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一本科研好书--Make the Right Moves 精选

已有 8697 次阅读 2008-9-12 11:10 |个人分类:开卷有益|系统分类:科研笔记|关键词:学者

在做博士后其间,阅读了美国化学会C&En News推荐的,网上免费下载的Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management,感到受益匪浅,值得一读。这本书的主要内容是科研管理,包括怎样申请教授职位,怎样理解大学的结构,怎样在实验室进行管理,怎样招人,怎样做导师,怎样进行时间管理,怎样进行项目管理,怎样发表文章提高知名度,怎样和别人合作。该书是一本培训教材,读者对象是博士后和年轻教授,但是其中的一些道理和理念,科研管理方法,对博士生也有帮助。此书下载地址为:http://www.hhmi.org/resources/labmanagement/mtrmoves_download.html

现在,我摘要一些有启发意义的话语,并进行简单注解。

第三章“Chapter 3: Laboratory Leadership in Science”讲了导师在科研实验室发挥出领导才能。这里面有些重要思想就是:做科研强调的不是几点来,几点走,每周工作多少时间,而在于取得什么效果。还有个思想就是不要在鸡蛋还没有孵出来之前就想着鸡生蛋,蛋生鸡了。这个思想很重要。有的时候老板拿出前面人的效果不大好东西叫我重新做,并且说清楚我是第一作者。我当时就对他说:“当你说我第一作者的前提是有可以发表的结果,但是如果实验结果不好,也能发文章吗?”再有时候,实验还没有完全做完就排了名字,恰巧要做进一步补充实验怎么办?别人做了补充实验,安插第几作者啊?如果做补充实验的人得不到“想要的结果”,导致最后数据没有放上去,那还有没有名字了?这些问题,必然要再协商的。

p. 64. “Work hours. Some PIs feel they should stipulate a specific number of hours per week that they expect graduate students or postdocs to work. But that strategy does not necessarily work well and can generate resentment. Focusing on productivity will prove more successful than focusing on the number of hours on the specific hours an individual works.”

p. 65. “Authorship of papers. It is unwise to make upfront promise about authorship. You may choose to make it a policy in your lab to wait until you know how much each person has actually contributed before authorship is assigned.”

第四章“Chapter 4: Staffing Your Laboratory”讲解了怎样招人,包括本科生,研究生,博士后,技术员。里面讲到一种现象就是一个年轻的导师如果打响品牌,他培养的研究生质量高,出路好,他对研究生好,自然会有很多人来投奔。反之,如果他对研究生不好,那么很多人都会知道,生意的牌子也咂掉了。

p. 80. “Thoughtful mentoring of graduate students early in your career will help you develop a positive reputation and will increase your ability to attract other graduate students. On the other hand, if your first graduates have negative experiences in your lab, they will quickly share this with their peers, and your ability to recruit students will suffer greatly.”

第五章“Chapter 5: Mentoring and Being Mentored ”讲了很多育人之道。其中,它讲了导师应该传授学生科学知识技能,给他们讲科学的政治学,比如发表文章对付审稿人之道,给他们提供机会参加学术交流,但是导师却应该避免介入学生的私生活。另外一个要点就是,当学生或者博士后离开以前的导师后,应该保持联系。

p. 99. “Generally speaking, a mentor provides whatever is needed to further a trainee’s professional development but is not necessarily a friend. You should offer to teach technical skills, give advice about the political aspects of science, and suggest networking opportunities, but you should not offer advice on personal matter. Often, emotional issues are relevant to one’s work, and you can offer moral support, but a good mentor treads carefully.”

p. 106. “Don’t let go of your old mentors. Stay in close touch with your graduate and postdoc advisors. Although they may not be familiar with your new environment, their distance from it, combined with their general understanding of the world of science, can help you put your current environment in perspective. Also, you never know when you will need to ask them for a reference or other professional help. Even a quick e-mail to let them know that you published a paper or received a research grant or an award will help them support your career.”

