Being a good colleague/peer
- Peer reviewing research"the resources you find here will help you decide whether a research manuscript contains enough detail to judge its quality"
- "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.
- 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." - 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. "
- 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."
- Safe fieldwork strategies for at-risk individuals, their supervisors and institutions"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."
- 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."
- Ten simple rules for building an antiracist lab"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."
- 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. "
- 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."
- 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."
- 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."
- 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."
- 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.
- 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. "
- 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."
- 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."
- 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."
- For our white friends desiring to be allies"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. "
- 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). "
- Advice for successful male mentors of women in academe"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."
- How to Be an Antiracist byCall Number: E184.A1 K344 2019ISBN: 9780525509288Publication Date: 2019"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."
- 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. "
- 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."
- 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."
- 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."
- 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."
- Microagressions in Medicine"The first step in addressing implicit biases and microaggressions is to recognize that they exist." Written about medicine, but the lessons from this article can be applied in many fields.
- 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
- 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."
- 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."
- 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.
- 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."
- 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. "
- 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."
- 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."
- 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. "
- 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."
- 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. "
- 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."
- 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"
- 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."
Career advice
- Tips on Emailing a Professor to Ask for a Research OpportunityIncludes a helpful infographic summarizing how to email professors about research opportunities.
- Underserved learners applications to graduate school"Reading underserved learners’ applications to grad school: we need to stop failing them"
- Frequently asked questions about graduate school (EEB focused)From UC Davis - some answers are program-specific but others can be generalized.
- OU Career CenterCheck out the Career Communities for both undergraduate and graduate students (and alumni). O*NET and the Occupational Handbook linked from the "Online Resources" button on the "Resources" page are especially helpful to determine potential career paths for students and alumni from undergraduate and graduate degrees.
- InterstrideUse your OU email address to access jobs in the US and internationally located, as well as advice for international students seeking jobs in the US.
- Alternative Careers in Science byCall 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.
- Alternative Academic Careers"Resources for graduate students exploring careers in higher education other than teaching faculty"
- The Academic Job Search Handbook byCall 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."
- The Professor Is In byCall 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.
Time management
- "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"
- Laziness Does Not Exist byCall Number: Available as ebook or audiobook from Pioneer Library Systems (Norman Public Library)ISBN: 1982140100Publication Date: 2021Using 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.
- Skilful Time Management! byISBN: 9780335222940Publication Date: 2007-10-01Highlights 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 byISBN: 9780230299603Publication Date: 2011-07-29Activities and self-assessments help students to identify how they learn best so that they can develop time management strategies that work for them. Ideal for self-study, it contains a section on troubleshooting for those looking for a quick-fix solution.
- Graduate Research byISBN: 9780128037911Publication Date: 2016-02-17Discusses 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.
- Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Min byISBN: 080504891XPublication Date: 1998-08-15Using field-tested strategies, the author 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.
- How to Get Your PhD byISBN: 0198866925Publication Date: 2021-05-01With 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 the nature of risk in research.