The Merits of Qualitative Research
Beyond How Often and How Many
Human beings have always been difficult to research. Unlike the natural sciences where we can use quantitative methods to capture how often things…
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PhDs & Postdocs
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The Importance of Critical Thinking Skills in Research
Why is Critical Thinking Important: A Disruptive Force
Research anxiety seems to be taking an increasingly dominant role in the world of academic research. The pressure to publish…
Things PhDs Wish They Had Done in Grad School
Even the longest stays in grad school go by in a flash and most of it seems to be filled with reading, research, and writing. I interviewed a group of recent PhDs and asked them,…
How to Manage Cognitive Bias
A Very Plural Bias
Speaking in terms of a singular cognitive bias is an inaccurate but widely accepted practice. The term is used to describe inherent errors in thinking and…
Scholarly Insights on Academic Branding
“Branding is for Products, Not People!”
Sound familiar? You have reached a point in your academic career where you have a solid body of work, a track record of well-received…
10 Questions You Should Ask in an Academic Interview
The Most Commonly Wasted Opportunity
When the stressful interview comes to its inevitable end, it’s either gone really well and you think it’s in the bag, or you “ummed” and…
Academic Tenure — Its Pros and Cons
The Holy Grail of Academia
Tenure is seen as having ‘made it’ as an academic — by virtue of experience, expertise, research and authorship. It can be a long journey, lasting up to…
Dealing with Bad Student–Advisor Relationship
The advisor–graduate student relationship can a tricky one. When it is good, it’s really good. But when it’s bad, it can negatively impact the grad student’s career, and in some…
Does Basic Research Have a Future?
What Constitutes Basic Research?
Basic research (also described as fundamental or pure research) categorizes any study with the objective of deeper understanding of the…
7 Traits of a Professional Scientist
When it comes to science, diversity makes all the difference. Nowadays, scientists from many different cultures and backgrounds collaborate on common goals. But among their…
Overcoming Writer’s Block – Tips and Strategies
Writing can be boring, hard, and stressful by itself. This coupled with deadlines, peer review, grading, etc., can become a truly daunting process.
Writer’s block is not a state…
Science Has Limits — There Are Science Subjects That Shouldn’t Be Studied!
What Is the Purpose of Science?
Answering this question in full would probably take up several volumes of a large textbook, but in laymen’s terms, scientists conduct research to…