While savouring a refreshing beverage and browsing through news of [yet another] dystopian summer, Ethan keeps receiving notifications from his e-mail. It turns out that he is insistently being asked to review (again and again) a paper. Naturally, he turns to me to ask: How can I refuse doing paper reviews? Dear Ethan, A question as old as time academia! The increase in publication volumes in the ...[Read More]
Annalisa is in the final stretch of her PhD. Just a couple of paragraphs to jot down, an introduction to write and some final touches to finalize the figures. Whilst looking around for new opportunities, she comes across an opportunity in her own department. Struggling to decide what to do, she inquires: Should I do a post-doc as far away as possible from my PhD location? Dear Annalisa, Ad Maiora ...[Read More]
Winning a prestigious fellowship is the dream of any early career scientist. It provides the freedom to waste a couple years of public funding without having to answer for that to a supervisor. The first step to reaching this academic Nirvana is to write a proposal. Blerta dares to ask what’s on everyone’s mind: What is a great idea for a proposal? Dear Blerta, I would love to tell you that the pr ...[Read More]
How to write a reply to reviewers for the first time? Dear Marcelo, Oh my, oh my! First off, congrats for finally getting that ‘final_manuscript_v10.doxc’ out of your computer and into the submission portal. And congrats for not being desk rejected. You have already made it where many others have failed. The first reply to reviewers can be daunting and overwhelming. You are supposed to ...[Read More]
