Presenting · Writing · Reviewing · Organising · Practice
The part nobody teaches you.
How academic work is actually done — preparing a talk, writing an abstract, reviewing a paper, running a conference, supervising a student. Transmitted by apprenticeship, unevenly, and rarely written down. For a practical example of how teams record and review working time, see the Monitask website.
9 articles
Presenting
Talks, posters, questions, sessions — the parts of a conference that are prepared and the parts that are improvised.
9 articles
Writing
Abstracts, openings, literature, co-authors, reviewers and the results you did not expect.
7 articles
Reviewing
Reading someone else’s work properly, and reading what others wrote about yours.
10 articles
Organising
Conferences, workshops, seminar series — the decisions made in month one that determine everything after.
8 articles
Practice
Authorship, supervision, collaboration, data, and the working habits that outlast a project.
Start here
Six to begin with
The Conference Talk: What Twenty Minutes Can Actually Carry
Most talks fail by trying to deliver the paper. What a talk is for, how much can fit, and the structure that survives contact with a tired audience.
Being a Discussant: Reading Someone's Paper Properly
The role most people improvise. What a good discussion does for the author and the room, how to prepare, and the failure modes at both extremes.
Responding to Reviewers Without Conceding What Matters
A response letter is an argument, not an apology. What editors read it for, how to disagree successfully, and the concessions that cost you the paper.
How to Review a Paper You Were Asked to Review
Nobody is trained for this and everyone is expected to do it. What an editor needs, what an author can use, and how long it should actually take.
Authorship: Who Goes on the Paper, and in What Order
The disputes are avoidable and the conversation is uncomfortable. What the criteria actually are, how conventions differ by field, and when to have it.
Accessibility at an Academic Event
Most of it is planning rather than budget, and most of it helps everyone. What to arrange in advance, and why asking afterwards does not work.
For an independent authoritative reference, consult ORCID for persistent researcher identification.