Nobody will know your research exists until you write it down. But this is more difficult than it seems.

Once it is written, it’s time to get it published. And yes, this is also more difficult than it seems!

Once it is published, the real challenge begins: making sure it counts. A research work that nobody reads is useless. Impact means reaching as many people as possible, not just researchers but also policy makers, industry, and society at large. This is how you make sure your work actually benefits others.

Because conferences do not organize themselves and papers are not (yet) automatically reviewed. Sooner than you think, you won’t just be building up your own research career but also be influencing the careers of others by taking roles as reviewer, organizer, mentor… It’s both a responsibility and a learning opportunity.

It takes a village to raise a research paper (kind of). Let’s see some advice on how to collaborate with “your village”.

Research is not cheap. More the opposite if you work in a field that requires buying expensive materials. Without funding, even the best ideas won’t get off the ground. Same for your career.

If you want to keep doing research for a long time, you need to worry about your research career. It’s a long road to anything resembling a permanent position so take it one step at a time. This section has advice for PhD students, for new postdocs and first-time team leaders. Focus on the part that matches your stage but also skim the rest. 

You are the single most important factor in your research career. You need to develop your skills and grow as an individual to do better research. You also need to nurture and take care of yourself to survive and thrive in the research world for the long haul.