File 004 · Advice

Advice

Practical guidance on academic writing, research, productivity, and professional development.

01 Five things I wish I knew before starting grad school Is grad school really that hard? How many hours will I have to work? Will I get a job? ↗ Read 02 How to choose an academic advisor Five qualities to consider beyond their research agenda and subfield expertise. ↗ Read 03 Why you need an academic website Practical advice for how to make one and what to put on it. ↗ Read 04 Seven habits of highly effective grad students The academic market is tough; here are habits to stay productive and sane. ↗ Read 05 Power through your to-do list with time blocking Stop working in reaction mode and carve out deep work for big, complicated projects. ↗ Read 06 How to have more research ideas A repeatable approach to generating many ideas so some of them are great. ↗ Read 07 Write your first draft faster by writing the Minimum Viable Paper Try many ideas quickly and pick the one that works instead of chasing perfection. ↗ Read 08 How to productively process feedback and criticism Strategies for handling the sting and making the most of constructive criticism. ↗ Read 09 A long guide to giving a short academic talk Take your audience for a test drive. Do not read them the owner's manual. ↗ Read 10 How to be a better reviewer Avoid summary-first reviews and write comments authors can actually use. ↗ Read 11 An introvert's guide to navigating academic conferences What to do before, during, and after conferences, especially if mingling makes you sweat. ↗ Read 12 Building an Academic Website Rob Williams on building and maintaining an academic website. ↗ Read 13 Three Steps to Success Mirya Holman on academic work habits and professional development. ↗ Read 14 Rewrite and improve the title and abstract of a scientific paper Andrew Gelman on making article framing clearer. ↗ Read