Effective Use of Google Scholar for Your Academic Research
It Started with So Much Promise
When Google Scholar (GS) first launched in November 2004, the academic search engine seemed to offer so much promise — the ability to search…
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Career Corner
Increase awareness of challenges faced by graduate students and improve understanding of STEM industry
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…
What Makes a Good Research Supervisor?
Understanding Expectations
For research supervisors, the role is assigned as part of a broader and more complex faculty role that may include teaching responsibilities,…
What Constitutes a Good Research?
The Declining Art of Good Research
We seem to be compromising our commitment to good research in favor of publishable research, and there are a combination of trends that are…
Non-Academic Careers for Academics
Have you ever thought about a career outside of academia? Maybe you’re in a field where it’s relatively common to do so. But even if you’re not, the academic job market has been so…
ORCID Vs. ISNI: Is There Room for Both?
The Case for Unique Identifiers
The need for unambiguous identification of authorship goes beyond simply avoiding the problem of how many "John Smiths" there are in the world.…
Research Competition — Is It a Challenge?
The Potential of Research Competitions
There is no doubt that research competitions can inspire creative solutions to problems and significant scientific breakthroughs:…
Why Academic Tenure is a Big Problem?
What is Tenure?
Tenure (from the Latin tenere, meaning to hold or keep) dates back to efforts to protect academic freedom in religious schools in the 18th century.
While the…
What To Do When You Get Bored With Your Research Topic
Let’s face it, researching and writing a dissertation or a book means you’re going to spend a long time thinking about one, very narrow topic. Because of this, it’s common for…
Multitasking for Scientific Researchers: Pros and Cons
The term multitasking refers to moving quickly between different areas of work without losing focus. Some people are really good at it, while others find it terribly stressful and…
Switching Mentors: Does It Help a Researcher?
At some point in their career, many researchers feel that communication with their mentor is ineffective, but other researchers say that good relations with mentors are possible…
Ways to Mentor the Next Generation of Scientific Researchers
The world is changing fast and we communicate even faster. The new generation of students are used to a system in which information circulates constantly through new media that…