Every research project has four typical emotional phases: You start with naïve enthusiasm, become competent and disillusioned, you want to give up (“The Dip”), you recover and finally you round up and exit. How to handle “The Dip”?
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Young scientists often get the advice that they *must* work abroad for several years to pursue a career in science. But is this really true? There are multiple arguments for and against this often-heard advice.
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Young scientists are often in a dilemma when applying for funding. Should they submit grant proposals under their own name with the risk of not getting the money or should they submit under their supervisor’s name with the risk to be scientifically dependent?
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In order to get grants or academic positions it is often necessary to show scientific independence. But how do you do that? The following strategies will help young scientists to develop and demonstrate scientific independence.
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Young scientists often get contradictory advice whether they need teaching expertise to become a professor or not. Every university will confirm that teaching is the core expertise of a professor, however, successful researchers may see teaching as a waste of time and unimportant to get a position.
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Choosing the best postdoc position for your future career in science is essential. However, most young scientists have no plan how to find the position(s) that fit best and how to choose with care. A number of key questions will help you to find the postdoc position which fits your needs, talents and skills.
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Young scientists often think that a long publication list is crucial for an academic career and that obtaining multiple co-authorships are a clever strategy to make their publication list longer. Is this true?
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We all know that scientific fraud is bad for science and society in general. However, apart from these general considerations it is necessary and effective to make young scientists aware of the fact that scientific misconduct ruins their personal integrity and destroys their careers. The following 16 personal reasons will convince most young scientists that scientific misconduct is a bad idea.
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Young scientists often struggle with the problem that they are obliged to include authors in the author list who may not have contributed substantially – or not all. Especially partners who only provide technology, patient samples, genetically modified organisms or general infrastructure may be a reason for debate, although without their contribution, the research would be impossible. How can you handle this problem?
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Many PhD students and most postdocs want to pursue a career in academia. But is it a good idea to admit that you want to become a professor? Would you appear overambitious or pretentious? Or does it ruin your career to hide your ambitions from potential mentors and decision-makers?
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