How to Become an Independent and Successful Researcher? Andrzej M. Goscinski October 2009

Plan Part 1 Part 2 Being a good researcher Developing your area of expertise Working individually and in a group Finding a problem worthy of your attention Doing research Publishing Applying for a grant Networking – breaking into research community Part 2 Research student supervision

Step 1 – Being a good researcher You need good ideas and their implementation You have to spend a lot of time reading papers You must discuss your ideas with your colleagues You have to write and revise your papers You have to keep track of your research Where you are going Where have you been You have to stay motivated You have to work long hours You should project yourself on the other side of a fence – learn from good things and your suffering of your PhD student time, and … Other requirements …. If you still don’t get it, go to the top of this list

Step 2 – Developing your area of expertise Even if you have a PhD degree , starting your independent research is not easy There are many reasons of this You have been getting relaxed after your PhD time for too long You do not know how to start, in which area, and whether it would be a good area You can continue research in the area of your PhD study or / and go for a new area

Step 2 – Developing your area of expertise You have to become an expert in one area – this should be your area of research for at least three years What are you interested in? Specify! Literature study You should be able to see current and future trends You should be able to review conference / journal papers in this area - when you review papers You learn how to write papers You improve your knowledge

Step 2 – Developing your area of expertise You have to know neighbor areas You should be able to link your area of specialism with those neighbour areas You should be able to review conference / journal papers in those areas– when you review papers: You learn how to write papers You improve your knowledge

Step 3 – Working individually and in a group It is easier to start your research as a member of a good research group The very first stage is learning how to work in your research group – Computing / IT exploits working in groups extensively You will benefit from working group meetings: Project topics Literature study Review comments

Step 3 – Working individually and in a group Working in groups also includes Attending seminars You should ask for feedback and provide feedback / ask questions and be grateful after you received questions – see queries as Opportunity to clarify points of your research Chance to hear opinions that may open another path of thought Chance to analyse good points of your research Remember: we attack problems, never presenters / speakers Note: some do not understand this approach at all You can identify errors / problems and propose solutions

Step 3 – Working individually and in a group At some stage, not too late, you should start your independent research You have to overcome psychological barriers You have to overcome knowledge barriers You have to overcome becoming independent researcher barriers

Step 4 – Finding a problem worthy of your attention Finding a problem requires Good general knowledge Critical thinking Freedom of thinking Some form of “craziness” Knowing what industry, business, people want What helps to identify a problem? Attending seminars Participation in working meetings Discussions with your group co-workers Literature study Watching technology trends

Step 4 – Finding a problem worthy of your attention Try to do your research in the area of research of leading researchers of your organization It is very difficult to start doing research on your own even if you think that you have found a great area Go for something “yours” when you have become an independent researcher Pick up a narrow, well defined topic This could be like a topic for your PhD, but a bit wider and deeper This will allow you to solve it in a well defined period of time It will help you to build your confidence

Step 4 – Finding a problem worthy of your attention If you think that you have found a problem, you have to confirm that it is a problem that it is “good” by answering the following questions Is there any research published in this area? Are there any results that could indicate that other researchers addressed that problem? How far are you from their research? Will solving it add to the current knowledge or create new knowledge? Is it new? Is it significant? What are expected outcomes of the project?

Step 5 – Doing research To be an independent and good researcher requires more than having a brilliant idea and being able to implement it! You should develop a plan for your work / project You should write weekly reports (journal) of your research activities and ideas You will use these reports to prepare drafts of your technical reports You will come back to the ideas you generated earlier

Step 5 – Doing research You have to spend a lot of time reading papers You cannot read everything Read selectively Scan a paper before reading: go through the title, abstract, introduction and conclusions and answer a question “is this paper worthy my attention?” Evaluate the paper Organize your papers into area modules – you will be able to find a needed paper easily You must discuss your ideas with your supervisor, advisor, mentor and colleagues Discussions will help you refine your ideas Asking questions will save you a lot of time If you carry out experimental research you can get advice regarding implementation solutions

Step 5 – Doing research Staying focused and motivated It is hard to maintain positive attitude and stay motivated You can suffer from insecurity, anxiety, and even boredom – this is normal! You should find a sympathetic ear: other colleagues, mentor Identify your problems Identify steps to resolve the issues To stay focused and motivated, it helps to have organized activities It is very important to manage your time well Set up priorities Do something everyday Follow the plan You have to be aware and stay aware of directly related research You also must know about research in neighbour areas and new directions of your field

Step 6 – Publishing You publish or you perish The best work never presented is a complete waste of your and other people time and somebody’s money You need publications to get a job (good job) You need publications to get promoted You have to report on the outcomes of your project / work / advertise

Step 6 – Publishing To start publishing you have to know how to write a paper You already participated in the supervised reviewing – you have learned a lot about writing papers Write a technical report if there are some initial results – it could not be enough for a paper, but you will learn a lot You should submit a paper if you have something that could be called “significant content” – this can be assessed by your advisor/mentor and yourself based on your knowledge of the current state of art in your area of research Written in good writing style – you learned that when working on technical reports

Step 6 – Publishing To start publishing you have to know how to write a paper Note The greatest idea if presented poorly will not be accepted for publication A poor solution described very well will not be accepted Outcomes and actions Reviews can give you some feedback from people who read you paper If your paper has been accepted, congratulations and go ahead harder If your paper has been rejected, learn from reviewers’ comments, review your partial research, and generate another version of your paper

Step 7 – Applying for a grant You need a grant for two main reasons You want to carry out research, so you have to Employ early career researcher(s), assistants Buy equipment Go to conferences Currently, research income has become more important than research outcome, thus …. However, the Government is thinking about putting more weight to outcomes (publications)

Step 7 – Applying for a grant Getting a grant is not easy, because the success percentage of a granting agency is low Writing application is not easy – but you have to learn how to write a grant application There are two parts to any grant application A good / hot problem that is worthy solving Written application

Step 7 – Applying for a grant If you carry out research you can find a good / hot problem General recommendations Page 1 of you application should clearly state The reasons for proposing the project Aim What you want to do Significance Other parts of your project proposal must be consistent with the content of the first page

Step 7 – Applying for a grant It is very good to start a grant application and project path as a member of a group led by an experienced researcher The next stage should be such that you are a project leader and an experienced researcher is a member of the proposed research group First apply for a university grant once or twice before going for a national level grant If you have built good relationship with an industry partner you could go for that grant at the stage of applying for a university grant Ask experienced researchers to read your application Comments and suggestions help enormously

Step 8 – Networking – breaking into research community You have to meet other researchers and you have to make yourself known Professional networking is a must You have to learn “how to network” – it is a learned skill Activities of breaking into research community: Attending conferences: do this actively Present a paper Get involved in discussions If somebody expresses an interest in your work, follow up Use e-mail to remind other researchers about your research and make enquiry about their research Meeting established and influential researchers Making yourself known

Step 8 – Networking – breaking into research community Try to initiate cooperative research Start with a small project and write a paper together Go for a major project Major cooperation problem: Australia is far away from the world and cooperation requires more than e-mail communication

Conclusion - To become an independent and successful researcher You need good ideas and their implementation, You have to spend a lot of time reading papers, You must discuss your ideas with your colleagues, You have to write and revise your papers, You have to keep track with your research of where you are going and where have you been, You have to stay motivated, you have to work long hours, In general, you have to be a scholar.