limited in your department, then use formal opportunities offered by your institution for training on supervision to meet and talk to other supervisors. Beyond your institution, use the working groups and networks on teaching and pedagogy of your professional associations. Check out what they are doing in disseminating successful supervisory practice. If they are not doing anything, get them to sponsor a workshop or conference panel on the topic and you will create your own community of peers.Don’t go it aloneCompleting a PhD is not a private matter between supervisor and supervisee. As a supervisor, you are part of a complex collaborative process involving many people – including your supervisee and any co-supervisors, research skills training providers – but also the peer research community inside and outside your own institution. Think of them all as partners in supervision, and you, as well as your student, can learn from them. Encourage your student to get advice from as wide a community as possible, not only through presenting conference papers but by making use of the training and career mentoring opportunities offered by your own institution and by professional associations.StrategiseGet involved in initiatives to support doctoral work within and across institutions. Don’t dismiss doctoral training centres, even if they do sometimes reinvent the wheel of research training!Try to involve yourself in the planning processes for bidding for these initiatives. It will give you a strong understanding of, and possibly a chance to influence, how research streams or training requirements are identified. I&nbsp;found this when I&nbsp;was involved in planning an Economic and Social Research Council-funded doctoral training programme and later, in a successful bid for a five-year Leverhulme-funded doctoral programme. When these bids succeed, they more than pay dividends in enabling more funding of PhD students, increasing your chance of supervising strong students and building a mutually supportive postgraduate researcher community.Kimberly Hutchings is professor of politics and international relations at Queen Mary, University of London. She was shortlisted in the Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year category in the 2024 Times Higher Education Awards. A full list of nominees can be found here.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Seven tips for making the most of your supervisory relations

How can we supervise our PhD students to give them the best chance of success? Here are seven tips to keep in mind when taking on the role

‘I’ve been a research supervisor for 35 years and I’m still learning’ 

Success in research as an undergraduate student should not be the main reason for pursuing a PhD. Motivation for doctoral studies should come from enthusiasm for your field of research and a feeling that, for you, questions outnumber answers.&nbsp;Here, I offer personal insights and motivations for making a career as a researcher that might be beneficial for early career scientists.Find and retain inspiration in the long termAn event that initially seems unfavourable can help us find goals and keep at them. For example, when I was awarded second prize in neuroscience at a congress of the Scientific Students’ Association of Semmelweis University, I was clearly disappointed. However, the result motivated me to become better at what I do. My long-term commitment paid off seven years later; I was selected for a leadership position at a national clinical neuroscience centre. &nbsp;Throughout my journey, one thing has remained the same: I enjoy working rather than feeling obliged to work. I find clinical neuroscience one of the most fascinating areas of health sciences.&nbsp;Start early and keep workingWhile the first year of university studies is typically a time to adapt to new learning processes and broaden theoretical knowledge, the second year is the optimal time to enter science. Many students put off applying with excuses such as: “I want to finish the comprehensive exams first”, “I prefer down-to-earth practice over research” or “I am waiting for the opportunity to work with a famous professor.”&nbsp;Campus webinar: how to present research to a wider audience for greater impactFive ways to connect PhD students with industryGet a head start in the first year of your PhDHowever, becoming a professional, which in my field means understanding technologies such as neurophysiology, neuro-imaging and neuropsychology, requires a long-term commitment. Frequent participation in multiple studies is also necessary to develop a solid methodological background. So it is better to start as early as possible.&nbsp;An early decision should be to select the first target research group. Participating in scientific conferences of student organisations with an experienced group, such as senior students, members of student associations or experienced PhD students, can be a great opportunity for a freshman from both a social and professional perspective. It makes sense to look for student presenters who demonstrate a sound background in the entire research process; they have a broad knowledge of the literature background, can formulate good research questions, work with a clear methodology, and can articulate their results and the key messages of the applicability of their findings in a clear and concise way. The affiliations of the selected presenters can provide valuable clues.Find the right mentor and get inspiredApplying for an open position is a critical first step for university students to gain access to research laboratories. Since appropriate guidance is crucial in early career research, finding your mentor is a key step. I was fortunate to find great mentors who were known for their medical professionalism, teaching skills and rigorous and ethical research activities.&nbsp;Great team leaders are usually open to receiving CVs and motivation letters from interested newcomers, so students should not be afraid to apply for positions and send out emails. If you progress to interview stage, be prepared. Read recent papers from the group, search for ongoing research grants and familiarise yourself with the basic background of the applied methodologies and the targeted disorders or physiological processes.&nbsp;The key question is: how do you find the best research mentors? Consider reaching out to undergraduate and PhD students in the target group; if you find people who have been working in the same lab for many years and are still enthusiastic about science, you are probably in the right place. Another important factor is learning about the scientific career paths of the lab members. The quality of the work in a laboratory can be judged by the number of scientific presentations, peer-reviewed academic articles authored by undergraduate/ PhD students and early career researchers who have won grants and individual funding. However, personalities are not always well matched. Perfect chemistry between the mentor and the student is rare.&nbsp;Be clear about your own constraints and motivations in terms of the time and energy that you can devote to scientific work. This awareness may help the adjustment to the research team. Energy invested almost always pays off. Perhaps you can only dedicate half a day a week. It is obviously not enough for high-quality scientific, work but investment in data management or data acquisition can help the team, and could even serve as the basis for a later thesis.For example, if an early career researcher dedicates every weekend to science, they might become a co-principal investigator after a few years. A researcher must carefully assess their mental and physical resources and communicate them from the very beginning and throughout the years to benefit both themselves and the team.Invest in the futureWorking as a PhD student is underfinanced everywhere in the world, so one might earn significantly less for many years compared with your classmates who have not pursued an academic career. However, this training enables students to learn valuable life skills such as working and interacting in global settings, cooperative problem-solving, appreciation of lifelong learning, strict data analysis and presentation, and effective leadership skills.&nbsp;Neuroscience, for example, is an interdisciplinary field involving medicine, physics, biology, chemistry, information technology and data science. So your PhD could be beneficial in various sectors.Holding a neuroscience PhD along with a medical degree provides diverse career options. You can work as a medical professional in a classic clinical environment but with a better understanding of medical sciences, new protocols, research data and novel guidelines. You will have a sound background for introducing new solutions and technologies to daily practice. Or you might run drug trials, biomarker validation studies or clinical research laboratories.In my opinion, the greatest benefit of pursuing neuroscience as a lifelong profession is the enormous improvement in adversity quotients. Your papers may be frequently rejected, your scientific grants and scholarships may often be unsuccessful and, in most cases, your hypotheses may be proved false. Despite the failures, the experience of scientific discoveries is joyful and priceless and might make you resilient, opening a window to the entire world.&nbsp;András Attila Horváth is head of the Neurocognitive Research Centre of the Nyírő Gyula National Institute of Psychiatry and Addictology, and assistant professor in the department of anatomy, histology and embryology, at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Pursuing a research career, especially in a competitive field such as neuroscience, requires commitment, early action, long-term goals and, above all, ongoing passion and curiosity about your field

How to succeed as an early career researcher? Be motivated and inspire others

I’m an Australian novelist who had writer’s block while doing my creative arts doctorate and flailed about so wildly that I looked to neuroscience for help. I later turned this crisis and my&nbsp;resulting research into a book, The Mystery of the Cleaning Lady: a Writer Looks at Creativity and Neuroscience. Ever since, I’ve continued to sleuth through neuroscience for what it knows about enhancing creativity.I little thought that my fascination would lead to creating an international “creativity bar”.I began to use my research to teach creative writing, which is traditionally taught without any neuroscience at all, first at the University of Sydney, then at Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art, invited by the head of school, Stephen Sewell, a playwright himself, who understood that neuroscience gives us a useful way to think about creativity. When a group of neuroscientists studied the effectiveness of our course for a year with a battery of 22 before-and-after objective tests and a subjective one, I was delighted, and more so at the result. It turned out our teaching enhanced the flexibility of the students’ ideas by 34 per cent and their originality by 65 per cent.&nbsp;Spotlight collection: creativity in higher educationTHE podcast: bringing an outsider’s eye to primary sourcesRead more: creative writing to hone critical thinkingI hadn’t imagined teaching anyone but writers, but on the back of that research, Kim Cunio, who headed the School of Music at the Australian National University, invited me to teach his composers to be more creative. I was initially reluctant, but I’d long been aware that, despite the difference in our outputs, we practitioners, whatever our disciplines, fall into a common language when we’re talking about the job of daily creating.&nbsp;So, for three fascinating years, I taught composers. It was Covid, so lessons were on Zoom, but the students, often also musicians, invariably wrote glowing reports afterwards, which to me confirmed the findings of the research. Cunio said: “Composers are so fragile as they gain their skills [that] what is often most difficult is the task of keeping the inner songbird alive as they grow – this project was a big part of that process.”The composers had been eager to share what the creative process was like for them, which resonated with my practice, so I felt that with them I’d found my tribe. To keep in touch with them, I decided to form a “creativity bar”, so called because by then they were often playing gigs at bars, and I set it for once a month. As the musicians grew busier, I began to invite the poets, novelists, visual artists, stage directors and screenwriters that I encountered in my research.&nbsp;I knew from the start that we would not talk about the ideas that showed up in the eventual work because, when they’re so newly formed, they are vague and often merely sensed. Artists learn that putting them into words too early makes them vanish. For many of us, ideas become apparent only at the end. The work has to grow in the artist in its own time.&nbsp;What we talk about instead is the felt experience of associative thinking, so different from linear, logical, analytic – in Heidegger’s word, “calculative” – thinking. We explore associative thinking’s insistence on the cessation of any other mode of thought, so it evaporates if that rule is broken; its dependence on meditation, that is, often to start knowing nothing, just a feeling of knowing (as Kenneth Bowers et al wrote); its unexpected leaps; the unbidden emotions it stirs; its linking of seemingly unconnected, often ridiculous things; its conjuring up disconcertingly life-like images and even voices. After all, it takes place in a completely different brain network than analytic thinking – which, speaking from experience only, seems to have a different modality.&nbsp;As the creativity bar continues, I’ve discovered as a practitioner what a joy and relief it is to share common experiences of this strange thinking – such as when the work seems dull and uninspired and the most outlandish thing we’ve ever undertaken, and yet we feel strangely compelled to stay with it. This compulsion is always a sign, I’ve learned, that the work is articulating something essential to us, and perhaps eventually it will resonate with others. At this stage, we all agree, it’s tempting to give up, but then comes the flood of relief when the work suddenly jerks into life and talks back. These exchanges about the process spark the same relief that anyone might feel as they groan and exult with workmates over a Friday-night drink.&nbsp;Visual artist Patricia Townsend said: “I wondered whether the findings of my research with visual artists would also apply to poets, novelists, composers and other forms of art. Then Sue Woolfe contacted me and I had the chance to find out. The creativity bar has given me a precious space to meet creative people from other disciplines and to share the highs and lows of what it’s like to be in the throes of creating a new work.”Since a key element in the bar is that everyone is often at early stages of the work, I knew that these revelations must be protected, so I decided not to invite critics or learned onlookers, however well meaning. Everyone needed to be equally vulnerable.&nbsp;When I invite an artist, I ensure they agree that what we talk about is never shared with others. For this reason I don’t record sessions, though I broke this practice recently when I invited the Portuguese potter and PhD candidate Paulo Tiago Cebeca to talk to us and he needed a recording of the session for his candidature. I’d received so many apologies from the group that I offered to share the recording but carefully gave all participants 24 hours’ notice to object.&nbsp;Always I suggest topics that might in practice veer anywhere; often I invite a member who has just opened an exhibition or published a book or composed a piece to talk about what it was like to have “beholders” – that old-fashioned word we find so useful – and occasionally I invite a speaker.&nbsp;Composer Wendy Suiter said of the bar: “Having others be intensely interested in my own insights from years of&nbsp;working in the abstract, intangible medium of music, and the joy of&nbsp;our stumbling words being taken seriously by the other practising artists,&nbsp;as we struggle to find a way to verbalise such interior processes and&nbsp;feelings, frankly sharing our own thoughts, creative struggles and&nbsp;processes, and occasionally our products, is a very validating experience."&nbsp;Because research continues to underpin our discussions, I use the University of Sydney Zoom site. The creativity bar is now midway through its third year and seems stronger than ever. Every year I check if the artists want to continue, and every year they do.&nbsp;Does talking about the doing of our work enhance the eventual work? Not directly, but when an artwork seems artless, fellow artists know that behind it is not only the years of learning one’s discipline (it’s estimated an average of 10 years, but I’d argue a lifetime) but of learning the skills demanded by associative thinking and patiently putting them into practice and never losing heart. I’d like to think the bar helps us to achieve doggedness.It’s only recently that I’ve realised the truth of what one artist said: where else in the world is there another place when we practitioners can share our concerns without judgement or embarrassment? And if that’s true – why is it so?Sue Woolfe is an honorary associate in the discipline of English and writing at the University of Sydney. She is the author of five fictional works, including&nbsp;Leaning Towards Infinity&nbsp;(Ligature e-books), which in its original publication year won the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction and the Commonwealth Prize for the Pacific region and was runner-up in prizes including the Commonwealth Prize and the US Tiptree Award for Speculative Fiction.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Out of writer’s block and research into the artistic process have grown a tool and a community to foster new work. Novelist Sue Woolfe describes how an international creativity bar works

A space where ideas can take shape in the creative arts

Social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) are essential for academics to share research, network and engage with the public. However, navigating these platforms can undermine researchers’ credibility. Scientists’ political expression on social media significantly affects how the public perceives them, we found in a study of about 98,000 scientists and experiments with 3,700 respondents, all based in the US. Maintaining credibility depends on how academics communicate online.Here are practical tips from our findings to help academics engage on social media without compromising their standing.Focus on research, not politicsNeutrality is paramount for credibility, our study found. Scientists who share politically charged opinions face a credibility penalty. Figure 1 shows that the stronger the political stance, the more public trust declines as well as public willingness to engage with scientific content. In our experiment, both strongly Republican and strongly Democratic scientists experience a reduction in perceived credibility, by 39 per cent and 11 per cent respectively, compared with their politically neutral counterparts.&nbsp;&nbsp;Spotlight collection: how to make social media an academic friend, not foe&nbsp;Making the most of social media: practical tips for academics&nbsp;Read more: shifting landscapes of social media data for research&nbsp;To maintain credibility, scientists might choose to prioritise sharing research findings over engaging in partisan debates. Focusing on discussions related to their own work can help scientists preserve public trust, as audiences tend to value expertise-based opinions over political ones.

