Being a good colleague/peer
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"What can I do today to create a more inclusive community"?This document lists specific practices and citations for them that can help create more inclusive communities. The suggestions are targeted towards instructors in computer science, but can be adapted for other fields and for the research environment.
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Best Practices for Reading and Writing Letters of Recommendation"A letter of recommendation for an academic position or promotion provides an overall assessment of
the candidate’s potential to excel in the new position: the professional promise and evidence to support
that assessment. [...]
Decide on what is valued for the position and what language is important to the discipline based on
those criteria. Keep those criteria consistently in mind when deciding how much weight to give letters.
Letters may be biased in systematically racial or gendered ways. " -
A sense of belonging matters"For science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate students from underrepresented groups, such as racial and ethnic minorities and women, a sense of belonging—or lack thereof—can have a concrete effect on a crucial career component: their publication records. "
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The Science of Effective Mentorship"Mentorship is [...] a set of skills that can and should be learned, practiced, and improved upon with self-reflection and feedback. If you are a mentor or mentee yourself, or if you are a leader in your organization responsible for ensuring that your faculty and their mentees have the skills to engage in the most effective mentoring relationships, this website is for you."
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Safe fieldwork strategies for at-risk individuals, their supervisors and institutions"As a result of identity prejudice, certain individuals are more vulnerable to conflict and violence when they are in the field. It is paramount that all fieldworkers be informed of the risks some colleagues may face, so that they can define best practice together: here we recommend strategies to minimize risk for all individuals conducting fieldwork."
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Ten Steps to Protect BIPOC Scholars in the Field"recommendations to prepare faculty and students for discrimination and racialized violence before traveling and to protect them once in the field."
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Ten simple rules for building an antiracist lab"As scientists are increasingly acknowledging the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in science, there is a need for clear direction on how to take antiracist action. Here we present 10 rules to help labs develop antiracists policies and action in an effort to promote racial and ethnic diversity, equity, and inclusion in science."
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What can you do to improve the academic workplace for your deaf and hard-of-hearing colleagues?"Suggestions on this list come from a variety of sources (e.g. HLAA employment toolkit) but primarily our own experiences. This list isn’t comprehensive but provides some guidelines for common scenarios with academia. "
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A Guide to Developing Academic and Research Relationships in Oklahoma Indian Country"The purpose of this work was to provide tools, resources, and other materials necessary for non-Native scholars, researchers, faculty members, and government employees to better understand, reach out to, and build collaborative relationships with those who share an affiliation with Oklahoma Indian Country."
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Conducting research through an anti-racism lens"This guide was developed in response to librarians fielding multiple requests from UMN researchers looking to incorporate anti-racism into their research practices. Conducting research through an anti-racism lens is a long-term and ongoing process and must be considered as part of a complex system which oppresses people and groups in multifaceted ways (i.e., classism, ethnocentrism, capitalism, ableism, etc.). While some disciplines, mainly in the humanities and social sciences, have mitigated racism through a depth of understanding of critical race theory, others have not."
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Ready to Be an Ally for Black Academics? Here’s a Start"Twelve ways that white faculty members can better support Black academics in their department and across the campus."
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Communicating with EmpathyRequires OU 4x4 login via LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com). "Empathy at work is crucial to [...] success. When you and your coworkers feel comfortable and confident speaking openly to each other, you're able to develop better relationships. As a result, you feel like you matter and you feel safe enough in your environment to speak up and to allow others to do the same."
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How to be an anti-racist teacherThis article is focused towards secondary education but the principles should be applicable to post-secondary teaching as well.
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Teaching While White: Where to Start Resources"Teaching While White (TWW) seeks to move the conversation forward on how to be consciously, intentionally, anti-racist in the classroom. Because "white" does not mean a blank slate. It is a set of assumptions that is the baseline from which everything is judged; it is what passes for normal. TWW wants to have conversations about those assumptions: what they are, how they impact our students, and how we can confront our bias to promote racial literacy. "
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What are pronouns? Why do they matter?"Using someone’s correct personal pronouns is a way to respect them and create an inclusive environment, just as using a person’s name can be a way to respect them. [...] Sharing pronouns is a great way to disrupt the normalization and privilege of assumption."
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Pronouns 102: how to stop messing up pronouns"Pronouns are hard! There is a reason for that (the reason is… linguistics), but the fact of the matter is, many people find it very difficult to switch pronouns for a person, or to use certain pronouns at all. This post isn’t about getting into the why, but more going about the how to get better."
