How to advance your career in science

作者：Juan Casasbuenas

1. Top five challenges

1. Getting funding

2. 缺乏支持或变得孤立

3. Lack of skills (for example, in writing, communication or research)

4. 缺乏工作数据/文献

5. Maintaining a focused topic of study

促进科学职业的挑战很多，尤其是研究人员沉浸的“出版或灭亡”文化。现代学术界对于早期研究人员来说可能是一个困难的景观 - 您如何确定应有的优先事项，同时避免陷入困境，从而妨碍您未来的职业？

考虑到这一点，Scidev.net对来自世界各地的研究人员进行了一项调查，涉及他们面临的最大挑战，避免的陷阱以及他们将为其他研究人员面临相同障碍的建议。

With专业人士的80多名受访者和投入who support researchers, we’ve distilled this input and added useful resources.

Challenges faced by researchers

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the ability to get funding came through as the biggest challenge for researchers. However, respondents also painted a picture of an environment where it is easy to become isolated, and where getting adequate support can be difficult.

其他重大挑战包括处理繁重的工作量；时间管理;导航官僚机构；并知道如何在正确的日记中发布。我们将下面的建议归类为其中的一些挑战：

Getting funding
Familiarise yourself with the landscape and key frameworks	Does your research fit into wider agendas such as theSDGs或者议程2063? Increasingly, you must be able to explain how your research fits the bigger picture, and such frameworks are great starting points.
不要急于博士学位	What kind of funding exists in the field? If it seems there is limited funding or resources in a particular area, think carefully about rushing into a PhD.
Keep an eye on calls	寻找与您的研究相关的特定资金电话。研究委员会是一个不错的起点，其网站上的部分要求提出建议。这是一个示例南非医学研究委员会。
收听反馈	Share your ideas with trusted people outside your research group (and with non-specialists). They’ll be able to tell you if you’ve expressed your ideas clearly.
Become media savvy	与媒体交谈可能会导致更多的合作，并最终获得资金。例如，决策者经常将媒体用作科学和技术的信息来源。scidev.net有an online media training coursefor scientists, discounted for developing-country researchers.

Developing your skillset
认识你自己	Reflect on what you are good at, and on your biggest areas for development. If you’re not sure, get feedback from trusted colleagues, mentors or friends. This will help you choose the skills and knowledge to prioritise.
Improve your communication 技能	You never know who you will be pitching your research to, when the opportunity might arise, or where it might lead. Polish your communication skills so you are able to tell anyone about your research. Thispractical guideis packed with tips for boosting your science communication skills.
Keep learning	There is a wealth of information at your fingertips. Free online resources such as SciDev.Net’spractical guides和online courses, and support networks such asAuthorAIDare extremely helpful. If possible, attend short courses or seminars.
Manage your time	Researchers face a number ofcompeting priorities而且这可能是令人生畏的。您可以做很多事情来发展时间管理技能。查看本文from科学这包含了学术科学家的具体技巧。
Make a plan	为您的中长期野心编写时间表。区分您知道的知识和要实现的知识。弄清楚您需要做什么才能解决您确定的任何知识或技能差距。

获得正确类型的支持，并保持联系
得到一位出色的导师	It’s important to have someone who cares about you and your career. A PhD supervisor should be a mentor, so maintain contact with them even after graduation. Cultivating relationships can result in more opportunities in the future.
开发您的在线资料	Having ORCID and Google Scholar accounts will make your work searchable and trackable.This practical guideis packed with advice on this theme. Social media and blogging will also help you to showcase your work.
现实生活中的网络	Many professional opportunities come through networking, rather than online. Developing your online persona is useful but nothing can replace meeting people at events such as conferences and seminars. Talk to people both within and outside your field and test your ideas with them.
Evaluate the impact of your research	Be organised about tracking where your work is mentioned, referenced or used for a news piece. Distinguish between traditional and alternative ways of跟踪影响of your research.

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Be savvy about getting published
Publish early	Don’t leave it until the end of your PhD to publish a paper. Try to get your Masters research published, for example.
Stay focused	Try not to spread yourself too thinly by working on too many projects at once. This should allow you the time to write manuscripts and endeavour to get published.
Target the right journals	尽力而为get published in a journal that’s right for your research。Don’t succumb to the pressure of publishing in predatory journals, but don’t become obsessed with publishing only in ‘big name’ journals either.
知道该过程	In addition to having a clear research objective, it is essential that you know the conventions and procedures for how to submit an article to your choice of journal. Thispractical guide将在整个过程中为您提供支持。期刊通常也有指导。这是Elsevier的， 例如。
Know how to write a scientific paper	Brush up on如何报告科学发现并确保您遵循目标日记的惯例。

其中一些建议加强了先前的观点，但在反馈中强烈表现，值得强调。 Rushing into a PhD不用仔细考虑您的兴趣，无论您是否适合主管，还是是否存在用于工作类型的未来资金。 将自己与更广阔的世界隔离, be it by not talking to others about your work, not attending events or not having a social media presence. In the long run it pays to be visible and well connected, even if there is no tradition of doing so in your department or if there are no immediate, obvious rewards. 不研究要与您一起工作的实验室或小组。You might end up somewhere with limited support. This is a common issue researchers face but you can minimise this risk by finding out as much as you can about life in the prospective research group. Only completing others’ work.Be careful to develop your own profile and reputation as a researcher. In some research groups you might end up working on projects that will advance only others’ careers and not yours. Getting desperate to publish so you can graduate or get a job,和breaking ethical standards to do so. This includes fabricating data, plagiarising and submitting work to predatory journals. It stays on your record and can hamper your career later on. 不发展其他技能包括沟通，语言，新实验室技术等。 Ignoring advicefrom mentors, friends, colleagues or more experienced people; and failing to reflect on how you can improve as a researcher. Be humble and always be prepared to learn. Putting things off, such as leaving it late to try to publish work.这将不好看,当你寻求菲尔特er career opportunities. Building your CV and profile takes time and can’t be done overnight. 失去了更大的景象。It is good to have a clearly defined research question, but make sure you can always explain why it matters to the wider world. 不清楚about what you are researching.Your research objective should be clearly defined and you should be able to tell a friend in simple terms the problem your research addresses. It will be extremely challenging for others to see the value of your research if you are not able to.

Another common message, from both experienced researchers and others starting off, is that it is perfectly natural to feel overwhelmed at the beginning. Make sure that you prioritise your wellbeing and that you surround yourself with supportive people who share your interests.

最后，请记住要自信而不要低估自己，即使您只是刚开始自己​​的职业生涯。