  
      
  
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Figure 1: Credibility penalty of academics’ political expression on social media

&nbsp;Note: The chart shows that across the political spectrum, scientists experience a significant monotonic decrease in perceived credibility and willingness to engage with their content as their political expressions become more pronounced.&nbsp;Source: Alabrese, Capozza and Garg (2024).Be mindful of communication styleGlobally, academics on social media are significantly more vocal on politicised issues than the general public – 10 times more likely to support climate action, six times more expressive about cultural liberalism, and 23 times more vocal about economic collectivism, according to&nbsp;companion work. While understandable, this disparity can mislead the public about academic consensus and potentially erode trust.Additionally, the study finds notable differences in&nbsp;how academics express themselves. While generally less toxic than the broader social media user base, variations exist within academia. Academics in the US and those from top-ranked institutions tend to exhibit higher levels of egocentrism and toxicity relative to academics from other countries.Being mindful of both content and tone not only preserves credibility but also fosters constructive engagement with a diverse audience.&nbsp;

  
      
  
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Figure 2: Differences in academic expression among academics

&nbsp;Note: This figure presents average levels of egocentrism, toxicity and emotionality in tweets by academics, categorised by factors such as country, field and institutional ranking.&nbsp;Source:&nbsp;Garg and Fetzer (2024).Separate personal and professional accountsIf political engagement is important, scientists should consider maintaining separate accounts – one for personal views and another for professional academic content. This allows scientists to engage in political discussions without having them mixed with the professional content and risking that it becomes compromised. Keeping a professional account strictly focused on research, academic commentary and educational content could help scientists preserve the trust of a more general audience, which is crucial for increasing the reach and impact of scientific work.Use social media to educate, not advocateWhile it’s tempting to advocate for causes one is passionate about, especially on pressing issues such as climate change or social justice, our research highlights a fine line between advocacy and information-sharing. On social media, academics shall aim to inform and educate about their field of expertise, with an approach that encourages public engagement without alienating those with differing views.This perspective is reinforced by our survey of an international sample of scientists, who generally agree that expressing political views on topics within their expertise is more socially acceptable than commenting on issues outside their field. These scientists also believe that their peers share this sentiment. On average, scientists anticipate reputational benefits for discussing politically charged topics directly linked to their research, while noting the potential reputational risks that come when venturing beyond their professional scope.Be mindful of your audiencePublic perceptions of scientists vary and are heavily influenced by audience political affiliation. Our study shows that respondents are less willing to engage with scientists whose political views oppose their own (see Figure 3). This polarisation underscores the importance of being mindful of one's audience when communicating. Tailoring content to avoid alienating specific groups helps to maintain a broad readership and facilitates constructive engagement across the political spectrum.

  
      
  
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Figure 3: Credibility penalty of academics’ political expression by respondent partisanship

&nbsp;Note: The graph shows how the penalty in perceived credibility and willingness to engage with content due to scientists’ political expression on social media is particularly strong among respondents whose political positions oppose those of the scientists.&nbsp;Source: Alabrese, Capozza and Garg (2024).Institutional best practicesJohns Hopkins University recently adopted a “posture of restraint” in issuing official statements, limiting them to issues directly related to the university’s core functions. Leaders noted that public statements on social, political or scientific issues could be “counterproductive” and undermine open dialogue. This approach preserves the institution’s role as a space for diverse views.This example serves as a model for individual academics. Focusing on fostering dialogue and advancing knowledge, rather than taking positions on contentious issues, helps maintain credibility and public trust in scientific expertise.Opportunities and challenges of social media for academicsSocial media enables wider dissemination of research but also exposes scientists to scrutiny, where political views can impact public trust. By sharing research, separating personal and professional identities, and engaging objectively, academics can use social media effectively while preserving credibility.As digital communication evolves, science communication strategies must adapt to maintain public trust. For scientists, social media should be a platform for education and outreach, not a battleground for political ideology.Eleonora Alabrese is&nbsp;an assistant professor in the department of economics at the University of Bath. Francesco Capozza is a&nbsp;research associate in the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. Prashant Garg is&nbsp;an economics PhD student at Imperial College Business School.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

Preserving academic credibility when on social media

As political expression on social media can harm public perception of scientists, strategies such as sharing research, separating personal and professional identities, and engaging objectively are ways that academics can use it effectively while preserving credibility

How to preserve academic credibility when engaging with social media

Find out how to expand the reach of your research beyond your institution from academic experts at Campus+ partner universities across the UK and North America.We discuss:How to use new media to amplify your workHow to build a stand-out online profileEffective ways to discuss the impact of your researchInnovative methods of communication.Our panellists are:Denise Baden, professor of sustainable business at the University of SouthamptonPatricia Raun, director, Center for Communicating Science at Virginia TechGregory Goldsmith, associate professor of biology and associate dean for research and development at Chapman UniversityKrystina Silva, senior social media strategist at the University of Alberta.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Webinar: Present research to wider audiences for more impact

Learn about ways to articulate and present your work to non-academic audiences from experts from Campus+ partner institutions in the UK and North America

Campus webinar: How to present research to a wider audience for greater impact

In 2021, I embarked on a Parliamentary Academic Fellowship at the House of Commons Library. This scheme provides an opportunity for researchers to use their knowledge and skills to carry out projects in UK parliament and learn how research feeds into practice and decision-making.&nbsp;I drew on teaching material at The Open University and my own research to create a knowledge-transfer project on the gender pension gap. This looked at the differing outcomes in retirement faced by men and women in the UK and it helped create a new research area on the gender pension gap in parliament.The result was that, in 2023, the UK government started annual reporting of the gender pension gap for the first time.You will have already done the hard work within your research, but how do you use this to create a successful knowledge-transfer project?This is a process that, most obviously, occurs when you use your hard-won research to transfer knowledge to policymakers.&nbsp;Usually, you’ll get a valuable benefit in return, either by learning more about the constraints that policymakers work under or an aspect you had not even considered when you delve into policy details. For example, I had not realised how the lack of data on pension-sharing orders in divorce cases hampers understanding of the gender pension gap.&nbsp; &nbsp;Knowledge transfer here becomes genuine knowledge exchange – like a conversation – and this benefits your own research.So, how do you create a successful knowledge transfer project? Here are my five top tips. &nbsp;1. Know who are you writing forThe first step is to consider your audience. Are you writing a policy brief for politicians, civil servants, policy researchers or special advisers? Remember that your audience will usually be very pressed for time and may be interested in very specific things.So, tailor your research to the questions they want answering. If the Treasury Committee wants to explore the tax system after coronavirus then it’s not much use submitting evidence on the introduction of income taxes during the Napoleonic wars.Spotlight guide: THE Awards 2024: learn from the best in UK and Irish higher educationFive steps for engaging policymakers in researchWant your research to have an impact on policy? Know your audience2. Stick to deadlinesAcademics are weary of students who miss assignment deadlines because they forgot to set an alarm. So, don’t make the same error yourself. Policymakers have tight schedules. When a parliamentary committee issues a call for evidence, it will specify a cut-off point for submissions. These deadlines are fixed and if you want to be read or heard, pay attention to dates.Be prepared to respond quickly as well. A policy issue may suddenly flare up and policymakers crave immediate research. You might be in the lucky position of being the one person or team who has done the exact research. Best to send this now rather than spend time polishing off your latest paper.In my case, I joined the House of Commons library around the time UK parliament’s Work and Pensions Committee had launched a Saving for Later Life inquiry and one of the inquiry topics was on the gender pension gap. So, here was a perfect opportunity for me to use my teaching and research on the gender pension gap to plug that hole. The opportunity for knowledge transfer was there to be seized. &nbsp; &nbsp;3. Keep it simplePolicymakers have many competing demands on their time. So, make it as easy as possible for them to grasp the key issues quickly by writing in a simple and clear fashion. They won’t be experts in all areas. Sometimes specialist language is needed but it’s helpful to avoid jargon and unnecessary acronyms if you can.For those interested in engaging with parliament, the&nbsp;UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology has&nbsp;a host of helpful resources for researchers, PhD students or knowledge mobilisers.There are many guides on writing simply. Take your pick. A personal favourite is George Orwell’s&nbsp;“Politics and the English Language”.4. It’s a numbers gamePolicymakers often hanker for a statistic or piece of data in a briefing. Well-chosen data or statistics can really enliven a briefing. This is like a dropped stone that creates ripples of understanding.Here’s a statistic I used in my work on the gender pension gap: in 2023, the gender pension gap was 35 per cent, more than double the gender pay gap of 14.3 per cent.5. More than words can sayT. S. Eliot claimed that the best poems communicate before they are fully understood. Visual aids can do the same. If your research uses numerical data, then presenting this in an attractive graph or chart can help. If your work is mainly qualitative, photos or illustrations can create an attractive briefing. &nbsp;Many of the above tips are reactive – using your research to respond to a need from policymakers. This forms the reality of many, perhaps most, knowledge-transfer projects.But, it’s also possible for researchers to shape the policy agenda by highlighting issues not previously considered by policymakers. The above tips can be easily adapted for that as well – write simply, think about numbers, present attractively.&nbsp;What will differ is where the channels arise. Rather than responding to a specific call for evidence, be proactive by publishing blogs, producing briefing papers or convening seminars. Good luck! &nbsp;Rajiv Prabhakar is senior lecturer in personal finance at The Open University.The Open University was shortlisted for Knowledge Exchange/Transfer Initiative of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards 2024 #THEAwards. A full list of shortlisted candidates can be found here.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Lessons for maximising knowledge transfer with policymakers

Advice on how to share your research with the aim of maximising knowledge transfer among policymakers in parliament

What I learned about knowledge transfer with policymakers during my parliamentary fellowship

Have you ever heard an academic admit in a public lecture that they only got into their field to spend more time at the beach?Or where they accuse another speaker of wanting to dig up poop on hiking trips?&nbsp;Or where a bunch of PhD students heckle the academic on stage with T-shirts printed with his catchphrase: “Did you know I went to Oxford?”What if moments like these – where the boundaries between academic and personal life blur a little – weren’t just a great way to make scholarly work more engaging and relatable but were also enriching and fun for you, too?Academics on stage: where smart meets sillyWelcome to The Peer Revue.&nbsp;This live show is where smart meets silly. Each month a top-tier researcher takes the stage at a Melbourne comedy club to talk about their cutting-edge work. The cast then use their discoveries as fuel for incredibly silly improv comedy.&nbsp;Deakin University education professor (and MC) Phillip Dawson created the show three years ago to “make research engagement more dialogic”. And the night has done that – although perhaps not in quite the way he imagined.&nbsp;Read more: how to promote your research for greater impactTHE podcast: when pop culture meets academiaOpinion: why is no one listening to your message?Performances regularly feature audience interjections that range from curious and passionate to almost unhinged with brazen prof-on-prof heckling. Members of the public frequently pitch in questions about everything from illicit drugs to bowel movements. And the guests’ colleagues and students relish the chance to subvert the formality and hierarchy that might be part of their professional relationships (as with the endearing T-shirt takedown).We expected the audience to get a lot out of these shows. What surprised me most was just how much the experience would mean to the scholars who join us on stage.&nbsp;Academics can be idiots, tooI taught critical thinking and communication in my early 20s, and, oh boy, did I feel a lot of pressure. I did my best to pique my students’ curiosity while retaining a professional academic persona, never entirely sure how much of myself I should show. Back then, I didn’t know how to handle the dichotomy between the Chris who could speak with authority about “denying the antecedent” and the Chris who co-wrote&nbsp;a ridiculous rap song about accounting for a movie I was directing.Observing the academics on stage for The Peer Revue, it occurs to me that we’ve created an environment where academics’ different sides can coexist in public. And that perhaps that’s what scholars are craving, as I did 15 years ago.Before showtime, the academic guest usually gives a nervous disclaimer: “I don’t think I’m very funny.” But once on stage, they smile, laugh and share sides of themselves I highly doubt come out in traditional academic forums. One prof took a long pause before exclaiming: “I’m not hiding it any more! I love trains, OK! I LOVE them! Choo choo, motherfucker!”One guest said being in the show was the highlight of their year. Another said it was a career highlight. As much as I’d like to credit this to the improv, I think it’s probably more to do with the atmosphere, the camaraderie and the freedom to be their whole damn selves.And for the record, the guests are always funny. When they’re so unabashedly themselves, sharing all the ups and downs about their work, the things that sparked their passion, and the things that make them tear their hair out...the audience is never less than captivated.Battering down the gates of the ivory tower...with fart jokes?Isn’t a captivated audience the dream when it comes to research engagement? An audience that not only understands what you’re trying to communicate but is hungry to learn more?For the academics, they learn what students and the public are most confused by when it comes to their research area. The things the audience is worried about. Their most burning questions.&nbsp;From deep in the academy, it can be hard to know how little scholars in other fields understand about your niche, let alone laypeople. And for the average person, it can be surprisingly intimidating to say: “I don’t understand.”&nbsp;Comedy can be a potent equaliser. During shows like The Peer Revue, it’s par for the course to poke gentle fun at an academic who finds themselves knee-deep in a quagmire of jargon. And to poke fun at ourselves while we ask “the stupid questions”.&nbsp;One cast member often makes a point of saying: “Sorry, you’ll have to explain that again. I’m just a primary school teacher.” It always gets a laugh, and I can almost feel a sigh of relief from the audience – and the academic. Rather than a knowledge gap fuelling disengagement or even alienation, we end up with laughter and an opportunity for learning. The audience gets a better idea of the topic, and the academic gets insights into what laypeople might need to help them understand.So, maybe what all this shows is that it’s OK to be a bit of an idiot. It’s OK to make mistakes. To say something a little goofy. To drop the mask a bit. There are a million ways you can inject a bit more playfulness into your academic life. You don’t have to do improv. But you might like to.Keen to dip your toes in the silly pool?Here are a few recommendations to get you started:My podcast, Amplifying Research, includes episodes on playfulness, storytelling, using comedy in your research communications and making public engagement interactive as well as others about research comms, engagement and impact more broadly.Learn improv: find a class near you – two of the best-regarded US schools, the Upright Citizens Brigade and Second City, also offer classes online.Look for academic comedy events in your area. In Australia, science communicator Alanta Colley hosts Sci Fight, and the Sydney Comedy School runs Future Science Talks. Storytelling nights such as The Moth can also be great ways for you to watch, learn and practise a different type of public engagement.With the mounting pressures facing academics – from funding cuts to distrust of science and intellectualism – perhaps we can all take a lesson from the irreverence you’re likely to find at at The Peer Revue in Melbourne every fourth Friday night. The academy could do with more opportunities for smart to meet silly, and for academics to let it all hang out. Choo choo, indeed.Chris Pahlow is a research communications and engagement strategist and founder of Amplifying Research.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the&nbsp;Campus&nbsp;newsletter.

