Tips for Early Stage Researchers 

These resources were initially developed as general guidelines for members of the DVU group, and have been (and are) updated over time. They are short documents (2/3 pages each) which can offer some guidance to Early Stage Researchers (Interns, MSc, Graduate students and research assistants/associate working on research projects). 

Moreover, if I come across great resources, I add the links on this page. 

Please do not hesitate to give us your feedback on them!

Tips for identifying research questions and research challenges

Identify_Research_Questions_ACicirello.pdf

Writing and responding to peer-review

A short guide to help EC researchers make sense of the peer-review process - last update on 23/08/22.  

Towards the end of your PhD you might be contacted to carry out a peer-review, but you will be exposed to peer-review at the very early stages of your research work. This short note (2 pages) provides you some tips and practical examples. 

Peer_reviews_ACicirello.pdf

Writing codes with comments

Writing_commented_codes_ACicirello.pdf

Writing papers/reports/thesis

A great resource about "How to write a paper" written by Mike Ashby - can be found here 


2/3 pages short documents on tips for


Writing_reports_ACicirello_v3.pdf
Writing Effective Abstracts_ACicirello.pdf
Writing Effective Introductions_ACicirello.pdf
Writing_chapters_ACicirello.pdf
Figures_for_scientific_documents (1).pdf

Tips for preparing Scientific Posters

Preparing scientific posters_ACicirello.pdf

How to arrange effective meetings with your supervisor / line manager?

Effective_meetings_with_your_supervisors_ACicirello.pdf

The slides format that we use during the DVU group meetings might be of help:

Tips for setting up your own path to an academic position

Alessandro Cabboi recently gave a very inspiring talk about the tips he wished someone gave him during his PhD to get a Tenure Track position in a top University. We started talking about this topic, and we decided to put together two (very much) complementary notes expressing our views on the topic. These are by no means exhaustive, and should be taken as suggestions. We both sincerely hope that they can be useful to researchers considering embarking an academic career. 

Research_transition_phd_to_ACab.pdf
Research_parth_to_an_academic_position_ACic.pdf

From the PhD to the next step in your career

Talk given for the research school organised by the MSCA DN project Greydient - 15/04/2024

2024_strategic_roadmap_greydient_to_share.pdf

Tips for preparing an effective presentation

Another terrific resource for Early Career Researchers by Jack Baker, developed with Sabine Loos.


The “checklist for effective presentation” is the best 1-page guide on the topic I have ever seen.


Pay particular attention to:

“Did you emphasize your message by using Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity?”


#earlycareerresearchers #presentationskills #presentationdesign #phdjourney 

Other advices for Graduate students

I recently came across this excellent page put together and maintained  by Professor Jack Baker with many great resources for graduate students. 

Strongly recommending them especially the one titled "Advice for Graduate Students" which covers: