5 Tips for Being a Successful Graduate Researcher

5 Tips for Being a Successful Graduate Researcher Whitney K. Jeter

5 Tips for Conducting Graduate Research • 1. Learn to balance coursework and assistantships – “I am a researcher with student responsibilities” • Research takes precedence • “Research is the currency of professional development” – Time-management • Plan out your week • Make “to-do” lists

5 Tips for Conducting Graduate Research • 2. Avoid costly mistakes – Don’t bite off more than you can chew • Conduct feasible research projects – Make class projects worth your time and effort • Work smarter not harder

5 Tips for Conducting Graduate Research • 3. Set reasonable goals and timelines – Understand the research process • Always be collecting data (multiple projects at a time) • “Be thinking, collecting, and writing all of the time” – Never too early to start developing a research area of focus • Read research articles • Pick things that interest you

5 Tips for Conducting Graduate Research • 4. Get support from advisor and others – Talk to your advisor about their expectations and your expectations • Develop a social support system with other students – Ask questions! • It is okay not to know how to do something

Imposter Phenomenon • “The psychological experience of believing that one's accomplishments came about not through genuine ability, but as a result of – luck, having worked harder than others, or having manipulated other people's impressions” (Clance & Imes, 1978) • 3 signs (Langford & Clance, 1993) – The sense of having fooled others into overestimating your ability – Attributing success to something other than intelligence or merit – Fear of being exposed as a fraud

5 Tips for Conducting Graduate Research • 5. Be passionate – You’ve got to love what you do • Very little return upfront for a big investment – Don’t get discouraged • Or lose motivation • The importance of stupidity in scientific research (Schwartz, 2008)

• Books and Articles Resources – Graduate Research: A Guide for Students in the Sciences – Schwartz, 2008 • The importance of stupidity in scientific research • Websites – “How to do Research” • http: //www. ifs. tuwien. ac. at/~silvia/research-tips/ – “How to do Graduate-Level Research” • https: //www. google. com/#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psyab&q=Tips+for+graduate+r esearchers&oq • Ask graduate students at your university