The comedy stage can be a place for academics to be silly and let it all hang out. Chris Pahlow explores why humour is effective for scholars and the people they’re trying to communicate with about their research

Academics can (and should) be idiots

Let’s start with an oversimplification of a difficult part of any academic’s life: that a PhD degree only certifies that you are knowledgeable and have some understanding of how personal research should be conducted. To progress further in academia, you will need to show a few more skills – hard and soft – to get hired and promoted.So, how do you become the jack-of-all-trades scholar, as represented by Vitae’s researcher development framework? How do you navigate a sector beset with ever shorter contracts, staffing cuts and rising expectations from early career researchers (ECRs)?&nbsp;The answer is planning and executing a few key steps. Here are practical tips, collected from supporting researchers like you, to set you on track to becoming a future leader with impactful research.Read more: Resources for every step of your academic careerAdvice for growing into an academic leadership roleThree cornerstones of a successful research careerA career in academia is often perceived as a straightforward progression, even if it is not the easiest route to follow.&nbsp;Get a PhD.&nbsp;Drone away in two to three postdoc positions.&nbsp;Become a lecturer.&nbsp;Get promoted through increasingly senior roles up to a professorship.By step two, and definitely to make it to step three, you will need a portfolio of evidence showing your diverse skill set.&nbsp;Unfortunately, the odds are stacked against you. When do you build your career if your university and your boss want you to spend 100 per cent of your time on the bottom end of producing research that increases their rankings? The answer is: know what you need and mould that into alignment with your university and your boss.Find the pathway from goals to promotionLet’s start with the cliché. Who are you? Who do you want to be? What is needed to connect those two?&nbsp;First, look at your short- and long-term goals. Consider whether you want a traditional route that balances teaching and research or if you want to focus on one or the other – or more on impact and enterprise. Many universities have different pathways. But be aware that non-teaching positions are often on fixed-term contracts and you may have to find your own funding. Also, be broader earlier in your career; you might want to adjust your focus later.&nbsp;Second, find the requirements to get promoted (or hired). Universities will have lists of requirements of hard and soft targets that you can check. A hard target would be having supervised at least one PhD student; a soft target would be a suggestion that you have done a public engagement or a knowledge exchange activity.&nbsp;Last, you can start matching what you have done with what you need. You can be creative about it, such as presenting your endless invitations for reviewing as a sign of your international reputation. Make a list of what you still need to do and then start ticking things off.Find supportTo make building an academic career easier for yourself, try to work in a supportive environment. Don’t choose your university, research group and boss based on science alone. You may find that your boss might not be helpful beyond your association with them.Find people who are genuinely happy to actively support you and discuss your career with you. It’s also OK if they are forced to do this. At least in the UK, more and more grants require projects to support the career-building of involved researchers or promote female leadership. So, check the small print of your contract and your boss’ grants.Another option is dedicated career development opportunities or projects. If you are in the UK, your university might be a signatory of the Research Concordat, which requires the university to give you time to develop your career. Moreover, UKRI and Research England support postdoctoral development and have funded research development frameworks such as C-DICE.Grab any chance to demonstrate your skill setNow that you have found a supportive environment, take up all opportunities that help you and which your time allows. Maybe your boss will give you tasks that align with your requirements (make sure they are not just administrative tasks your boss does not want to do).&nbsp;The best thing you can do is run small, somewhat independent projects; they do not have to be massive, especially if you have just finished your PhD. For example, if you want to show you can manage a project with a budget, organising a public engagement activity with £100 to £200 awarded to you would mean you have planned, managed and evaluated a project and used money effectively. Moreover, even if you are just an ECR on a fixed-term contract, there are more opportunities to run small-scale or pump-priming projects for upwards of £2,000.&nbsp;Another good option is to join professional societies, working groups or committees and actively participate. That often allows you to organise events, solve complex problems and network, which are all skills and expertise usually needed for promotions.Forge your own opportunitiesMaybe your environment is not that supportive. In that case, think how you can use what your boss wants to achieve. Their research vision or the vision of the grant that pays you might be bigger than to simply churn out research as demanded. Have that vision in mind and align it with your research vision. Start developing a vision now because you need one as a researcher, then use that to convince them that if you spend time on “your” work, you are doing “their” work.Finally, if there are no readily available opportunities, including via committees, make your own. My research group had no conference for students, so I started one. This is not part of my job, but it allowed me to evidence leadership, support of the academic unit and team management.So, what are the takeaways? Determine what you want and need. Find people and places that support you. Grab opportunities as they reveal themselves (do not overload yourself, though). Forge your destiny in your own way. And don’t forget to publish high-impact papers on the way.Jan Buermann is research fellow in citizen-centric AI systems in the Agents, Interaction and Complexity Group at the University of Southampton.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

The aspiring academic’s career path from PhD to professor

If you have just finished your PhD or postdoc and realised that an academic career needs more than published papers and teaching, Jan Buermann has advice on how to kick-start progress up the ladder

Ethical considerations are foundational to the integrity and validity of scholarly work, guiding researchers to conduct studies that are academically sound and morally responsible. Securing ethics approval is critical for group or individual research projects at any academic level. This process ensures the research respects and protects participants' rights, dignity and welfare.However, students and supervisors often face challenges that can delay or obstruct approval, such as a lack of understanding of ethical guidelines and inadequate preparation of ethics applications. Students might struggle with articulating study risks and benefits or ensuring data confidentiality, especially in research involving vulnerable populations or sensitive topics. Supervisors may find it difficult to guide students through ethical research practices while balancing academic rigour and ethical responsibility.Common problems in ethics applicationsDocumentation and consent issues: the omission of crucial documents (eg, participant information sheets, consent forms, questionnaires or interview guides) is a common oversight. These documents are crucial for informing participants about the research and securing their informed consent.“Respect for persons” entails acknowledging the autonomy of all participants, obtaining informed consent and ensuring that they are fully aware of their rights to withdraw from the study at any point.&nbsp;Privacy and security concerns: failing to mention which online tools will be used for video interviews can lead to ethical and technical issues. It is essential to specify platforms to ensure they meet privacy and security standards. When researchers do not disclose the specific platforms they intend to use, they risk compromising the confidentiality and security of participant data.&nbsp;Ethical issues arise when participants are not adequately informed about how their data will be collected, stored and protected. This lack of transparency can undermine the trust between researchers and participants, potentially leading to a reluctance to participate or the withdrawal of consent.&nbsp;Project clarity and methodological details: despite the fact that ambiguity can result in misunderstandings about the research aims, methods and potential impacts, applications often lack a clear description of the project. Without this, ethics review boards cannot accurately assess the ethical implications of the research.Applications frequently lack details about methodological choices, such as research instruments, data collection processes and sampling strategies. Clear, detailed methodologies are necessary to evaluate the ethical implications fully.&nbsp;Power dynamics and confidentiality: some students overlook power dynamics and gatekeeping issues. For example, recruiting staff members through line managers can introduce significant power imbalances. Ensuring anonymity and confidentiality is also often inadequately addressed.&nbsp;Software and data analysis: the lack of specifics regarding software tools for data analysis and storage can be problematic. Researchers must provide details about the tools to be used to ensure they comply with ethical standards.&nbsp;Primary and secondary data use: there is often a lack of understanding regarding the differences between primary and secondary data. Some students fail to specify the databases they intend to use or attempt to use non-subscribed databases.Supervisor review and endorsement: there have been instances where forms lack the supervisor’s signature. This indicates that the application has not been thoroughly reviewed and endorsed by a faculty member.&nbsp;Data storage and security: students sometimes fail to mention how they will store their primary data securely, which is essential for protecting participant confidentiality. Secure data storage practices are vital for preventing unauthorised access and ensuring that data is preserved accurately and ethically.&nbsp;Resource collection: Research excellence: what is it and how can universities achieve it?How to add value to research and manage intellectual propertyA model for maximising the impact of small research unitsStrategies for overcoming obstaclesTo address these common problems, we can implement several effective strategies:Developing and distributing standardised checklists: supervisors can use these when reviewing student applications to ensure all essential components are included and identify missing elements quickly. These checklists should cover participant information, consent forms, specified tools for data collection and data storage plans.&nbsp;Integrating checklists into the university’s research ethics management system: this would streamline the review process, enabling supervisors to ensure all criteria are met before approving applications. By configuring the system to recognise primary data collection, it can mandate attaching relevant files (eg, recruitment materials and participant information sheets).&nbsp;Creating a centralised repository of resources: this should include exemplary ethics applications submitted and approved in the past, which would provide supervisors and students with clear examples of best practices.&nbsp;Offering training sessions and workshops on ethical research practices: this helps students and supervisors understand and address ethical considerations in their applications. The dissertation handbook should include detailed guidelines on ethical research. Consistent online training should be provided for staff and students before and during the initial months of the dissertation process. These sessions should cover topics such as informed consent, confidentiality and managing sensitive data. Additionally, incorporating case studies and real-life scenarios in these workshops provides practical insights into handling ethical dilemmas effectively.&nbsp;Providing clear guidelines on the use of software tools and data sources: including a list of approved databases and platforms can prevent confusion and ensure compliance with institutional policies.&nbsp;Addressing ethics application issues proactively streamlines the approval process, enhances research quality and upholds ethical standards. Informing and preparing students and supervisors fosters an ethical research environment, while comprehensive resources empower researchers to navigate challenges responsibly and with integrity.&nbsp;Marios Kremantzis and Fatema Zaghloul are lecturers in business analytics and Rushana Khusainova is a senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Bristol Business School.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Understanding ethics approval in academic research

The following strategies aim to streamline the ethics approval process, reduce delays and uphold the highest ethical standards

The PhD experience puts fledgling researchers on the path to becoming seasoned academics. This transformative journey demands not only scholarly rigour but also the resilience and adaptability to navigate challenges, from researching uncharted domains to mastering the art of communicating complex ideas with clarity and conviction. PhD students need not only hard skills in research but also soft skills, such as the ability to present research persuasively and network strategically.Because PhD education extends beyond solitary pursuit, collaborative endeavours and supportive networks are indispensable, as I&nbsp;have learned from taking this journey myself.Engaging with peers from diverse disciplines and cultural backgrounds broadens intellectual horizons and nurtures a sense of community essential for sustaining motivation and resilience during the average five-year journey. Establishing these networks early equips PhD candidates with potentially lifelong professional relationships that facilitate collaboration and career advancement.Advice for effective cross-team collaboration for researchRead more: So you want to host an international online conference?How to make enterprise activities enjoyable and impactfulStrong communication skills also enhance employability and career prospects, preparing students for job interviews, professional settings and effective teaching.A peer-to-peer conference led by doctoral students for doctoral students is a way to give PhD candidates the opportunity to exercise their collaboration and communication skills.How a scholars conference enhances PhD educationStudent-led conferences such as the Singapore Rising Scholars Conference (SRSC) can be a valuable complement to major field-specific conferences, where professors and established scholars are the main participants. While major conferences offer the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by seasoned academics, student conferences allow PhD candidates to take charge, practise leadership and refine their networking skills among peers. The combination of learning from established scholars and leading within peer-driven platforms provides a well-rounded preparation for academic and professional success.The SRSC, initiated by Singapore Management University’s (SMU’s) College of Graduate Research Studies, fosters a constructive learning environment for doctoral students in management and social sciences. By encouraging constructive dialogue among emerging scholars from diverse backgrounds, the conference nurtures collaborations that transcend institutional boundaries and inspires interdisciplinary research. This annual event, which has evolved since its debut in 2023 into a two-day programme showcasing research from 60&nbsp;paper presenters across 22&nbsp;global institutions, not only enriches participants’ research but also cultivates essential skills in academic presentation, networking and collaboration while providing a platform for exploring new research avenues and expanding professional networks.Jian Hu, a first-year PhD student at SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business, describes the thrill of presenting his research among peers, a sentiment that mirrors my own experience as a doctoral student. I&nbsp;vividly remember the excitement and nerves of sharing my research with an audience for the first time, an experience that sharpened my communication skills and expanded my academic horizons through the valuable feedback I&nbsp;received. For Srishti Arora, from the Singapore campus of the French business school INSEAD, the conference inspired her to seek out interdisciplinary collaboration.By promoting dialogue, collaboration and innovation, peer-to-peer conferences empower young scholars to push boundaries and make meaningful contributions to their fields and beyond.The role of academic institutions: commitment, resources and reputationAcademic institutions can nurture PhD students through platforms such as student-led conferences. However, establishing such events requires a significant commitment of resources – financial, logistical and human – and a long-term vision. The rewards, however, can be substantial, not just for the participants but for the institution itself.At SMU, the SRSC shows how a single institution can create and sustain such a platform. For other institutions looking to replicate this model, it is essential to recognise that success hinges on consistent execution and a commitment to quality. Over time, such a conference can become a cornerstone of an&nbsp;institution’s brand, attracting high-calibre faculty and students. Institutions should simultaneously consider investing in marketing, alumni outreach and continuous improvement processes to ensure that the conference grows in stature and impact over time.Alternatively, institutions might consider a collaborative model, in which multiple universities join forces to create a rotating conference. Each institution could take turns hosting the event, sharing the burden of resources while also benefiting from the diverse expertise and perspectives that collaboration brings. This approach can also strengthen inter-institutional relationships and provide students with broader networking opportunities. However, it is important to establish clear guidelines and expectations among the participating institutions to ensure the quality and continuity of the event. Collaborative conferences can also serve as a testing ground for joint research initiatives and cross-institutional projects, further amplifying the benefits.Whether choosing to go it alone or to collaborate, the key is for institutions to view these conferences not just as events but as strategic investments in their academic communities. They offer a tangible way to build institutional reputation while providing invaluable development opportunities for students.The SRSC exemplifies the profound impact of peer-to-peer conferences on PhD education. By placing students at the helm, these events provide a platform to develop the collaboration and communication skills that are critical for academic and professional success. Leading discussions, presenting research and engaging in cross-disciplinary dialogues empower PhD students to become confident communicators and effective collaborators. Additionally, the networks formed during these conferences foster enduring professional relationships that can lead to future collaborations and career opportunities. Ultimately, peer-to-peer conferences such as the SRSC transform the PhD experience, equipping students with the practical skills and networks necessary for long-term success.Heli Wang is dean of the College of Graduate Research Studies and the Janice Bellace professor of strategic management in the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at Singapore Management University.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Why peer-to-peer conferences benefit doctoral students

Solid research skills aside, PhD students need to master the art of collaboration and communicating their ideas. A student-led conference can offer that support

Why peer-to-peer conferences benefit doctoral students and their institutions

Just when their research careers are taking off, postdoctoral researchers look at the promotion criteria or start perusing academic job adverts and discover that they need teaching experience. How will they acquire this experience?&nbsp;Here’s how we have tried to create teaching opportunities for our postdoctoral researchers, while respecting funding boundaries that often restrict the hours you can spend teaching.Be clear about what teaching experience might look likeEveryone thinks they will give a “big lecture”. They might be lucky, but the reality is that few are going spare. That said, it is always worth postdocs asking around the senior researchers in the team.&nbsp;Instead, young academics need to think outside the lecture box to see the many other educational opportunities that will be valued by their local education teams. These include marking, small-group work (including facilitation of tutorials), being a personal tutor and supervision of student research projects. It is all about getting a little experience for their CVs but also making sure they are heading in the right direction.&nbsp;Resource collection: how to progress in your academic careerHow to write an academic CV: dos and dont’sAdvice for acquiring the essential skills that every ECR needsWe run a workshop called “How to become a lecturer” to help manage expectations and signpost alternative education opportunities. We also tell our researchers that they have a great skillset for teaching, including reading and understanding complicated research papers and condensing information into manageable chunks for presentation to a broad audience.&nbsp;Make opportunities more visible to the right peopleOur faculty is good at advertising education opportunities to everyone, but we realised early on that our postdoctoral researchers couldn’t distinguish what was suitable for them and what wasn’t, so they were not taking up these opportunities. Now we repost all suitable opportunities from an email address they associate with postdoctoral researcher information, with a header making it very clear that “this is for you”.&nbsp;Our postdoctoral association has produced an education page on its Sharepoint site, listing opportunities and contacts so that the more proactive researchers can contact education teams directly to enquire about teaching opportunities. We steer clear of advertising roles such as module leader to postdocs, because it could create tension between researchers and supervisors and/or funders if they take a demanding and time-intensive role. Meetings with our senior education and research staff helped us to refine our approach.Support researchers in their first education stepsCreating a nurturing and informative environment for new educationalists allows them to see where their teaching fits into the overall programme. Co-teaching with an experienced member of staff can be helpful, as can working with peers to develop teaching resources.&nbsp;We signpost postdoctoral researchers to our faculty staff mentoring scheme, which has many mentors with educational experience and experience in balancing teaching and research. We also run a workshop on getting the most out of postdocs’ appraisals and see them as safe spaces to plan their futures, identify their training needs and possibly have difficult conversations.&nbsp;The Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers provides a framework for researchers to pursue a minimum of 10 days’ professional development a year, which could be used on teaching activity. We work with our university concordat team to disseminate this information to researchers and their line managers to smooth the way for professional development, including teaching.&nbsp;Has our multi-pronged strategy worked?&nbsp;Feedback has shown us that we have postdoctoral researchers who are now facilitators and personal academic tutors for our students through our rebadging of emailed adverts. We know we have engagement with researchers in marking and supervision of projects. We also know that our researchers seek mentoring, including education-related mentoring. We have raised the profile of teaching for our postdoctoral researchers, so they have more options to head towards and possible ways of getting there.Our final words are about the enjoyment and challenges of combining research and education. We share our thoughts authentically as we have taken different career pathways involving research and teaching. We both understand that it is difficult at that early stage of your research career to know what the future will hold, let alone how to get there. We also know that our researchers are important contributors to education, sharing state-of-the-art knowledge and love of their subjects with our students, and that it is our responsibility to create and signpost education opportunities for them and to support them when they take those first steps into education.Nicola Englyst is a principal teaching fellow and chair of the mentoring scheme, and Delphine Boche is chair of the postdoctoral association, both in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How to help postdoctoral researchers get teaching experience

Early career researchers increasingly require teaching experience for job applications or promotion. How can we create opportunities that help postdocs gain educational experience while remaining on a research grant-funded pathway?

