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5 Tips for Being a Successful Graduate Researcher . Whitney K. Jeter . Graduate School. The Life of a Graduate Student . Study . N = 16 Research area Social (5) Cognitive (3) IO (4) Neuroscience (4 ).
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5 Tips for Being aSuccessful Graduate Researcher Whitney K. Jeter
Graduate School • The Life of a Graduate Student
Study • N = 16 • Research area • Social (5) • Cognitive (3) • IO (4) • Neuroscience (4) What do current graduate students wish they would have known about conducting research before coming to grad school?
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 his/herexpectations 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 • 4. Get support from advisor and others • Talk to your advisor about his/herexpectations and your expectations • Develop a social support system with other students • Ask questions! • It is okay not to know how to do something • You’re not the only one…
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)
Resources • Books and Articles • 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+researchers&oq • Ask graduate students at your university
Thank You! Symposium Members: Dr. James Grice Dr. Roger Kirk Dr. Shelia Kennison Dr. Charles Burdsal Kansas State Graduate Students: Lora Peaden Jericho Hockett Judy LaValley Jon Smyers Taylor Wadian Stuart Miller Erik Garcia Chelsea Schnabelrauch Megan Strain David Arndt Emily Reinhardt Michael Stetzer Lesly Krome Kyle Van Ittersum Andrew Marshall Trey Hill My Advisor: Dr. Brenda McDaniel