Scientists often produce negative results. All experiments were done correctly – but there was no difference between test and control. They get conflicting advice from supervisors and ethicists. Some say that publishing negative results is a waste of resources and ruins their scientific careers. Others say that ‘not publishing negative results is unethical’. What should young scientists do in such a situation?
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Young scientists often get conflicting advice on how they should publish. Every generation of young scientists has to address similar questions: Should I publish several smaller papers or should I focus on one big paper with a high impact factor? What is the effect of my publication strategy on my career and the possibility to raise grant money? How important is my publication list for a non-academic career?
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To become an author on a scientific publication, you need to contribute substantially – but what does that mean? Are there clear criteria, or can this be debated? What about collaborators who only provide data or samples or medical writers who improve the English of the paper? What about ChatGPT and other text generators?
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Everybody knows that high impact factors are essential for a career in science. However, young scientists often underestimate the value of citations. They provide a more valuable estimate of the quality of a scientific publication than other metrics, including impact factors. In this article, I provide 20 strategies to increase your citation counts.
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For any scientist pursuing a career in academia, bibliographic metrics such as impact factors or citations are essential for measuring the impact and relevance of their research. But which bibliographic metrics are relevant, and which are misleading?
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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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Writing a research paper or a review can be a pleasure or a pain. If you manage your energy and time well, you can dramatically speed up your writing. What are the best tips and easy steps to write a research paper faster and more efficiently?
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Are you one of the many people who wonder, “Am I good enough for a career in science?” Every young scientist suffers from these negative thoughts. You’ve worked hard to contribute to the scientific community… and then you get the feeling that you are not good enough. This sense of doubt makes you feel you aren’t good enough for a career in academia.
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Despite everyone complaining about the lockdown, I believe it can be used as a golden opportunity for your scientific career… Although I didn’t dare mention this at the beginning.
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Lockdown makes it difficult to do experiments and to work on your scientific career. Losing a few months of your research may not seem so dramatic… or is it? You sit at home and have to motivate yourself to stay productive. Don’t waste these weeks! Here are several ideas about how to protect your career under lockdown conditions!
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Postdocs often struggle with their publication list. They become the famous “second author”. However, if you strive for a successful academic career, you may have to negotiate better with your supervisor to get first and last authorships to build your career.
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Attending a scientific meeting can be very inspiring. It may broaden your network and help you to make yourself and your research visible to a broad audience. But it is also often time-consuming and expensive. How do you choose the right meetings to attend?
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