How to help postdoctoral researchers gain experience in teaching

Are you frustrated that the fascinating story about your work is not being heard? You’re telling it, but the world just isn’t listening. Maybe it’s because academic ways of communicating are often the exact opposite of what you need to command serious attention.The message is the outcome, the destination, not the journey. How to slow Alzheimer’s disease, for example. A way to break the cycle of flunking school. Where Richard III was buried. That’s what gets clicks and eyeballs.Here are four of the biggest issues, along with simple solutions to help your communication cut through.&nbsp;1. Be clear about the value in your contentHow many emails, reports, submissions, applications, memos and social media posts do you see in a day? Yep, the thought made me grimace, too.Given the competition for attention, your content has to be irresistible. This means you must put the value – the reason anyone should pay attention to your message – right up front in any communication you create about it.Compare these two ways to start an article about engaging teaching, for example:A: I’ve noticed that many lecturers struggle to engage an audience, talking away while the group play with their phones or stare out the window in vacant desperation. But it doesn’t have to be that way, because there are tricks you can use to make sure you command attention.B: If you’re fed up with audiences zoning out when you’re lecturing, this is how to ensure attention.Which is the more captivating?I hope your answer is version B. And why? Because it offers the value right up front, hooking the attention of the reader.2. Be incisive, not academicAcademia, if you’ll excuse my observation thus, is somewhat predisposed to lengthy words, and that is before we even get to the rich array of caveats so often presented in a discourse, not to mention, naturally, a penchant for a protracted form of lexemes and morphemes, and, last but not least, even more elongated passages of prose.This style may be OK for an academic journal, but if you want to be heard, read or watched by a much wider audience, it’s hopeless.&nbsp;The pace of modern life means attention spans are short. Scarily brief. TikTok brief, in fact. Gloria Mark, professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, found the average to be about 47 seconds. People rarely have the focus to wade through paragraphs that resemble crossword clues.&nbsp;Read more: 7 strategies for high-impact science communicationResource collection: how to promote your research for greater impactWhat’s the story? Creative ways to communicate your researchSo, for mass communication, you need to write and speak incisively, not academically. This is true whether we’re thinking media appearances, talks to everyday audiences or social media. No jargon, science speak or scholastic locutions and vocables. Short words rather than long.&nbsp;Use concise sentences – as opposed to those that sprawl like an unchecked city – when you’re writing. Even fragments are fine. As long as they make sense. Brief paragraphs, punctuated by white space. Conversational, rather than formal, for both written and spoken communication.That all adds pace, interest and edge to your content. It’s such an easy win, too.Never forget, however much it might go against years of preconception and practice, that when it comes to mass communication, simple isn’t stupid. Simple is smart.3. Start with the outcomeI know it’s traditional academic practice to introduce your topic, discuss the context, move on to your hypothesis, outline your methods, gather your data, plod through an analysis, then finally draw your conclusions. But which part will the public notice, care about and remember?Try a trick of the media trade. Arrange your content in an inverted pyramid of importance. For example, thinking in social media terms, here’s a &nbsp;standard format that I could have used for a recent post:Have a look at my new vlog. It deals with three common problems people suffer when public speaking. I have a trick which is so simple, yet so effective for helping. Do you want to ease your nerves and enhance your authority, plus cut out those annoying and undermining ums and ers when presenting?Yawn, boring, what a dull start. Any reader could be forgiven for giving up right there and moving on to the next post if the content starts that way. And the important point would be lost.&nbsp;But how much more effective is the message if you reverse the order of those sentences?&nbsp;4. Brevity&nbsp;&nbsp;A common abbreviation is well worth remembering: TL;DR.If you’re unfamiliar, it stands for: Too long; didn’t read.&nbsp;The shorter your message, the more likely it is to be read or heard.Cut out redundant words. Say what you need to and stop. You’ll be far more engaging that way.For example, return to my monster of a paragraph at the start of point two, on being incisive. How much more readable is it if expressed this way: Academia is full of long words, caveats and even longer sentences.We’ve gone from 57 words to 11. Which is where my favourite saying in the communication trade comes in: less is more.&nbsp;Less work for more impact. What’s not to like? And if you doubt that a brief message can be powerful, remember the great American president Abraham Lincoln. His Gettysburg address was 270 words. Yes, just about half a page of A4. It’s cited as a masterpiece of communication still today, more than 160 years on. That’s less is more in glorious effect.Finally, look back at this article and tick off the tricks I’ve mentioned. They worked, didn’t they? Because they’ve kept you reading until the end.Simon Hall is course leader of Compelling Communication Skills&nbsp;at the University of Cambridge Online and a senior research associate in the&nbsp;Intellectual Forum at&nbsp;Jesus College, Cambridge. His latest book is&nbsp;Compelling Communication (Cambridge University Press, 2024).&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Academic ways of communicating are often the exact opposite of what you need to draw widespread attention to your research, writes Simon Hall. Here are simple ways to help your message reach its audience 

Why is no one listening?

Career development involves enhancing skills, knowledge and expertise to promote professional growth and achieve specific career goals. In a higher education context, colleagues are expected to take on leadership, citizenship and administration roles, excel in research and teaching activities and mentor and impact others in their discipline and wider society. The practice of upshifting, in which academics are expected to work at a higher grade without any formal recognition to further their careers, is also common. Yet, even if one does all the “right” things, career progression is not guaranteed. Many colleagues I’ve spoken to have said that in addition to professional growth and development, one also must be visible.&nbsp;When I run LinkedIn for Career Development workshops, a common theme usually emerges. Colleagues want to feel valued and seen, but they want to curate their visibility in a manner that is dignified and doesn’t feel narcissistic. Below I outline several steps for formulating that positive kind of visibility for career development and beyond.Get to know your strengths and weaknesses&nbsp;Understand your strengths and weaknesses and then try to use your strengths to your advantage. For example, if you are an extrovert, use your skills to network and build communities. If you’re an introvert, write articles and thought leadership pieces. If you are an ideas generator who might quickly lose interest in projects, try to surround yourself with people who are completer-finishers, as they will help you to see projects through. If you have a passionate creative nature, but scheduling and time management are not your strong suit, consider making good use of the latest technology to better organise your calendar and spend more time in the creativity mode. You can schedule posts on LinkedIn and use apps such as Calendly to manage appointments.&nbsp;Leverage all opportunitiesTry to create several visibility opportunities out of each project. For example, if you published a paper, you could turn this into a university blog post, a LinkedIn article and a LinkedIn post around “how to do this kind of research” or “how to publish this type of work”. Then, you can host a thought leadership webinar on the same topic.&nbsp;Decide what you want to be known forEven if you don’t have a portfolio career, the nature of an academic job itself means a multi-profile work life. There is teaching, research and scholarship, curricula development, education leadership, outreach and engagement and much more. Among all your interests and talents, decide what you want to be known for. When doing this, consider the following:What is your area of expertise?What are you good at and what are your innate skills and abilities?&nbsp;What are the latest developments in your field or domain that you can use to demonstrate your expertise?Finally, what are your values and passions?For example, you may be an AI-curious educator, or societal impact researcher, or a career development expert. Ask your colleagues and friends, as they may tell you what you are already known for in personal and professional circles.Although what you’re known for does not need to define who you are, it is better to have one or two themes in mind so that your professional brand is clear.Resource collection: Is your academic career cleared for take-off?Prepare for promotion: how to develop a strategy for successHow to write an academic CV: dos and dont'sConnect and grow your networkLinkedIn is a very useful platform for connecting with new and old colleagues. At every event or workshop you attend, aim to meet one or two new colleagues. Connect with them on LinkedIn to expand your network and stay up to date. When reaching out, just add a note to say it was nice to meet them at the event and it would be great to stay in touch.&nbsp;Similarly, if a new contact reaches out to connect, it's important to respond with graciousness. You might accept the request and reply to their message with something like this: “Thanks for connecting. Great to meet you, too.”Get visually visible&nbsp;Conventional wisdom says that a picture is worth a thousand words. So if you feel comfortable, get visually visible. For example, upload your profile picture on LinkedIn and on your university’s website and intranet. Add a personal touch to your work email signature. For example, you could add your latest publication to the bottom of your signature or a quote that you find particularly inspiring.&nbsp;Ask a colleague to take a picture of you while you’re presenting at a conference. Then submit it to a school newsletter if you have one and use it to create a LinkedIn post about the event.Be strategicOf course, not everything you do must be spotlighted. Constantly adding a layer of visibility can feel exhausting and take up a lot of energy. So, be strategic about curating what gets visible. This is linked to what you want to be known for.&nbsp;Attending a big research conference could be a central piece of content on LinkedIn that you can create three pieces of content from:&nbsp;A key takeaway&nbsp;Your insights into the future of the discipline based on presentationsSome of your experiences as a presenter.&nbsp;Remember to share gratitude to the organisers, too.&nbsp;And don’t be afraid to repeat yourself. An old story to you can be new to someone else, so re-enforce the message of what you want to be known for.Think about it as if it was your dutyTry to reframe visibility work as an obligation. Place importance on presenting yourself as a role model and normalise assertiveness and success. This is very important for women, especially women of colour. Your visibility may even inspire others, so bear this in mind.&nbsp;I hope that more colleagues can use this advice to start feeling more confident about increasing their visibility to aid their career progression.Rushana Khusainova is a senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Bristol.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How to be visible as an academic 

Working hard and taking on extra responsibilities isn't enough to guarantee career development these days. You also have to build your profile

Oral history is widely used in public history and humanities, but researchers across disciplines could benefit from its value in data collection. Oral history methods cannot identify how air pollution affects our lungs, explain how scour affects offshore wind turbines nor provide future rates of coastal erosion under sea level rise scenarios. But this method can provide a new lens with unexpected conclusions; oral history has the potential to trace pollution exposure by transport user groups over their lifetime, to record engineers’ expertise when assessing offshore wind turbines, and to collect local experiences of changing coasts.&nbsp;Here, we provide suggestions to aid researchers and institutions to expand the use of oral history.&nbsp;What is oral history?&nbsp;Oral histories are audio/video recorded interviews that document the personal recollections, experiences and opinions of the narrators. In contrast with other forms of interview, oral history uses a biographical approach to record in-depth life stories or focus on specific themes or events. They require the interviewer to be an active listener with empathy, respect and cultural sensitivity, encouraging narrators to be honest and accurate in their recollections. Oral histories can be recorded both individual and groups settings. Care should always be taken for researchers not to dominate conversation or introduce bias. These recordings provide new insight or interpretation about the past and create a valuable resource for future generations.Best practice in oral history and where to go for helpOral history is a widely accessible data collection method. While training is recommended and practice doubtlessly improves interviewer confidence and skill, the conversational ethos of the method supports adoption by a wide range of users. The Oral History Association,&nbsp;established in the US in 1966, and the Oral History Society, founded in the UK in 1973, are knowledge-holders of best practice. They promote methodological excellence and have a network of accredited individuals from diverse backgrounds who can give guidance. To seek conceptual and methodological support for oral history work, we would be well placed to step outside the comfortable confines of the university institution, and to ask non-academic experts for their input on oral history data collection, storage, use and dissemination.&nbsp;The potential of oral history beyond the humanitiesOral history is finding more applications beyond the humanities and social sciences. In geography, it is increasingly used in studies of place memory and place identity. Oral histories are also increasingy in biodiversity conservation, to study ecological history and human resource use. The recently completed PhD research by Nicola Johnstone (Minderoo Foundation) used oral histories to improve our understanding of how marine protected areas are developed in practice.&nbsp;Resources with advice on skills every early career academic needsUsing community-engaged research to give a voice to marginalised peopleOpen research: what is it, really?Other examples of the use of oral history in studying environmental change and management include:&nbsp;collecting data on algal blooms where formal monitoring was absent in Australia,&nbsp;tracing institutional change in fisheries science, and&nbsp;mapping past land use regimens in landscape ecology.&nbsp;Beyond research, oral history is also often used in stakeholder engagement and heritage projects. Oral history can form part of post-disaster recovery; following a storm event, one community used oral history knowledge shared by elders with younger farmers to help them “connect their own situation with the larger record of collective memory”.Six characteristics make oral history intrinsically distinct from other history sources: orality, narrative, performance, subjectivity, memory and mutability. These distinctions also offer clues as to oral history’s usefulness across disciplines; oral history is a toolkit to explore questions and challenges through the human lens. Transport engineers in the US, for example, used oral history to better understand driver behaviour and motivation, to in turn inform urban planning. A physician used a self-reflective oral history method to explore their own experience of cancer treatment.Oral history for allWe organised an introductory oral history training for researchers across the University of Southampton in April, supported by the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI). The use of oral history and other discipline-bound methods could be improved by universities facilitating such cross-disciplinary context-specific networking groups, as well as by recognising methods experts within and outside academic institutions to support interdisciplinary research endeavours. In this era of co-design, co-production and collaborative research, we need to recognise that not all methodological experts are housed by academic institutions.&nbsp;We limit ourselves if we ignore the potential of such methods to collect valuable first-person accounts of past events and their impacts on people’s lives. Whether you ultimately use it or not, we challenge you to use your next coffee break to revisit your current research project and think: “What might an oral history method tell me about this topic?”Sien van der Plank is a senior research fellow and Lareb Dean is an AXA research fellow, both at the University of Southampton. Padmini Broomfield is an oral historian.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Why oral history should be valued beyond the humanities