第六章“Chapter 6: Time Management ”讲了很多时间管理知识。其中最欣赏的就是我常说的“公私兼顾,混合打法”。象我,周六周日经常到实验室里面来,用业余时间干些稍微轻松的活,干些只要把东西放到仪器上去,就可以剥削仪器让它自动测试的活。但是上班时间我当然也看和自己科研课题无关的文献,上网交信用卡,发e-mail,去医院看病.这么做,我觉得效果非常好.

p. 116. “Bring some of your home to work as well as some of your work to home. You live in both worlds; look for ways to bring them together (e.g., if you have a long commute, leave early to beat t he traffic and save breakfast and the newspaper for your office). Seek to integrate your professional and personal activities where appropriate as well as to separate work and play where appropriate; doing so can maximize your effectiveness and satisfaction in both areas.”

第十章“Chapter 10: Getting Published and Increasing Your Visibility”讲了发表文章之道。里面讲的很多观点都能解释我心中的疑惑。比如说这里面提到,作为年轻的研究者,重要的不是发表多少篇两页快报,重要的是有多少长文章。另外,生活中很多人都喜欢把手头的文章把价格乘以几倍卖掉。但是作者认为应该客观知道自己文章究竟应该投什么杂志。作者还介绍了被邀请审稿子的好处,说了自己文章发表后提高知名度的方法:在自己博客上介绍!

p. 176. “As a beginning investigator, you will need to concentrate on getting your research published as peer-reviewed, full-length articles. These are by far the priority of both tenure committees and the study sections of granting agencies. Technical comments and letters to the editor count for very little in most fields.”

p. 178. “The top-tier journals receive far more submissions than they can publish. Be realistic about your chances. You will lose precious time by submitting your paper to the wrong journal.”

p. 182. “As your relationships with journal editors develop, you may be asked to review manuscripts submitted by other scientists. Take this task seriously. Do the review thoroughly and promptly. If you don’t have time or don’t think you have the right experience, let the editor know right away. They will not hold this against you. A later or weak review, however, could hurt your reputation with the editors. The benefits of serving as a reviewer are potentially great. Not only will you learn others’ research, you will improve your own critical skill and confirm your standing as a knowledgeable scientist in the eyes if the editors. Your own future papers will be taken more seriously if you do good reviews.”

p. 183. “Your patience and persistence have paid off, and your article has been accepted by a good journal. Now you can use your newly minted publication as a tool in legitimate effort at self-promotion. You want to be known to your scientific colleagues nationwide. Here are something you can do: Announce the publication on your personal Web site and in e-mail correspondence with your friends. Consider making it available in PDF format…”

第十二章“Chapter 12: Setting up Collaborations ”讲了于人合作之道。就是合作之前就要讲清楚双方的目的,期望,分工,和时间期限是什么。谁出钱?要克服的困难是什么?谁写文章?谁是主要作者?

好比说说到合作吧,我来举个例子。有时候上级领导叫某人送亲手合成出来的样品给别人去做实验,但是却没有说清楚这是合作,还是免费劳动。结果某人
翘首以盼,焦急等待第二作者称号大半年,还是屁都没有的。很简单:如果当初make it clear只是免费劳动的话,那么提供样品的人也不会有被愚弄的感觉了。而做实验的人,也不行动写文章,因为没有make it clear究竟谁写文章。结果拖拉扯皮,什么屁都没有的。这就是生活中常见的情况!小结:make it clear your expetations before collaboration!说清楚什么?分工,分赃,和时间期限!说清楚合作的目的是什么,是为了别人写项目申请,你来给他当免费铺路石,还是为了共同出文章服务的?

在这里,有时候我和别人合作采用1+1>2的混合打法,合作非常愉快。比如有的人擅长做实验,我擅长写文章,这样强强联手。我不会做电子显微镜,但是别人会,于是做叫别人帮我做实验,让别人加入我。目的非常明确,线条非常清楚,效率也非常高。

总的看这本书,我觉得最有帮助的是第三章:实验室管理学和第十二章:如何于人合作。这本书的优点是简洁明快,说到点子上去,条条框框,便于记忆。和At the Helm一书相比,这本书少了些哲学思辩,少了些思考,但是多了些实用性的东西。英语也非常好。


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