There is a lot of criticism going to higher education in mainstream media or at least I hear a lot. fundings are tight, higher education is not worth it, students' debt is high, and things g on. No doubt there are many problems, and unlike many other industries universities have not changed much since late 19th century. There is research and publication at the center of things, teaching and evaluation are very much the same except that we have introduced online teaching, and students sit in the same buildings and classes. However, I want to say that there is research that shows universities and research are at the forefront of development in countries and there is a good ROI for investment in higher education. But there is a lot that needs to be changed. A few important ones in my view but definitely not the only ones : 1- doing relevant research that solves problems in practice while not giving up on fundamental research. 2- Rethinking a better system to replace the competition for ranking, 3- putting students at the center of university activities, 4- reducing students' debts, 5- Making education accessible for low socio-economic and minority groups. They will pay off with a better rate!

 University-industry collaboration has a long history. However, it is becoming increasingly important due to the rapidly changing environment in the workforce and technology. Governments, universities, and industries are putting more emphasis on this as well. Despite the benefits of such collaborations, it still lacks a mature business model. While there is a lot that can be said about the benefits of these collaborations, we leave them for another time and here simply share a few tips on how both universities and industries can foster these collaborations.  

1. Be clear on your goals and needs: Communicating your needs and motivation from the collaboration is the first thing that universities and industries must be clear about them.  

2. Be open: This seems to be obvious, but it is not. Be open to other suggestions and listen to what others have to offer. It is good practice to think critically and discuss matters together. 

3. Understand the limitations of others: Often research institutions and industries have different processes for communication, paperwork, etc. Be aware of and discuss them. It is recommended to prepare specific instructions for such collaboration. 

4. Set a senior person and an admin responsible for managing the project: projects can take months and sometimes years to accomplish and may involve quite a bit of paperwork. Both sides should have a commitment and a dedicated person to follow up on any matters that it may arise. Also, it is necessary to have a senior person involved in any decision that may require discussion and decisions at higher levels.  

5. Decide on your KPI and evaluate your partnership: define KPI for your engagement and evaluate them as you go and at the end of milestones. Identify any possible bottlenecks and communicate them with partners to pave the way for success.

Reading a research paper is different from reading news or novel. It requires a different strategy. You can get better at reading academic papers by practising more just like anything else. Here are some tips that may be helpful

1. Read the abstract fully to see if that is what you are looking for. 

2. If the abstract is relevant to you, skim through the introduction and conclusion.

3. If you still find it relevant, you may want to read the methodology and experiment in detail.  

4. The literature review can be a great source to know other relevant studies. Unfortunately, some researchers and readers underestimate the importance of literature review but it can be of tremendous value if it is done correctly.  

5. If you are serious about learning the paper and grasping it thoroughly because you may want to use it or extend it, replicate the study. This will help you to deepen your understanding. Don’t forget to take notes throughout the whole process. 

One of the main steps of scientific research is to find other research and works that have already been done. Scientists build their work on the works of others and advance their fields by collaboration. But how do you find other works in the literature? Here are five simple and practical pieces of advice for finding the most relevant papers.  

1. Search thoroughly on databases: Start looking at the main search engines like google scholar and Scopus with several keywords. You can use a combination of these keywords and do not through them all at once. Keep a copy of the papers that you think might be useful. You can discard them later if you don’t want them. 

2. Identify the leading researchers: As you are looking for papers, have a look at the author’s profile. They may be leading authors in the field and you can find more papers from them. You can also find out who their main collaborators are and look into their profiles as well.  

3. Skim the articles to choose the most relevant ones: Once you have a number of papers relevant to your problem, have a quick look at their abstract and skim through the paper. Try to choose the most relevant ones to read in detail. If something is irreverent, you can filter it out at this stage.  

4. Read the main articles in detail: Once you have identified 3-5 papers that are most similar to what you are aiming to do, read them in detail. Make sure you check their references as well. Pick notes and research thoroughly to understand them deeply. 

5. Contact the authors if needed: Don’t be afraid to contact authors for more details or advice on other relevant works. This can accelerate your research and open up new directions.  

Here are a few tips to find a good research collaborator, whether being a postgraduate student, postdoctoral researcher, or professor. 

1. Look for collaborators with complementary skills: Writing a research article is a big task and you may not always have the necessary skills to do the whole thing on your own. Even if you do, it is not productive. Look for people with complementary skills that can help you in part of the project. This not only speeds up your work but this way you can learn new things and techniques.  

2. Commitment is the king: Conducting research is always time-consuming, has a lot of ups and downs, and may not always go as planned. Every rational person will quit doing research if you don’t like it and have commitment. Without commitment nothing else will work, so set this as your priority for candidates. 

3. Communication is the key: Make sure you discuss the details like the responsibilities, order of authors, targeted journal, timeline, etc. with your potential colleagues. Especially if it is your first time working with someone, do not assume anything and discuss it fully in detail.  

4. Look for active researchers: You can find the top-rated researchers on google scholar by searching the fields. We all know the big names and wish to work with them one day. Big names may not always have enough time and energy to put into the projects. Some may not have the motivation to get involved in the project or spend time on it. However, younger researchers may have more energy, time, and motivation to help you and enough experience to succeed and lead the project.  

5. Look beyond your own corridor:  There are many researchers out there that are looking for good collaborators and keen to do work. Do not limit yourself to the department university, or your country of residence. Go beyond and ask. You will be surprised how open the community is! 

1. Be aware of the articles that you are reading: Suppose you have chosen a topic and found several research papers. Pay attention to the journals in your list and see if there is any specific journal more common than others.  

2. You can use databases like https://www.scimagojr.com/ for searching journals. You can check the ranking of journals in different fields. This is a good and comprehensive database if you want to know the quality of a new journal. 

3. Once you identify a journal, read the journal’s aim and scope in detail. See the editorial board member and strategic goal. A good practice is also to search with some keywords and see whether there are relevant papers published in the journal. 

4. See where your peers are publishing: There are many journals out there. One way to examine the quality of journals is to see where the leading authors in your filed are publishing. 

5. Pay attention to the review tim

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