Oral history’s potential to capture lesser-known perspectives and fill knowledge gaps deserves appreciation beyond the humanities

Oral history for all: a research method that crosses disciplinary boundaries

College students increasingly need to understand the role that data plays in public policy decisions as they seek to be engaged participants in civic life. As it turns out, most Americans agree with us that an awareness of how data-driven research affects policymaking can prepare young people for the future. Nearly 80 per cent of respondents within each generation – from the Silent Generation to Gen Z – agree that young people should be provided with “training to help them understand the political system or solve problems in their communities”, according to a January 2024 PRRI survey.What do young people learn when they are trained in the fundamentals of public policy research? First, they come to know the structure of the political system through its important public policymaking institutions. They also acquire policy research tools to evaluate how these institutions operate; later, these same tools can be used to solve problems in their communities.Advice for building data literacy on campusCollection: how to support higher education in upholding democracyElection special: how can higher education make its case amid political change?We combined our team’s expertise in public policy research and instructional design to facilitate a six-week fully online summer policy research institute (SPRI) at the University of Iowa from 2020 to 2022. The SPRI’s purpose was to train any university student, regardless of their experience or location, in how research supports public policy and about key mindsets and practices associated with public policy research.A blended learning institute for training young peopleThe SPRI combined multiple learning methods, such as asynchronous online lessons combined with live sessions. The SPRI’s blend, described as “bi-chronous” online learning, involved asynchronous and synchronous online approaches. Participants were required to participate in two hours of synchronous/live classes and at least one hour of asynchronous learning per week. Students were encouraged to spend more time, but three hours was the minimum.SPRI’s blend was informed by best practices in instructional design. First, we used backwards design to define learning objectives before developing learning experiences. The SPRI’s learning objectives and content align with the Entering Research (ER) conceptual framework, a popular approach for research trainees’ development. We tackled six core topics: research ethics, research communication, research team roles and responsibilities, research design, qualitative research methods, and quantitative research methods.Second, we struck a balance between asynchronous and synchronous online learning experiences. Each week, students completed a custom-built asynchronous learning module – which consisted of curated readings, videos (original and from YouTube) and quizzes – followed by a synchronous active-learning session held over Zoom. For the live sessions, we adapted ER content and developed original content to be delivered by instructors and guest speakers associated with our university’s Public Policy Center, whose expertise ranged broadly across areas including health, education and criminal justice policy. One example of a training activity we facilitated was the “three-minute research story” ER activity to practise strategies for communication about technical subjects. In weekly synchronous “sharing sessions”, students delivered short presentations describing a policy research project of their choosing. Finally, several students published policy briefs they had coauthored with faculty mentors on the centre’s website.This balance illustrates how our blend used scaffolded activities to support and enhance learning. After starting with fundamental understandings of core research and public policy concepts, we advanced to real-world applications. We devoted special attention to supporting learning transfer; we took students step by step towards how to apply information gleaned from the SPRI within directed research experiences.Evaluating using a blended approach to teaching public policy researchGiven the six-week timeline and the diversity of our participants’ backgrounds and experience levels, we sought evidence that showed the SPRI had achieved its learning objectives.One metric of the SPRI’s success is its alignment with learning science principles. Our approach to integrating videos, readings and quizzes with structured live sessions drew on insights from the learning sciences. We worked to guide students as they formed connections with new information that expanded on their prior knowledge (building associations) to present content in both words and visuals (dual coding) and to organise information into manageable units (chunking). Also, we worked to stimulate deep mental processing, where meaningful learning took place through activities such as reflection, discussions, debates and receiving expert feedback. Here, it’s important to note that success in blended learning may require instructors to embrace student-centred, active learning designs, as opposed to an instructor-centred, content-driven approach.We also used the ER learning assessment to evaluate how students perceived their learning gains. They reported consistent moderate or better gains across the ER learning objectives. Students reported greatest average gains in research ethics and equity and inclusion awareness and skills, followed by research comprehension and communication skills; researcher confidence and independence; practical research skills, and researcher identity. Our students also reported that, on average, they were very likely to recommend the SPRI to another student and were more likely to continue research after SPRI.Overall, this evidence suggests that SPRI is a model that others can use to prepare students for the future. Through public policy research, young people develop the skills to understand the political system and solve problems in their communities.Chris Kromphardt is assistant programme director and lecturer in data analytics and policy at Johns Hopkins University. He held previous positions in the Public Policy Center and department of educational policy and leadership studies at the University of Iowa.Mark Anthoney is lead instructional designer in distance and online education, and Cassidy Branch is interim manager of research services in the Public Policy Center, both at the University of Iowa.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

When students learn the fundamentals of public policy research, they also acquire tools to evaluate how institutions operate and how those same tools can be used to solve problems in their communities. This blended learning approach can level up these skills

Teaching public policy research skills to tomorrow’s leaders

In an academic environment that is increasingly complex and resource-constrained, focus must be placed on activities that add value beyond the invested resources, not simply in financial terms but also in terms of visibility, reputational capital, impact and dissemination.&nbsp;The Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) developed by Research England helps higher education providers assess and improve their collaborations with partners to benefit society. These partners range from individuals attending university events to large corporations working with research teams to develop new products. Knowledge exchange activities, often combined with enterprise activities under the term knowledge exchange and enterprise (KEE), include establishing research partnerships with non-academic entities, collaborating with businesses, the public or third sectors, and offering continuing professional development.&nbsp;KEE activities are particularly important for business schools and their impact-generation strategies. The benefits are plentiful for both education and research. Bringing the expertise from industry to the classroom and enhancing students’ experience, as well as boosting their employability, can improve your institution’s educational offering and position in global rankings. Building partnerships for funding bids and disseminating the research results among stakeholders can help to generate real-world impact of your research.&nbsp;Resource collection: How can universities achieve research excellence?Demystifying impact: a glossary of key termsHow to make public engagement work for early career academicsWith the UK’s upcoming Research Excellence Framework (REF) round, higher education institutions are ready to embrace enterprise engagement. However, with their schedules reaching capacity with research and teaching duties, academics may struggle to find time for meaningful enterprise engagement. These activities should ideally lead to measurable outputs, but these are not always immediate or straightforward.For instance, some KEE activities have a clear commercial focus, but others aim to deliver impact and societal good, and their return on investment is more difficult to measure. However,&nbsp;the KEE ecosystem is inextricably linked to research and education activities; it is not separate and distinct from them.Apart from workload challenges, colleagues often do not understand how exactly enterprise activities can be evidenced for impact purposes, and how these efforts would be adequately acknowledged in their career progression.&nbsp;These tips can help research and teaching staff to make their engagement with business more enjoyable and stress free.Prioritise key industry events in planningPrioritise industry-focused events that are key for your field and expertise to maximise your time investment. Find out in advance who is attending and identify potential avenues for collaboration. Some large events use apps that allow you to check the attendees and schedule meetings in advance in networking areas. If such apps are not used, you can check social media posts, event websites or attendee lists, if available, and reach out to people via email or social media to schedule a meeting ahead of time. Do not overcommit your time; accept that it is impossible to attend all events or have one-to-one chats with everyone of interest. Good planning and prioritising will make the process of juggling multiple activities easier.&nbsp;Listen and learnBefore you meet an industry contact, think about how you will explain your work simply and clearly. Prepare a summary of a couple of sentences so you can spend the rest of the conversation learning from others and understanding what their company does and their priorities for collaboration with higher education institutions. Academics have a wealth of knowledge and research insights, but these can sometimes make it challenging to connect with industry leaders in the limited time available for networking. It can be tempting to share all the exciting details of a research project, but brevity is often more effective in these settings. You do not need to show the full breadth of your knowledge over lunch or during an event coffee break. Above all, be prepared to listen. After all, knowledge exchange is a two-way process.Build relationships, not followers&nbsp;Meeting people and networking are important for outreach. However, high-quality impact requires high-quality relationships. It is not enough to just add people on LinkedIn; message them, invite them to visit you, arrange guest talks and go to visit them to establish a connection and plan long-term collaborations. Remember, connections need to be meaningful in order to be productive and mutually beneficial.Stay positive and confidentConsider how you disseminate the results of your research to a non-academic audience. This element of KEE might be overwhelming, particularly for early career researchers. Worry that misunderstandings might occur or that nobody will be interested in your work is understandable. Maintaining a positive attitude, having the ability to turn a conversation around or breaking tension with a joke are great skills to practise while building your confidence. Ultimately, people will be interested not only in your findings but also in your personality, and your confidence and positivity can speak volumes.&nbsp;Keep records and notesThe benefits of KEE engagement might not be immediate, so keep a record of all engagements, key people and contacts. This is particularly important for tracking the outcomes of collaboration. For some, a post on LinkedIn is a good way to record engagement; for others, a spreadsheet, CV or any other type of note-keeping will be effective. Whatever method you choose, it should work for you, and the information should be easily accessible and recoverable when you are ready to write a funding bid, promotion application or REF impact case study.Enjoy the processKEE engagement is the fun part of academic life. You get to know new people, gain practitioners’ insights and build your networking skills. Additionally, seeing your work making a tangible impact on society will give you joy. It might be helpful to view it not as additional work, but as an enjoyable endeavour that you have the privilege to experience. Meaningful KEE engagement enhances all areas of your academic career, and it will not take too long before you start gaining tangible rewards from it.Larisa Yarovaya is associate professor of finance and director of the Centre for Digital Finance, and Jeni Giambona is a professorial fellow and the director of knowledge exchange and enterprise, both at Southampton Business School at the University of Southampton.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Incorporating knowledge exchange and enterprise activities into demanding academic schedules can be a challenge but it doesn’t have to be stressful. Here are ways to make it enjoyable, rewarding and impactful

How to make enterprise activities enjoyable and impactful

Research can be solitary work, and the geographic distance from colleagues and peers in specialised fields isolating. However, in a digital post-Covid world, research students can use their wider network to connect, collaborate and reduce these effects. Leveraging these networks also helps them develop skills that are transferrable to jobs and workplaces beyond the university. Supervisors, for their part, can motivate and empower their research students to use their networks to achieve timely completion. Here, we offer practical tips, for both students and supervisors, for strengthening networks to enhance their PhD journey.&nbsp;Build up your social networkInteracting and exchanging ideas with early career and fellow research degree students can provide PhD candidates with valuable emotional support and a sense of camaraderie. Peer support can include informal sharing of resources or organising social opportunities to buffer against PhD stress. Students (and supervisors) can also develop more formal opportunities such as journal clubs, writing groups or peer-review sessions. You can always tap into your graduate research school to help you establish and promote formal peer-based opportunities. Personal and professional mentors, especially those independent to your project, can also be important to provide a different perspective when navigating the PhD journey and career ambitions.&nbsp;Tap into established university resourcesAcademic study support services within the university – from the library’s assistance in research and academic writing to IT support that offers research-based software and technology – can also boost your research network. Supervisors have a role in facilitating access to these resources and services and can help students overcome any stigma around their use.Resource collection: Advice for surviving your PhD dissertation10 platinum rules for PhD supervisorsVideo: Celebrating failure and other advice for PhD supervisorsOther services include medical and mental health support and career assistance (for help with writing CVs, for example). Seek out, too, opportunities to represent the student body, which will also provide leadership development.Higher degrees by research skill development programmes may offer personal and professional development to not only support timely completion but assist in acquiring a range of transferable skills and facilitate networking opportunities. Many universities also have research centres and groups that contribute to the research culture and build a sense of connection with students and staff.For financial assistance, university funding opportunities such as scholarships and grants may be available to support your research project costs or offset living expenses.&nbsp;Look for discipline-specific collaborationsOften the first collaboration a student experiences is with their supervision panel. Clear roles and healthy team dynamics enable productive working relationships and enrich the student’s learning experience and project. Supervisors can also guide students to make connections with research end users. They can identify professional networking opportunities, help students broker partnerships with industry, engage and guide them in peer review of journal articles or invite them to contribute to grant writing. Supervisors can model this through their own networks, or having their own mentors or communities of practice, and it can be important to help in building supervision capacity, especially for new supervisors.&nbsp;Beyond supervision, students can sign up to receive newsletters, events and job postings from relevant organisations in their discipline. Conferences provide opportunities to connect with other academics and mentors in your field.Engage and collaborate with research end users&nbsp;A research end user is anyone – whether an individual, community or organisation – who will use or benefit from the research. Collaborative research with end users is increasingly valuable in Australia since it not only aligns with government policies for research but extends transferrable skills to enhance graduate employability and leads to significant impact on the community.As researchers, students can be encouraged to engage with their research end user by attending conferences and industry events, creating and managing a LinkedIn profile and presence, and subscribing to professional societies or industry representative bodies via student memberships. These actions keep them informed about contemporary issues and news. Supervisors can also help students pursue new connections and opportunities. This might involve assisting students to set up initial meetings to understand the challenges facing a research end user and highlight how a university partnership can add value to the organisation. &nbsp;Co-funded and co-designed industry projects and PhD Internships can be an extension of higher degrees by research training and enrich students’ learning experience, build professional networks and extend transferrable skills to enhance career options. For example, Federation University is ranked fifth in Australia and first in Victoria in meeting the government’s higher degree end user engagement metrics and offers industry-connected projects and internships.&nbsp;A successful PhD journey requires candidates to build strong academic knowledge and skills to conduct research, along with personal attributes such as curiosity, love of learning, persistence, resilience and time management.We hope these practical tips help research students and supervisors think about ways to enhance their success in tackling a PhD, improve connections and collaborations to reduce feelings of isolation in the PhD journey, and how they can make the most of their network.Meghan Casey is&nbsp;senior lecturer in the&nbsp;Institute of Health and Wellbeing and graduate certificate in research coordinator and higher degree by research coordinator in the Graduate Research School;&nbsp;Andrew Barton&nbsp;is deputy dean of the Graduate Research School; and Madhu Chetty is a professor in information technology and higher degrees by research coordinator. All are at Federation University Australia. Rose Ferguson is a lecturer in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences at the Australian Catholic University.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Connections and collaborations can help PhD students (and their supervisors) cut through the isolation of research. Here’s how to leverage those links into employability