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The Problem With Telling Someone 'I Don't See You as Disabled'"This is a fairly common thing to hear, and it’s pretty clear those saying it think they’re paying you a compliment. But “don’t worry, I don’t see you as…” never ends with a positive statement. The most common way of ending that sentence is with something negative. “Lazy,” “stupid,” “bossy,” “weak,” whatever it is. It’s said to reassure someone they’re not something bad. It’s a statement of commiseration. And even if the person saying it loves the disabled person, they’re still saying they think negatively of the disabled community at large."
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For our white friends desiring to be allies"Author's Note: I'm writing this in hopes that it can be used to lighten the load of marginalized folks, keeping in mind that not all marginalized people want to engage in the ally conversation, and that is perfect as well. For those who do, my prayer is that when someone asks you the question, “how can I be a stronger ally?” you might choose to save your breath/energy and send this in its place. "
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Decolonizing field ecology"Within the humanities and social sciences, a growing recognition of this issue has led to calls to “decolonize” research practice by interrogating and seeking to move away from European modes of knowledge production (see, e.g., Radcliffe, 2017). While a process of collective reflection on decolonizing has altered the way in which research is planned, conducted, and presented in fields such as human geography and anthropology, the discussion has yet to percolate through the ecological sciences".
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Advice for successful male mentors of women in academe"“having such a mentor more than doubled a graduate’s odds of being engaged in their work and thriving in their overall well-being.” This promising level of return on investment makes it even more crucial that male mentors go the extra mile to engage in mentorships of women that help to dismantle the deeply embedded patriarchal structures that have created such hurdles for women in political science as well as other disciplines."
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How to Be an Antiracist by Call Number: E184.A1 K344 2019ISBN: 9780525509288Publication Date: 2019"Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science with his own personal story of awakening to antiracism. This is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society."
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Stress and Mental Health in Graduate School: How Student Empowerment Creates Lasting Change"This article describes an ongoing initiative of the Department of Chemistry (Chem. Dept.) at the University of Minnesota (UMN) to support the mental health of graduate students. With the increasing pressure on students to carry out novel research, publish articles, learn a broad range of skills, and look for career opportunities, the levels of stress, anxiety, and depression among graduate students are on the rise. "
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Maintaining Professionalism In The Age of Black Death Is….A Lot"We’re biting our tongues, swallowing our rage and fighting back tears to remain professional because expressing that hurt caused by witnessing black death is considered more unprofessional, than black men and women actually being killed. So if you can, please, be mindful. Your black employees are dealing with a lot."
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Racism's Psychological Toll"Williams [...] studies the link between racism and post-traumatic stress disorder, which is known as race-based traumatic stress injury, or the emotional distress a person may feel after encountering racial harassment or hostility. [...] she says race-based stress reactions can be triggered by events that are experienced vicariously, or externally, through a third party — like social media or national news events."
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Learning the Unwritten Rules: Working Class Students in Graduate School"While researchers have begun to examine the experiences of working class students in undergraduate education more closely, we know less about the experiences of working class students in graduate school. Through a nationwide survey of graduate students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in Sociology, we examined the extent to which working class students face greater challenges or barriers in completing their degrees compared to their middle class peers."
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Interviewed while BlackFocusing on medical school matching - "Improving the experiences of Black applicants will be a first step toward increasing the diversity of programs and subsequently addressing the unmet needs of the diverse patient populations they serve."
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Microagressions in Medicine"The first step in addressing implicit biases and microaggressions is to recognize that they exist. Although these experiences may be hard to digest and can elicit a sensation of discomfort or even defensiveness, the feelings of female physicians and physicians who are underrepresented in medicine should be acknowledged. Similarly, we must acknowledge, explore, and address the experiences of disrespect that have been shared by our nursing colleagues." Written about medicine, but the lessons from this article can be applied in many fields.
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Neurotypicals: Listen to Our Words, Not Our Tone"When you know someone is autistic and you’re interacting with them, remember that many of us cannot modulate our tone of voice and are not trying to send you any social signals with our timbre or pitch. And remember, not everyone you interact with will be openly autistic or know they are autistic."
Career experiences
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Why I’ve struggled with the pressure to assimilate when teachingOU graduate student Montrai Spikes describes his experiences teaching and working as a biology graduate student.
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What it's like to be a trans scientist with imposter syndrome"Small moments of support go a long way in showing the trans community that you see us; you value us; and you’re here for us. Since there aren’t a ton of other trans people in STEM fields, make us feel like we’re a part of the family. It will go a long way into helping us succeed and overcome our own imposter syndrome."
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I’m a Black Female Scientist. On My First Day of Work, a Colleague Threatened to Call the Cops on Me."Recounts her time as a corporate research scientist at a drug company in western New York—a job she left in 2017 in part because of its toxic culture. Afterward, she went into academia as an assistant professor of biology at a community college, also in western New York, where on her first day a white co-worker threatened to call the police on her. "
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Alcoholism disrupted my scientific career. This is how I got sober"I worry that others, facing the stresses and sadness of the pandemic, may be starting down a similar path. Here’s my cautionary tale."
