Q: What tip would you have liked to have known in your beginning(s) in research?
For example, which courses or skills you must do or know – and any other helpful tip!
Hi Andres! Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting such an interesting question. In fact, we think your question might benefit more from other researchers responding to your query. So, we shall let them take over. :-)
On our part, we’d just like to share a few avenues for you to know more and to connect with other researchers and academics.
In our Researchers and Their Stories section, you’ll come across accounts and narratives by researchers at various stages, from undergrads to PhD candidates to postdocs. They offer tremendous insights into different facets of the researcher life, from the professional to the very personal. Find out more here: Researchers and Their Stories
Our Researcher Voice group on Facebook brings together folk from across the world sharing thoughts, feedback, encouragement, or simply cheer on everything from the publication process to researcher success. In fact, you could very simply pop your question to the group here: Researcher Voice (We did so very formally, and here’s what one researcher had to say: I wish I knew it was more important to select your guide more carefully than the research area... Wise words indeed.)
On the more formal side, we offer a suite of courses for every stage and milestone of the researcher career through our R Upskill platform. You may check out our various learning offerings here: R Upskill
And of course, throughout the Insights site, we offer many avenues and resources for you to keep learning as you keep growing in your career, such as this very forum. For now, we’ve handpicked a few below. For more, you may look up the site using the relevant keywords.
- 6 Article types that journals publish: A guide for early career researchers
- 4 Effective networking tips for early career researchers
- How to become a peer reviewer: Tips for early career researchers
Do check out the various spaces we’ve talked about. Hopefully, they’ll have their own part to play in your growth and advancement.
Hi Andres,
No matter how passionate you are about research, make sure that there is funding in the field of your interest. Without money, research is rather difficult and no amount of passion will help you complete what you started out to do.
Also, I have learnt over the years that equally important to carrying out research is the necessity to communicate it to others, to both other researchers and the general public. This may or may not be a skill you currently have, but is definitely one to acquire!
Great points, Shivanee!
Andres, for the points Shivanee brought up, you may find the following resources useful:
Thanks for your answer Shivanee!
Fortunately, I do research in medicine as a complement to my general practice. I think is an essential part of this profession
Hey Andres! As a way of "paying it forward," would you wish to respond to this similar new question by another researcher, also looking for tips of some sort (though about wet and dry labs)?
This content belongs to the Career Growth Stage