How a strong network can enhance the PhD journey

Traditionally, PhD programmes offer candidates the opportunity to immerse themselves in research projects, conferences, papers, teaching – the best of academic life. It’s less common, however, for PhD students to spare time for industry experience. As the worlds of research and industry grow ever closer, I would argue that facilitating good links between industry and academia brings great benefits, especially for PhD students.In the&nbsp;LSE SPRING programme for PhD researchers, I am working to do just that. Our main purpose is to&nbsp;bridge the gap between academia and other sectors, so that PhD students can get to know their sectors from within and build relationships with professionals in relevant fields.How to navigate the PhD thesisHow to develop a researcher mindset as a PhD studentEnhancing negotiation skills: a step-by-step guide for graduate studentsIn dialogue with PhD candidates, we are developing a programme that responds to their highest priorities for postdoctoral preparation and support – building relationships between academia and industry, understanding career options and identifying and developing transferable skills.Five ways to connect PhD students with industryHere are five approaches to successfully connect PhD students with industry, and why they work:Build a community: For us, one of the biggest successes of LSE SPRING, and something that underpins what we do, has been the community we have built among students, staff and external organisations across disciplines. Initiatives such as our&nbsp;LSE SPRING Overnight Retreat, held in January at the Birch Community Hotel in Cheshunt, facilitate the creation of an interdepartmental community of like-minded PhD students. This has contributed to cross-departmental and interdisciplinary interaction among the research student community.Establish micro-internships: A&nbsp;micro-internship scheme creates space for PhD researchers to hone their skills beyond academia according to a schedule that works for them, thanks to a shorter duration, more flexible hours and accommodating other commitments or restrictions students may have. In this way, the scheme enriches, rather than distracts from other commitments. Many of our micro-internships centre around the completion of a small-scale project with a strong research or policy component, providing valuable contributions to the host organisations, while enhancing the analytical and professional skills of the doctoral researchers.Facilitate&nbsp;mentoring: Through the&nbsp;LSE SPRING mentoring scheme, we bring together PhD candidates with mentors who work in the private, public and third sector and hold PhDs in a range of disciplines. The scheme supports PhD researchers who wish to engage in collaborative research with non-academic organisations as part of their PhD or postdoctoral project, or who wish to explore career options outside higher education. Mentors and mentees discuss how to best bridge the space between academia and business, and flexible meetings take place to suit both parties.Run tailored training sessions: Our&nbsp;Researcher Development Programme provides training sessions for PhD students looking to acquire the necessary knowledge, confidence and skills to pursue impactful collaboration, complementing the knowledge and skills that LSE PhD students gain through their department. It also offers discipline-specific training. The sessions cover a range of topics to help students develop as researchers, harness the skills and experience they gain during their doctoral studies and be able to operate in diverse research contexts.Support collaborative research proposals:&nbsp;Collaborative research projects are unique opportunities for PhD students to learn and develop, showcase their capacity for insight and impact in industry, expand their networks and develop transferable skills. From finding the right organisation to partner with, to project management and relationship management, there’s lots to get to grips with. To help our students, we have created resources, such as our&nbsp;Collaboration Toolkit, which link with our careers division and our department for entrepreneurship.Making industry connections work for our studentsConnections with industry help our early career researchers shape and take control of their careers post-PhD. Through initiatives such as mentoring, micro-interning or collaborative research projects, PhD candidates can develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to open up the way they view their professional futures. Through an enriched PhD journey, they open doors to more opportunities afterwards, whether in academia, outside academia, or – becoming ever more common through the course of a career – a mixture of the two.Maria-Christina Vogkli is a researcher in the department of sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Five ways to connect PhD students with industry

Developing industry experience is often the last thing on the minds of the PhD community, but nurturing partnerships between academia and industry can enrich the journey, believes Maria-Christina Vogkli

Sometimes navigating a tenure-track position feels more like walking a tightrope than following a career path, with you wondering when the heavy lifting – a research article, a service initiative or an overload course – will knock you off your academic balance. (And then, when you get there, many of these jobs lack the official supervision and assistance that would aid in managing the demands of academic work.)&nbsp;Compounding the uncertainty, the promotion procedures within the university can be unclear, even for experienced staff. Understanding what is required to climb the ladder to tenure (and weighing the pros and cons) is critical.&nbsp;Resource collection: How to progress in your academic careerHow to do self-promotion without the cringe factorPlaying the promotion game: how to navigate upshiftingFor early-career academic professionals, this article offers a road map for juggling teaching, research and service to advance your career.&nbsp;Know your institution’s expectations about balancing service, research and teachingMaintaining a healthy balance in your workload is essential for managing the path towards tenure and promotion. Tenure-track academics can find themselves overwhelmed by pressures to “publish or perish”, the demand to prepare new courses or perform community service or simply getting used to new coworkers and their work environment. The faculty handbook, departmental guidelines and your institution’s classification will probably indicate how to divide your workload among the “big three”: research, teaching and service. Like the process in the UK or the US, achieving tenure or getting promoted in the Macao/Chinese system has a similar focus on publication.Here are crucial questions and considerations to help plan for success:Teaching:&nbsp;How can you impart knowledge in a timely, effective and high-quality manner? Is there an institutional resource for instructional design support or teaching quality? Most teachers in Macao are employed full-time, and they are on renewable contracts, usually for a period ranging from one semester to eight semesters. New faculty members can draw on previous experience when creating new courses to save time and work. For example, adopting instructor resources provided by textbook publishers can get your teaching recognised in ways that help chances for promotion or permanent employment.&nbsp;Research:&nbsp;How much time do you set aside daily or weekly for scholarship? What is your schedule? Your study plan should align with your passion to achieve maximum research success.Service: Is your chosen area of service connected to research and teaching? How much time will it require? Controlling the time devoted to service is crucial since a large commitment can make it harder to meet other requirements for tenure and promotion.Create networks and locate mentorsCollegiality and professional-development networks are as crucial in an academic career as they are in other paths. People help those they know and like. Developing connections will benefit your success on many levels.&nbsp;The main motivations for professional development are to further grant writing, gain certifications, access continuing education and acquire new skills. Collaboration, for example, may offer ways to gain new knowledge or routes to publication. Effective research methodology and resource scarcity also necessitate interprofessional collaboration. People often find research collaborators through their network introductions or conferences.&nbsp;In higher education, mentoring – formal or informal – can help faculty members progress in their careers, gain academic confidence and find emotional support. If your institution has a structured mentoring programme, make use of it. If not, look for a senior faculty member who would be a good fit and able to offer views on the organisational culture, protocols and rules.&nbsp;A peer who works at a different institution could also be a source of informal mentoring. Having multiple mentors in professional, casual and personal settings could also be an option. Bear in mind that time restraints (theirs and yours) and uncertainty about what a mentee may need to flourish in a higher education setting can be barriers to finding the ideal mentor.Strive for work-life balanceMany academics struggle to achieve work-life balance, particularly when starting a new tenure-track job. In a competitive work climate that demands a wide range of tasks, juggling work, friends and family can be difficult, and there is no permanent answer to this problem. Maintaining a work-life balance, however, will help keep you moving forward (even in those times when tenure or advancement seem stalled).&nbsp;Burnout will reduce work and life satisfaction and hurt performance, thus creating a disadvantage in advancing your career.&nbsp;Techniques for avoiding burnout include setting limits, sharing issues with family and friends, physical exercise, cultivating relaxation and humour. Comparing their situation with that of their male counterparts, female faculty members reported higher stress levels, lower levels of fulfilment in their roles and lower levels of work-life balance.&nbsp;Academics on a tenure track need to appreciate life beyond the classroom. A new tenure-track faculty member must be able to set boundaries, say “no” with grace, and schedule personal time for self-rejuvenation when needed. Understanding the rules of the game improves a player’s performance and helps them win, just like anything else.&nbsp;Cheong Fan is a lecturer at the School of Liberal Arts at Macau University of Science and Technology.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Achieving a permanent academic position requires a deft juggle of research, teaching and service. Here, Cheong Fan offers advice on how to keep your balance

Walking the tightrope towards tenure

Perhaps you’ve heard the adage “the best dissertation is a done dissertation”. Facile? Maybe. Once you’re on the other side of a finished dissertation, however, you may find yourself agreeing.&nbsp;Yes, the writing is important, but earning a PhD is a process that includes not only your research and literature review but also adhering to submission requirements, collecting feedback and preparing your oral defence.As an associate dean in the Graduate School at Virginia Tech, I am involved in student support and mentorship, curriculum design and programme governance. These experiences continually remind me that the dissertation process can feel overwhelming, fraught and exceptionally challenging.&nbsp;Resource collection: Advice for surviving your PhD dissertationGet a head start in the first year of your PhDGet your PhD thesis beach readyHow to write a PhD thesis: a step-by-step guideBelow are practical strategies for tackling the PhD dissertation that I share with the graduate students I advise. While these pointers are perhaps most relevant to students in the life or physical sciences, I expect that many will translate to the arts, humanities and other disciplines as well.Rather than waiting until well into your studies, start&nbsp;writing introductory chapters relatively early in your graduate programme as soon as is feasible.Preparing a detailed literature&nbsp;review can&nbsp;more effectively inform your experimental approaches and may result&nbsp;in a manuscript suitable for publication.Familiarise&nbsp;yourself with institutional requirements for preparing and defending your dissertation well ahead of&nbsp;time. This can include document-formatting conventions and&nbsp;submission procedures, as well as deadlines for the formal scheduling of&nbsp;your oral&nbsp;dissertation defence with the graduate school.&nbsp;These details are typically found in an official graduate catalogue or programme website.Counting backwards from your desired formally scheduled defence date, set (and adhere to) a schedule for completion of requisite tasks. These will include drafting the document, executing your own revisions and those suggested by your advisory committee, and&nbsp;originality confirmation.&nbsp;Allow&nbsp;at least three or four months for writing and editing your dissertation and collecting feedback from your advisory&nbsp;committee.&nbsp;Resist the temptation to do “just one more experiment” and other distractions that will slow the preparation of the document.Clearly convey to your&nbsp;advisers&nbsp;your needs and expectations for editorial turnaround time to help them plan and manage their own time…and don’t hesitate to remind them as deadlines approach.&nbsp;Often it is time-efficient to distribute chapters for feedback as you complete them rather than waiting until the entire dissertation is finished; you can then focus on another task while your advisers review the writing in hand.If&nbsp;your dissertation will consist of multiple already published or submitted manuscripts&nbsp;as separate chapters, allow time to write comprehensive introductory and&nbsp;concluding chapters that contextualise and tie together the individual reports.If&nbsp;your scholarly work has been done in conjunction with other graduate students,&nbsp;make sure to acknowledge who is responsible for which specific contributions and&nbsp;that work you contributed has not been/will not be claimed by another student&nbsp;as their own.Allow time to check that copyright law is followed.&nbsp;If&nbsp;you have signed away copyright for images or other protected elements to&nbsp;publishers, secure the needed permissions to use them in the&nbsp;dissertation document well in advance of submission.Write your dissertation abstract last. You won’t have an accurate picture&nbsp;of what you’re abstracting until the full document is&nbsp;finished. This is like the executive summary of a report or a presentation; the details will be finalised upon completion.It&nbsp;is common for your advisory committee to suggest –&nbsp;or insist – that certain editorial&nbsp;revisions be completed following your oral defence. Give these your full attention such that the&nbsp;final document can be submitted and approved within the required time window.And a quick word to clarify terms:&nbsp;in the US, the term “dissertation” is typically reserved for the document produced by doctoral candidates, whereas master’s level graduate students complete a thesis. Both are written products that reflect and document the detailed exploration of original concepts in a particular field of scholarly endeavour, and the terms are often used interchangeably.Writing is essential for successfully sharing your work in your field of expertise with the wider community. That may seem intimidating, but it can also be highly motivating and rewarding.&nbsp;Remember too&nbsp;that, once released online, your dissertation will be accessible by other&nbsp;scholars all over the world and will be the single, quasi-tangible representation of the totality of your doctoral study – make it the most&nbsp;polished document it can be. And if you need help, reach out and ask for it.&nbsp;William R. Huckle is associate professor in the department of biomedical sciences and pathobiology at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and associate dean in the Graduate School at Virginia Tech.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Producing a doctoral dissertation can be an intimidating process, writes Bill Huckle. Here, he shares practical strategies for graduate students taking on the work to share their original contribution to knowledge with the wider community

Practical tips for graduate students undertaking a doctoral dissertation

“It’s not about what you know; it’s who you know.” It’s a phrase we’ve all heard at some point in our lives and, while we’d all like to think that it’s not completely true, there’s no denying that building a base of contacts in your chosen career is beneficial.&nbsp;In academia, meeting the right person can lead to a research collaboration, or it could lead to your work being shared with someone who can use it to make a difference. It could lead to public speaking opportunities or even mentorship. It all goes towards your long-term success.&nbsp;Informal networking and how to meet people on campusBuilding peer support networks to help staff navigate digital teachingConferences, TED talks and social media: the ultimate tools for academic profile buildingFor some of us, the idea of putting yourself out there in that way – of making an active effort to meet new people – is terrifying.&nbsp;Help! I’m an introvertI’m not ashamed to say that I am one of those people. For my friends, that would come as a surprise. Outwardly, I’m a bubbly and enthusiastic person. Throughout my PhD, however, I was hit by impostor syndrome and dreaded the networking sections of conferences that I attended.&nbsp;Questions would race through my mind as my heart thudded nervously.&nbsp;“What do I talk about?”“Am I smart enough to hold a conversation with this academic?”“DO I REALLY HAVE TO DO THIS?”In crowded rooms, I’d feel alone.&nbsp;Over time, I grew in confidence. Yet, looking back, I know I could have done better. I can’t go back in time and give my younger self this advice, but hopefully it can help you, if you feel similarly to how I did.Here’s how to network as an introverted academic.Networking can be fun&nbsp;At face value, this seems like useless advice. However, there are plenty of activities that essentially let you network by accident. For example, I took part in a lot of knowledge exchange activities, things like Three-Minute Thesis and Science Slam competitions, and speaking at postgraduate inductions. They are opportunities to present the passion for your subject to a room full of people, and I found that people approached me to chat, rather than the other way around.&nbsp;This paved the way for me to be involved in more formal exchanges, including round-table discussions with politicians, diplomats and ministers from Germany, India, Papua New Guinea and Australia. It led to me presenting my research at the Scottish parliament and the 2020 World Dubai Expo.&nbsp;Outreach activities are key networking opportunitiesSticking with the theme of networking by accident, outreach activities – things like school visits, career fairs and science festivals – are great opportunities to build networks. You don’t attend these events with networking in mind, but it ends up happening quite naturally. Removing the sense of dread from the idea of networking is so powerful and helpful, and these events create opportunities to have conversations about the event in hand. These conversations don’t even feel like networking, but that’s absolutely what they are.&nbsp;The largest outreach activity I was involved in was the Food Security Design Sprint, which involved more than 300 secondary school pupils from Papua New Guinea and Australia. The initiative saw them come up with solutions and opportunities to ensure food security that would subsequently be presented at the World Food Forum.&nbsp;The event gave me the chance to meet the chief scientist at the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization in a non-intimidating way, while similar outreach activities have led to interviews with major media outlets.&nbsp;Always lend a helping handVolunteering might not be something you feel you have capacity to do. Too much work, too little time – right?But believe me when I say it’s highly advantageous. Not only is it an opportunity for you to give back to your local community, but it also helps you build your academic brand, stand out professionally, learn transferable skills and expand your professional network.&nbsp;Over the years I have actively volunteered, doing things like running clothing drives, fundraising and organising events for schoolchildren to inspire the next generation of scientists.&nbsp;All of these activities have had a common theme, which was being a STEM ambassador and an advocate for good quality education. Crucially, it has helped me to meet high-profile individuals in a dread-free setting, expanding my network and creating opportunities.&nbsp;Get to know professional services staffIf professional services staff at your university are speaking at an event, attend it. Whether it’s marketing and communications, widening access or other areas, there’s a good chance they will approach you – but even if they don’t, there could be obvious windows in which to approach them in a way that does not feel intimidating.&nbsp;Engaging with communications has helped me to attend media training sessions with the BBC and STV, and it’s opened up writing and speaking opportunities, including this very article. Again, you can build your brand and your research profile, making valuable new contacts in a low-stress way.&nbsp;Ultimately, if you identify as an introvert, try not to worry. I was a shy girl from Papua New Guinea with a passion for science, and slowly but surely I stepped out of my comfort zone. It was a gradual process, but that’s OK – your career is a marathon, not a sprint. Today, I have a network that spans six continents, with people in all areas of life. Take it slowly and don’t pressure yourself – gradually and naturally, you’ll build the network you need.Yalinu Poya is a lecturer in environmental science at the University of the West of Scotland.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