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Coming Out"I'm still navigating my path forward. But I will never regret my decision to come out. I'm constantly learning how to exist in this world as my true self, and I know I'm not on this journey alone. Many friends and colleagues—both cis-gender and transgender, queer and straight—are standing by me every step of the way. "
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Conquering faculty meetings (or not…) when deaf/hard of hearing"Making it as a deaf/hard of hearing (HoH) academic can often feel like a game of whack-a-mole. Between research activities, teaching duties, and that large nebulous category ‘service,’ communication challenges lurk around every corner. "
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To see a face like mine"To see a face like mine represented in science requires intentional action to turn a system not initially built to include all into a community that reflects, embraces, and celebrates people from all demographics."
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Seeing himself in the science"Schell, who joined UW Tacoma last year as an assistant professor, is determined to use the charismatic species he studies to deliver a message about racism and inequality. As his work and interests have evolved, Schell says he finds it harder to ignore that everything is connected"
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The Geography of Despair (or All These Rubber Bullets)"geographical thinking frequently ignores how geographies enact violence, create spaces of belonging, reproduce systematic equalities, and codify race. Yet for Black People, geography operates across multiple sites and multiple planes, and it is all-encompassing, frequently defining the outcomes of our lives."
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A Survival Guide for Black, Indigenous, and Other Women of Color in Academe"a few granules of wisdom about racism in higher education. May they help you survive and thrive in a system that is structurally designed to cast a shadow on your bright and luminous mind."
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An Often Overlooked Element of Diversity: Disability"The BLM movement has spotlighted many issues with systematic racism and the underlying principles that unify marginalized communities especially in regards to stereotyping and exclusion from the system. People with disabilities are often one marginalized group that is overlooked."
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Cultural Capital and Social NetworksA first-generation student, now a faculty member, "describes the barriers he faced as a first-generation graduate student and shares some lessons for other students as well as faculty members."
Career advice
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Tips on Emailing a Professor to Ask for a Research OpportunityIncludes a helpful infographic summarizing how to email professors about research opportunities.
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Underserved learners applications to graduate school"Reading underserved learners’ applications to grad school: we need to stop failing them"
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Ask an OU Graduate Student"Ask current graduate students across several Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields questions about graduate school."
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Frequently asked questions about graduate school (EEB focused)"We have done our best to provide you with answers to these questions, but they will inevitably be limited by our knowledge and experience, so be sure to find out specifics for the programs you are interested in and reach out to multiple people to find answers to your questions (programs differ and people will have different experiences even within the same program!)."
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Alternative Careers in Science by Call Number: Q 149 .U5 A66 2006ISBN: 0125893760Publication Date: 2005The book is framed as a guide for graduate students and later, but contains information on career paths useful for any stage of a science major's career, including undergraduates considering their next steps. "Researchers from every branch of science found their way into finance, public relations, consulting, business development, journalism, and more - and thrived there! Each author tells their personal story, including descriptions of their career path, a typical day, where to find information on their job, opportunities to career growth, and more."
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Alternative Academic Careers"Resources for graduate students exploring careers in higher education other than teaching faculty"
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The Academic Job Search Handbook by Call Number: LB 2331.72 .H45 2016ISBN: 9780812223408Publication Date: 2016-03-17"Beginning with an overview of academic careers and institutional structures, it moves step by step through the application process, from establishing relationships with advisors, positioning oneself in the market, learning about job openings, preparing CVs, cover letters, and other application materials, to negotiating offers. Of great value are the sixty new sample documents from a diverse spectrum of successful applicants. The handbook includes a search timetable, appendices of career resources, and a full sample application package. This fifth edition features new or updated sections on issues of current interest, such as job search concerns for pregnant or international candidates, the use of social media strategies to address CV gaps, and difficulties faced by dual-career couples. [...] The many new first-person narratives provide insight into issues and situations candidates may encounter such as applying for an international job, combining parenting with an academic career, going from an administrative job to a faculty position, and seeking faculty positions as a same-sex couple." -
The Professor Is In by Call Number: HD 6278 .U5 K456 2015ISBN: 9780553419429Publication Date: 2015"Each year only a small percentage of [Ph.D.s] will land a job that justifies and rewards their investment. For every comfortably tenured professor or well-paid former academic, there are countless underpaid and overworked adjuncts, and many more who simply give up in frustration." This book covers both academic and non-academic job searching and career advice for graduate students and postgraduates.