An introvert’s guide to networking

For academics, networking can greatly enhance your career. But if the very idea fills you with dread, Yalinu Poya offers her advice for putting yourself out there

You’ve completed the coursework of your graduate programme and passed your comprehensive exams with flying colours. You know the literature, you have a novel idea, and you have collected preliminary data. It’s time to write your thesis.Why is it so hard to start (never mind generate momentum and make steady progress)?Graduate programmes in the US are often structured on the assumption that reading, discussion and research will prepare a student to write the thesis. But reading isn’t writing. Knowing about your topic isn’t writing. Conducting research and having great conversations with your advisers do not automatically translate to a capacity for writing papers or chapters. Even writing seminar papers may feel surprisingly different from tackling this long, significant piece of independent scholarship.Collected advice for managing your PhD dissertation&nbsp;Tips for surviving the first year of your PhD‘Augmenting’ the doctoral thesis in preparation for a vivaWhat you need is a writing practice, a habit of using writing as part of your thinking and research. In a writing practice, you write before you are “ready”, before the ideas have crystallised in your mind and, crucially, before you officially enter the thesis-writing phase of your programme. You don’t wait until you are assigned to do so to write or until you need to produce and deliver professional work. You write for yourself, to develop your facility for translating ideas into words and sentences.Writing for yourself to turn practice into wordsIf you want to do something well, you need to practise. No wonder, then, that many graduate students who wait until they enter the thesis phase to develop a writing practice may find themselves stuck. They are confronted with the need to write on the spot at the highest-stakes moment in their programme. When this happens, to comfort their apprehension, they return to reading or collecting more data, as though these comfort zones will make them more “ready” to write.You don’t need permission from your adviser to start a writing practice early in your programme. This writing is for you. Yes, you will likely write material that finds its way into your thesis drafts. But the main value of this work is that you establish a comfortable relationship with writing, with its pleasures and its challenges. You will reap the benefits of your practice through your dedication over time.I recommend experimenting with these approaches to developing a writing practice.Write regularlyPut “writing practice” in your calendar and show up for it. Do this with a frequency that is aspirational but actionable. You will build the habit and build trust in yourself. Try my version of the pomodoro technique to shape your writing sessions.Keep a dialogic notebookTo take dialogic notes (a form of Cornell Notes), draw a line down the centre of a page. On one side, note what you’re taking in – what you are hearing, observing or reading (for instance, at a lecture, note key concepts, explanations or equations). On the other side of the page, engage with what you’re taking in. What does it provoke you to think about? Does it raise questions to explore? Uncertainties to clarify? Connections to forge?Dialogic notetaking is a tool of memory; it helps you to retain what you hear and read. It is a tool of thought; it sparks ideas, insights and questions. You can explore and experiment and play. It is also a tool of expression; you learn to put your perceptions and ideas into words. It worked for Leonardo. It can work for you.Pause regularly to review and synthesiseAmid the demands of graduate school, writing pieces that you will not hand in or don’t “count” may seem like a waste of time. But regular writing review sessions will pay off. I recommend that scholarly writers (graduate students and faculty alike) set aside about 30 minutes a week to write about the important things that they are learning and/or thinking about and connecting them to what they already know.Synthesis is an essential skill that requires intentional effort and practice. Take time in your writing practice to bring together the disparate things you are learning, to connect them to each other and to your own research questions.Ask and explore questionsTurn to your notebook to write out the questions that arise in your mind as you work in the lab or read the literature. Take a few sentences to explore those questions. You don’t need to figure out the answers. The value lies in the practice of moving that amorphous sense of a question from your head to the written form. When you get stuck in a project, ask yourself: “What am I trying to figure out?” Your goal is to move yourself from the inchoate feelings of inadequacy and discomfort to the empowering experience of problem-definition and problem-solving.When you write before you feel ready, you will learn a surprising truth: that you get ready by writing.Monique Dufour is an associate professor of history as well as a faculty fellow in faculty affairs at Virginia Tech.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Write your PhD dissertation before you’re ‘ready‘

Reading isn’t writing, and knowing about your topic isn’t writing. So, what should graduate students do to get started and make steady progress? Monique Dufour suggests practising well before it’s time to write the thesis or dissertation

Strategies for writing a PhD dissertation: write before you’re ‘ready’

In this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world, working hard is not enough to warrant promotion. We must be willing to put ourselves out there. Some recoil at the idea of self-promotion, but it’s not all about bragging or stepping over other colleagues to get ahead. It’s about being confident enough to highlight your accomplishments and finding strategic and respectful ways to seek new opportunities.&nbsp;&nbsp;Two major factors play a role in the quest for promotion:&nbsp;Working proactively to demonstrate your abilities&nbsp;Asking to be given an opportunityHere are some ways you can do this:Demonstrate your potentialShowing that you are a high-potential rather than just high-performing employee has many benefits. High-potential employees prove they are not only excelling in their roles but also pushing themselves to improve their skills by taking on new roles and responsibilities. They focus on long-term career plans and future leadership ambitions. Think strategically about all the benefits you can and will be able to offer. In academia, this could involve:Identifying the skills you possess and you plan to gain to be successful in the role you wish to take onDemonstrating your desire to learn new skills by enrolling on courses on communication, leadership or digital skills&nbsp;Learning niche discipline-specific skills or subject knowledge&nbsp;Attending industry conferences to stay updated on your area of expertise&nbsp;Focusing on collaborative teaching or project-related activities that may help develop the student community and meet the institution’s sustainability goalsResearching the key performance areas (KPAs) or metrics relevant to your role and showing how your performance relates to theseDemonstrating how you are working towards the Sustainable Development Goals in your teaching and research.Build relationshipsIt’s essential to identify the decision-makers who will give you the green light for promotion opportunities.&nbsp;You want these people on your side, so be a good team player and treat everyone respectfully. Expand your reach within and outside your department; the most visible person is usually the one who gets the job. Tactics include:Finding ways to collaborate with other faculty in specific classesConnecting with contacts over coffee or lunch to discuss interests or projectsSharing some articles you’ve read that may be of interest to other colleagues.One of the best ways you can form great relationships with colleagues is to listen mindfully and actively to what others have to say. Practise active listening by focusing more on the message, reflecting on what the person might be feeling and using this to inform your responses. It may seem obvious but simply demonstrating non-verbal cues such as nodding and maintaining eye contact can also make a huge difference.&nbsp;Resource collection: Is your academic career cleared for take-off?What is tenure in education – and how to get itHone the story of your career to make a case for promotionRequest and listen mindfully to the feedback you get from other staff members and potential mentors to further develop the skills and competencies you need for the job you want. Based on their feedback, conduct a self-evaluation that emphasises your career achievements and your contributions to the organisation’s growth.&nbsp; &nbsp;Life’s high achievers are not the ones who sit back and wait for someone to hand them opportunities. They are the ones who raise their hands and ask for them. So be confident in your abilities and believe in your potential. You will need to back yourself if you want to achieve your goals.&nbsp;Shilpa Gopal is assistant professor (senior scale) in the department of commerce, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How to do self-promotion without the cringe factor

Some recoil at the idea of self-promotion but it’s not all about bragging or stepping over other colleagues to get ahead, writes Shilpa Gopal 

The first year of a PhD programme can be overwhelming. The success of a dissertation in many fields depends on the polish, iterations and revisions the research has undergone. So, what you do, what habits and routines you set up in the first year, will make a difference to the result at the end.The first year is also crucial for learning – not least because neuroplasticity wanes as one grows older (as does the amount of time before the defence). First-year doctoral students might be exempt from research-related events such as conferences, brown-bag seminars and faculty talks, yet there is no time for complacency.Here are insider tips for making the most of the first 12 months.&nbsp;Start writing as soon as possibleDo not let provocative articles that explain how to write a PhD dissertation in three months delay the start of your writing. Unless you are John von Neumann or Paul Erdős (which you are not), it is impossible to write a proficient thesis in three or even six months.Resources with advice for surviving your PhD dissertationHow to structure your PhD thesisWhat is your academic writing temperament?Your early writing does not have to be grandiose or purposeful. It can begin with any thought related to your topic of study. In applied sciences, a good starting point is describing an output table or interpreting a few plots in simple language, as most applied research articles include a Discussion section where findings are explained in layman’s terms. If your work is more theoretical, any attempt at a derivation or a proof is valuable. Even a well-crafted email to your adviser can become the foundation stone. Generate as much material as possible, and you will have plenty to choose from for the thesis.Iterations take time and effort. Reflection and re-evaluation are essential for shaping one’s ideas.Give yourself the earliest opportunity to pick up the language appropriate for academia by receiving criticism and suggestions on your writing. Your first research poster will probably look amateurish, and your first empirical analysis will likely yield mixed conclusions – but this is not a cause for concern. Babies learn to walk by trying, falling, getting up and trying again.Remember that chapters are not the endgameYour PhD should reflect a deeper understanding of the subject, and this does not come overnight. It results from pumping large volumes of information into one’s head and allowing it to roam among the neurons.Attend conferences, seminars and courses outside the university to hone your skills because the chapters are not the final goal. Presentations at informal seminars in front of one’s colleagues are a reliable way to build horizontal networks with postdocs, other students and specialists.Keep a research diaryDocument your methods, results and ideas in a research diary. If you are not writing the thesis in your native language, jot down ideas in your preferred language. A notebook of ideas is invaluable during meetings with your supervisor. It is easier for them to give feedback on clearly written statements.Communication with your supervisor, positive or negative, can be a part of the research diary. It often takes extra effort to prove to a professor that their ideas need refinement. Reinforce your points with plots, tables and other printed material that will help you cast your mind back after a couple of years. Professors may lag behind the state of the art if the subject is outside their research interests – read the best practices in the field, take notes and share them during discussions.Back up your workAlways make backups, even after small steps, because old versions and old results are valuable if you need to retrace your train of thought. The most convenient option is setting up a trustworthy cloud synchronisation service that automatically saves everything you write and stores multiple versions. If you do not trust those providers, synchronise your working folder with an external storage device every week or set up a self-hosted home cloud. Remember the 3-2-1 principle: have three versions of your data – two on different physical media and one on the server of your choice.Work in small increments&nbsp;List small tasks for each day and set deadlines for yourself. It is normal to work harder on some days and make less effort on others. The flexibility of a PhD researcher’s job allows you to get the most out of your rushes of inspiration.Punctuate stints of work with exercise breaks. Health directly impacts the clarity of thinking, so set a timer to stretch out and do sit-ups every hour (for example). There might be swimming pools, gyms or sports classes nearby. Student groups often organise collective events (like hiking or yoga) and provide free tickets for cultural events.What to do when motivation flagsOther academic activities on campus may be more engaging than writing the thesis. With summer schools, conferences and workshops, it is easy to lose track of time and neglect your work. Writer’s block is another reason to postpone writing. Certain PhD students focus on teaching, believing that their foremost duty is to be helpful teaching assistants or exam invigilators.Everything takes time, even if one considers Hofstadter’s law, which is why we present a list of tips on what to prioritise to free up time that would otherwise be wasted on non-thesis-related tasks.Write in plain text and do the formatting last.&nbsp;Get a distraction-free plain-text editor that autosaves your input and restores it, even after a power outage.Type long passages instead of hand-writing to eliminate the need for retyping.Create figures using preferably free and open-source software; avoid relying on Microsoft Office.Use specialised software like JabRef or Zotero to arrange bibliographies and citations.Do not tolerate software quirks. Demand the right to install open-source tools from your IT team without needing support tickets.Do not try to solve bureaucratic or logistical problems outside your competence; there are non-research university personnel for those.Writer’s block or frustration can result from stress. Being stuck at a certain point and without the courage to move forward is not uncommon in any job, including research positions. Should the stress pile up to the extent that it causes physical or mental unwellness, contact a healthcare provider and do not hesitate to book an appointment with a psychologist.One possible remedy for writer’s block is switching to literature review. Prior reading is essential for smooth writing. The more you learn, the more you can say about the subject. Alternatively, you may try to process measurement data, prove a lemma, create a plot or engage in any other part of research that does not involve writing out words.Finally, get enough sleep (at least on average). Force yourself to stop working in the evening and go home. If the crickets start chirping when you are still at your office, it is a sign to clock off.Andreï V. Kostyrka is a postdoctoral researcher in the department of economics and management at the University of Luxembourg.&nbsp;If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,&nbsp;sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Even a marathon begins with first steps, and so it makes sense to master motivation, set healthy habits and get writing early to reap the reward of a polished dissertation at the end of the PhD journey, writes Andreï Kostryka

Get a head start in the first year of your PhD

The landscape of doctoral education has changed in the post-pandemic era. Our previously tight-knit PhD communities have somehow lost their vibrancy and shine. While the use of digital tools has improved our connectedness, our PhDs at the Doctoral School for Humanities and Social Sciences (DSHSS) at the University of Luxembourg have experienced a drop in community and campus life activities. Could a writing buddy initiative rekindle that sense of belonging to our doctoral community?&nbsp;As the head of the DSHSS, my remit is to help doctoral candidates to ensure that they find support and a motivational boost when it comes to writing. Writing is an essential part of a PhD project, and yet many of our students tell me that they experience it as a solitary task, and they struggle with it. We know, too, that procrastination and the blank page are real obstacles to doctoral completion.&nbsp;How to navigate the PhD thesisFour ways to engage students in bloggingHow to write an abstract for a research paperImplementing a writing buddy scheme is an essential tool to deal with these issues, with benefits extending beyond the life cycle of a PhD. Writing buddies are groups of two to three individuals who create community around writing and offer peer-to-peer support.&nbsp;Why a buddy scheme matters to help build resilience and communityHaving a writing buddy provides structure and support during the PhD process. Typically, writing buddies meet once a week for a set time, in which they share a space, either online or in real life (for example, in a library). Each meeting is divided into sessions, including breaks. Individual sessions can focus on either writing or giving each other feedback on a piece of writing (such as thesis chapter drafts, conference papers or grant applications). Breaks can be used to talk about writing experiences. Buddies discuss their expectations and their writing needs and decide together what type of support they want to give each other. No hierarchy is involved – ideally, this is a democratic, equitable relationship that operates on support, commitment, collaboration and trust.Motivation is key. Buddies will need to be engaged for a set period and to negotiate objectives. This requires time and willingness.&nbsp;The benefits of having a buddy extend to many areas of the PhD life cycle. At our doctoral school, the scheme has been shown to give PhD candidates structure, a safe space to compare notes, a routine meeting, accountability and an opportunity to engage with others going through similar issues. The scheme helps our PhD candidates to develop skills that will be useful for a lifetime of work and that any employer would be delighted to see in their staff – the ability to compromise, provide constructive feedback, and negotiate space and time in busy schedules.&nbsp;Five tips to establish effective writing buddy schemesSo, how do you set up a structure to keep the group together and reap the benefits? Here are five actions to get you started.Provide a model&nbsp;What is a writing buddy and what do they do? Sharing our own experience with writing buddies is an empowering tool to work with doctoral candidates. In my 20 years as a researcher, I have been supported by my writing buddy, Susanne Gruss. We have followed each other from our PhD days to our time as professors, now working at the universities of Luxembourg and Bamberg, respectively. Supporting each other while, for example, writing journal articles and monographs has been fundamental to our professional writing relationship, which has sustained each of us in our careers.&nbsp;Offer structure and a framework&nbsp;The system will need a clear structure. Put in place a written agreement, signed by each buddy team member at the outset. This should also outline what the scheme is not meant for and ensure that PhD candidates know where to seek health and well-being interventions if they need them. Writing buddies are not trained supervisors nor are they experts at providing psychological support.&nbsp;Allow buddies to set their own objectives&nbsp;Buddies can come from different disciplines and have differing objectives. These could include writing a research grant application, getting feedback on a specific thesis section, or understanding peer-review techniques or publication needs. When launching the writing buddy scheme, I used a speed-dating tool to allow interested parties to mix and match and discuss preferences. This approach is usually highly successful.&nbsp;Create effective feedback mechanisms at the end of the scheme&nbsp;The scheme can have a limited duration with buddies deciding to roll off after six months. Conversely, they can extend their agreement. A meeting is held to discuss feedback – any constructive point is taken on board to develop the scheme further.Incentivise the scheme&nbsp;Rather than financial incentive, the experience and a personal reflection can be the basis for credits or a certificate of participation. Funding for writing retreats and networking events for buddies can also be a good way to promote and strengthen the scheme. Our successful writing retreats over the past three academic years and the recurring engagement from our PhD candidates in the more recent buddy scheme have shown us the effectiveness of these incentives.Connecting through writing is a powerful way to revive a sense of belonging to a community, especially when writing is key to the academic success of their members. Individuals who can articulate constructive feedback and engage in a regular writing activity have shown to be more successful at negotiating their needs with their peers and supervisory committees. It is this sense of connection that often carries the students to the end of their PhD journeys and beyond.Lena Steveker is head of the Doctoral School in Humanities and Social Sciences (DSHSS), and Laura Spadon is doctoral school facilitator at DSHSS; both are at the University of Luxembourg.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Is a writing group or partner an effective antidote to post-pandemic isolation during doctoral education? Lena Steveker and Laura Spadon explain how to put a forum for belonging in place

Buddy system: creating community through writing

In the realm of scientific research, strong interview skills are often overlooked as a tool. To distinguish your paper from the rest, merely collecting the evidence that supports your hypothesis from books, websites and grey literature won’t be enough. It is through speaking to people who have immersed themselves in the field of our interest that we truly begin to gain insights. As William Saroyan said, “Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure.” But how should we approach the idea of interviewing experts in order to obtain the information we need?Show your research impact: a guide for academics and researchersGive your academic paper its best chance of being acceptedImproving academic writing skills to boost student confidence and resilienceAs a researcher, the ability to communicate effectively is crucial. You must be able to present your queries, facilitate discussions and build rapport with your interviewee to ensure that you achieve optimal results.Eight tips to elevate your interview approachWithout proper preparation, your interview will lack structure. You must clearly state your research interview objectives, preparing flexible questions and probing cues.Do your background research on the interviewee. Be sensitive to the interviewee’s morals, values and triggers. Create a comfortable environment for them, allowing them to speak to you freely.Although you may have to clarify your interviewee’s answers, you should maintain a balance between talking and listening. For example, let the interviewee finish speaking before asking the next question and remain polite.Mimic your interviewee’s body language and pace to establish rapport and harmony.You can control nervous habits such as fidgeting. Practise relaxation techniques to help keep any anxiety to a minimum during the interview.Ask clear, simple, short questions. Clarity helps to generate precise answers.Be strategic with more difficult questions. Hold them back for later in the interview, when rapport has been established. This will help to maintain trust and openness throughout the conversation.When ending the interview, ask a closing question that provides closure and leaves the interviewee feeling valued for their contributions.Three things to avoid in a research interviewNot addressing your research objectives and hypothesis. When proposing your initiative, you should structure your explanation like this:Clearly state your hypothesis and objectives.Explain why you believe your research findings will impact your field. Address what findings you have reached so far.Explain why you have conducted an interview instead of other approaches.Lack of eye contact and rapport-building. As an interviewer, you need to pay attention to body language. Body language can be an indicator of confidence or discomfort for both the interviewee and interviewer. It is crucial to maintain eye contact, keep an upright posture and avoid exaggerated hand gestures.Disregarding ethical guidelines. If you don’t maintain the integrity of your research findings, you risk your gathered data losing its validity and reliability. Avoid cutting corners, and don’t overlook ethical considerations. Research conducted outside ethical guidelines could result in legal actions.Technological toolsHow do these tips translate across different communication methods? As an interviewer you need to be knowledgeable about the best methodology to retrieve your data, especially in this age of evolving technology.Face-to-face interviews have their benefits, including the personal interaction and the ability to observe body language and non-verbal cues. More authentic responses can come about as a result. But costs (for travel, accommodation, renting office space and so on) can add up quickly. Virtual alternatives such as videoconferencing make interviews more flexible and reduce costs and travel time for both parties. They’re convenient and less stressful, as both participants can dial in from their own home or office.You can also reach out to a more extensive pool of interviewees, as there’s no requirement to stay within local boundaries. Just be aware of technical difficulties, which can hinder the interview process.&nbsp;By mastering these interviewing skills, you can communicate your knowledge, show your ability to lead and demonstrate your enthusiasm for the expansion of knowledge in your field. As you grow these skills, you will be proving not just your technical competence but also, importantly, your ability to communicate difficult concepts in a comprehensible and convincing manner. By articulating your qualifications and enthusiasm for pushing the boundaries of knowledge, you enhance your chances of securing exciting opportunities in the scientific research domain.Mahra Haitham Al Hosani is a medical student and Mariam Shadan is assistant professor of biomedical science, both at Dubai Medical College for Girls.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Master the art of online and in-person interviewing 

Interviewing experts is a key part of scientific research, so it’s important to hone your skills. Mahra Haitham Al Hosani and Mariam Shadan provide eight tips – and three things to avoid

The task of writing a PhD thesis is top of mind for many aspiring scholars. After all, completing one is no small task. And while these pieces of writing often share a standard format, this can differ slightly based on the requirements of your institution or subject. So what elements make up a PhD thesis?A doctoral thesis usually contains:A title pageDeclarations from the candidate and supervisorA certificate from the candidate and supervisorA plagiarism reportAcknowledgements&nbsp;A table of contentsAbbreviations&nbsp;An abstractChapters.Chapters typically cover:A general introduction&nbsp;Literature reviewAnalysis of the gap in research with aims and objectivesMaterials and methodsResultsSummary and conclusionOutlookReferences or bibliography.&nbsp;You should also include a list of papers you have published and any relevant achievements at the end.&nbsp;An explanation of each of the components of a PhD dissertation&nbsp;Title page: a PhD thesis starts with a title page that contains the complete title of the research work, the submitting university, names of the candidate and supervisor, affiliation and month and year of submission.Abstract: this serves as a concise synopsis of the dissertation, covering the research context, purpose of the study or research questions, methodology, findings and conclusions. This section is usually one to two pages in length.&nbsp;Table of contents: this page lists the thesis content and respective page numbers.General introduction and literature review: this component is usually 20 to 40 pages long. It presents the readers with the primary material and discusses relevant published data. It provides an overview of pertinent literature related to the thesis such as texts that critically assess the existing literature to identify the gap in research and explain the need behind the study.&nbsp;Aims and objectives: this section of the thesis is typically one to two pages long and describes the aims and objectives of the study. Structure them as three to four bullet points describing specific points that you will investigate. Approach this by thinking about what readers should understand by the end of the thesis. Ensure you:Give a clear explanation of the purpose and goals of your study&nbsp;Outline each aim conciselyExplain how you will measure your objectivesEnsure there is a clear connection between each aimUse verbs such as investigate, evaluate, explore, analyse and demonstrate.Materials and methods: this section briefly explains how you have conducted the study and should include all the materials you used and procedures you implemented. For example, if your research involves working with chemicals, list the chemicals and instruments used, along with their catalogue numbers and manufacturers’ names. This section should also explicitly explain the methodology you used, step-by-step. Use the past tense while writing this section and do not describe any results or findings of the study yet.Results: this section is sometimes called the “findings report” or “the experimental findings” (referring to data collection and analysis). Write the results concisely and in the past tense. Include text, figure and table infographics created with tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator and BioRender to visualise your data.&nbsp;Discussion: this is a chance to discuss the results and compare the findings of your study with the initial hypothesis and existing knowledge. Focus on discussing interpretations, implications, limitations and recommendations here.Resources on academic writing for higher education staff&nbsp;Tips for writing a PhD dissertation: FAQs answeredHow to tackle the PhD dissertationSummary and conclusion: this section should be shorter than the discussion and summarise your key findings. The summary and conclusion should be brief and engaging, allowing the reader to easily understand the major findings of the research work. Provide clear answers to the research questions, generate new knowledge and clarify the need for the study.&nbsp;Future perspective: this section of the thesis (which is often combined with a summary or conclusion) talks about the study's limitations, if any, and indicates the directions for future studies based on your findings.&nbsp;References or bibliography: the last section should include the list of articles, websites and other resources cited in the thesis.Always remember that, depending on the department, university or field of study, you might have to follow specific guidelines on how to organise your PhD thesis. Ensure you consult your supervisor or academic department if you have any doubts.Shama Prasada Kabekkodu is a professor and head of cell and molecular biology at Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

How to structure your PhD thesis

Organising your PhD thesis in a logical order is one of the crucial stages of your writing process. Here is a list of the individual components to include

Writing a PhD thesis can often feel like preparing for an ultimate beach day. Just as you plan your trip, pack your towels and sunblock, and ensure you have everything you need for a perfect day by the sea, PhD candidates must organise their research, structure their ideas and manage their time effectively to produce a well-organised and impactful thesis.Packing your beach bag: initial planning and time managementThe first step in getting ready for the beach is packing your beach bag with all the essentials. Similarly, effective time management and planning are crucial in the preliminary stages of your PhD journey. Begin by breaking down your thesis into manageable sections and setting achievable deadlines for each part. This way, you have a clear road map, preventing you from feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the task.How to navigate the PhD thesisOne thesis, two supports, three monthsThree ways to refresh your academic writingAlso, know yourself as a writer and creator. The doctoral journey differs from bachelor’s and master’s, as we start to create our own theories. Just as swimmers at the beach need to know their strengths and limitations to be safe, we also must know ourselves as writers so we can manage our time.&nbsp;Creating a detailed timeline for your research and writing phases is akin to creating a packing list for your beach day. Allocate specific time blocks for literature review, data collection, analysis and writing. Regularly revisit and adjust your schedule as needed, much like you would adjust your plans based on weather conditions and beach activities.Setting up your beach umbrella: structuring your thesisOnce your beach bag is packed, it is time to set up your beach umbrella. Structuring your thesis effectively is essential for creating a coherent flow of ideas, and it always helps to begin with the planning process, outlining the main chapters: introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion and conclusion. Each chapter should have a clear purpose and contribute to the overall narrative of your research.The introduction serves as the opening to your beach day, inviting readers into your research landscape.&nbsp; We all enjoy the sun as it glistens on the ocean, inviting us to dive in. The introduction should do the same for the readers – providing an overview of your research topic, objectives and significance. The literature review is akin to setting up your beach towel and laying out the foundation, demonstrating understanding of the existing knowledge and identifying gaps that your research will address.The methodology section is the blueprint of your beach set-up, detailing the tools, techniques and processes you used to gather and analyse data. The results section presents the highlights of your beach day, displaying the data and findings in a clear and organised manner – this is where we want to show that we planned well, checking our beach checklist for quality.&nbsp;The discussion chapter is where you interpret your findings, much like reflecting on the best moments of your beach day, and the conclusion ties everything together, summarising the key insights and implications of your research (ideally finishing without a sunburn).Enjoying the sun: writing and revisingOnce your beach umbrella is set up and your towel in place, it’s time to sit back and relax – unlike writing a PhD thesis, when it’s important to stay on top of the work, consistently writing and revising.&nbsp;Writing a PhD thesis is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process, requiring regular attention and care.&nbsp; We teach methods that can help with this in our Writing Center at CSU Global.Dedicate specific time each day or week to writing, just as you set aside time to apply sunscreen and stay hydrated at the beach. Set achievable writing goals, such as completing a certain number of words or pages each session. This incremental approach helps keep momentum and prevents procrastination.Revising and refining your work is like adjusting your beach set-up throughout the day. Regularly review your writing for clarity, coherence and logical flow – making sure that the plan you originally created is still on point. If there are changes, you are in control of where they are going. If, at the beach, the wind picks up and the sky clouds over, you’re in control of moving to a sheltered spot before the rain starts, and a PhD is no different.I always encourage seeking feedback from peers, advisers or writing groups to gain fresh perspectives and show areas for improvement. Remember, even the best beach set-ups need occasional adjustments to stay comfortable and enjoyable.Practical tips for a successful thesis journeyCreate a dedicated workspace: Just as you need a spot for your beach chair and umbrella, set up a dedicated workspace for your research and writing. This helps minimise distractions and fosters a productive environment.Harness productivity tools: Tools such as project management software, reference management systems and writing apps can help streamline your workflow and keep you organised.Take care of yourself: Remember that physical and mental well-being is crucial for sustained productivity. Take regular breaks, engage in physical activity and ensure you get enough rest.Seek support: Do not hesitate to reach out to advisers, peers or writing groups for guidance and encouragement. Collaboration and support from others can provide valuable insights and motivation.Adopt a growth mindset: Embrace challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. A growth mindset will help you stay resilient and motivated throughout your thesis journey.Foster meaningful connections: Build strong relationships with your advisors and peers. They can provide support, feedback and collaboration opportunities that enrich your research experience.John Sinclair is a part-time faculty member at the MBA programme at CSU Global.If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.

Get your PhD thesis beach ready

Prepping for the beach requires planning, effort and time management – and so does writing a PhD thesis. John Sinclair offers advice for summer days and doctoral nights

Academic career development advice for early career researchers  – and those who manage ECRs – including time management, workload, mental health, well-being and networking

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