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Talking Yourself Up in a Neurotypical World"The difficulty of this task has real consequences for autistic people and contributes to our high unemployment rate, including autistic people with high educational backgrounds. We often undersell ourselves, but only because many neurotypical people have no problem embellishing their traits."
Time management
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"You Aren't Lazy. You Just Need To Slow Down"""Laziness is usually a warning sign from our bodies and our minds that something is not working," Price says. "The human body is so incredible at signaling when it needs something. But we have all learned to ignore those signals as much as possible because they're a threat to our productivity and our focus at work." That achievement mindset might actually be hurting you. And rethinking "laziness" can lead to more compassion."
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Laziness Does Not Exist by Call Number: Available as ebook or audiobook from Pioneer Library Systems (Norman Public Library)ISBN: 1982140100Publication Date: 2021Laziness Does Not Exist explores the psychological underpinnings of the "laziness lie," including its origins from the Puritans and how it has continued to proliferate as digital work tools have blurred the boundaries between work and life. Using in-depth research, Price explains that people today do far more work than nearly any other humans in history yet most of us often still feel we are not doing enough. Filled with practical and accessible advice for overcoming society's pressure to do more, and featuring interviews with researchers, consultants, and experiences from real people drowning in too much work, Laziness Does Not Exist "is the book we all need right now" (Caroline Dooner, author of The F*ck It Diet).
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Skilful Time Management! by ISBN: 9780335222940Publication Date: 2007-10-01This title helps students to cope with the complex demands upon their time. It highlights time-management problems, shows how to assess and overcome them, examines how good work patterns may be established and how one-off events can be fitted into a work routine. -
Time Management by ISBN: 9780230299603Publication Date: 2011-07-29This pocket-sized guide provides students with practical advice and suggestions for successfully managing all aspects of their time while studying, from prioritising tasks to planning for individual assignments, group tasks and exams. Activities and self-assessments help students to identify how they learn best so that they can develop time management strategies that work for them. Concise yet effective, this is an essential resource for any student looking to improve their time management skills. Ideal for self-study, it contains a section on troubleshooting for those looking for a quick-fix solution. -
Graduate Research by ISBN: 9780128037911Publication Date: 2016-02-17Graduate Research is an all-in-one resource for prospective and matriculated graduate students in the sciences. The newly revised edition includes updates to every chapter. Graduate Research covers a range of topics including writing and preparation of research proposals, developing and refining teaching skills, and ethics and compliance areas such as research involving human subjects and animals. Graduate Research helps readers navigate the multidimensional and interdisciplinary world of scientific research and it is an invaluable resource for graduate researchers as well as those in advising or mentoring roles. Discusses a broad range of topics including time management, library and literature work, and grant support Includes a new chapter on career planning and development with advice on careers in academia, government, and the private sector Contains chapters that promote the development of a varied set of communication skills Greatly expanded treatment of graduate study and research in international settings -
Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Min by ISBN: 080504891XPublication Date: 1998-08-15Expert writing advice from the editor of the Boston Globe best-seller, The Writer's Home Companion Dissertation writers need strong, practical advice, as well as someone to assure them that their struggles aren't unique. Joan Bolker, midwife to more than one hundred dissertations and co-founder of the Harvard Writing Center, offers invaluable suggestions for the graduate-student writer. Using positive reinforcement, she begins by reminding thesis writers that being able to devote themselves to a project that truly interests them can be a pleasurable adventure. She encourages them to pay close attention to their writing method in order to discover their individual work strategies that promote productivity; to stop feeling fearful that they may disappoint their advisors or family members; and to tailor their theses to their own writing style and personality needs. Using field-tested strategies she assists the student through the entire thesis-writing process, offering advice on choosing a topic and an advisor, on disciplining one's self to work at least fifteen minutes each day; setting short-term deadlines, on revising and defing the thesis, and on life and publication after the dissertation. Bolker makes writing the dissertation an enjoyable challenge. -
How to Get Your PhD by ISBN: 0198866925Publication Date: 2021-05-01A unique take on how to survive and thrive in the process your PhD, this is a book that stands out from the crowd of traditional PhD guides. Compiled by a leading UK researcher, and written in a highly personal one-to-one manner, How to Get Your PhD showcases the thoughts of diverse anddistinguished minds hailing from the UK, EU, and beyond, spanning both academia and industry. With over 150 bitesize nuggets of actionable advice, it offers more detailed contributions covering topics such as career planning, professional development, diversity and inclusion in science, and thenature of risk in research.How to Get Your PhD: A Handbook for the Journey is as readable for people considering a PhD as it is for those in the middle of one: aiming to clarify the highs and lows that come when training in the profession of research, while providing tips and tricks for the journey. This concise yet completeguide allows students to "dip in" and read just what they need, rather than adding to the mountain of reading material they already have.
