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Research skills

By Benjamin Hilton · Last updated December 2023 · First published September 2023

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On this page:

• Introduction
• 1.1 Research seems to have been extremely high-impact historically
• 1.2 There are good theoretical reasons to think that research will be high-impact
• 1.3 Research skills seem extremely useful to the problems we think are most pressing
• 1.4 If you’re a good fit, you can have much more impact than the average
• 1.5 Depending on which subject you focus on, you may have good backup options
• 2.1 Academic research
• 2.2 Practical but big picture research
• 2.3 Applied research
• 2.4 Stages of progression through building and using research skills
• 3.1 How much do researchers differ in productivity?
• 3.2 What does this mean for building research skills?
• 4.1 How to predict your fit in advance
• 4.2 How to tell if you’re on track
• 5.1 Choosing a research field
• 6.1 Which research topics are the highest-impact?
• 6.2 Find jobs that use a research skills
• 7 Career paths we’ve reviewed that use these skills
• 8 Learn more about research

Norman Borlaug was an agricultural scientist. Through years of research, he developed new, high-yielding, disease-resistant varieties of wheat.

It might not sound like much, but as a result of Borlaug’s research, wheat production in India and Pakistan almost doubled between 1965 and 1970, and formerly famine-stricken countries across the world were suddenly able to produce enough food for their entire populations. These developments have been credited with saving up to a billion people from famine, 1 and in 1970, Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Many of the highest-impact people in history , whether well-known or completely obscure, have been researchers.

Table of Contents

In a nutshell: Talented researchers are a key bottleneck facing many of the world’s most pressing problems . That doesn’t mean you need to become an academic. While that’s one option (and academia is often a good place to start), lots of the most valuable research happens elsewhere. It’s often cheap to try out developing research skills while at university, and if it’s a good fit for you, research could be your highest impact option.

Key facts on fit

Why are research skills valuable.

Not everyone can be a Norman Borlaug, and not every discovery gets adopted. Nevertheless, we think research can often be one of the most valuable skill sets to build — if you’re a good fit.

We’ll argue that:

Research seems to have been extremely high-impact historically

There are good theoretical reasons to think that research will be high-impact, research skills seem extremely useful to the problems we think are most pressing, if you’re a good fit, you can have much more impact than the average.

• And, depending on which subject you focus on, you may have good backup options .

Together, this suggests that research skills could be particularly useful for having an impact.

Later, we’ll look at:

• How to evaluate your fit for building research skills

How to get started building research skills

• How you can use these skills to have an impact once you’ve started

If we think about what has most improved the modern world, much can be traced back to research: advances in medicine such as the development of vaccines against infectious diseases, developments in physics and chemistry that led to steam power and the industrial revolution , and the invention of the modern computer, an idea which was first proposed by Alan Turing in his seminal 1936 paper On Computable Numbers . 2

Many of these ideas were discovered by a relatively small number of researchers — but they changed all of society. This suggests that these researchers may have had particularly large individual impacts.

That said, research today is probably lower-impact than in the past. Research is much less neglected than it used to be: there are nearly 25 times as many researchers today as there were in 1930. 3 It also turns out that more and more effort is required to discover new ideas, so each additional researcher probably has less impact than those that came before. 4

However, even today, a relatively small fraction of people are engaged in research. As an approximation, only 0.1% of the population are academics, 5 and only about 2.5% of GDP is spent on research and development . If a small number of people account for a large fraction of progress, then on average each person’s efforts are significant.

Moreover, we still think there’s a good case to be made for research being impactful on average today, which we cover in the next two sections.

There’s little commercial incentive to focus on the most socially valuable research. And most researchers don’t get rich, even if their discoveries are extremely valuable. Alan Turing made no money from the discovery of the computer, and today it’s a multibillion-dollar industry. This is because the benefits of research often come a long time in the future and can’t usually be protected by patents. This means if you care more about social impact than profit, then it’s a good opportunity to have an edge.

Research is also a route to leverage. When new ideas are discovered, they can be spread incredibly cheaply, so it’s a way that a single person can change a field. And innovations are cumulative — once an idea has been discovered, it’s added to our stock of knowledge and, in the ideal case, becomes available to everyone. Even ideas that become outdated often speed up the important future discoveries that supersede it.

When you look at our list of the world’s most pressing problems — like preventing future pandemics or reducing risks from AI systems — expert researchers seem like a key bottleneck.

For example, to reduce the risk posed by engineered pandemics , we need people who are talented at research to identify the biggest biosecurity risks and to develop better vaccines and treatments.

To ensure that developments in AI are implemented safely and for the benefit of humanity, we need technical experts thinking hard about how to design machine learning systems safely and policy researchers to think about how governments and other institutions should respond. (See this list of relevant research questions .)

And to decide which global priorities we should spend our limited resources on, we need economists, mathematicians, and philosophers to do global priorities research . For example, see the research agenda of the Global Priorities Institute at Oxford .

We’re not sure why so many of the most promising ways to make progress on the problems we think are most pressing involve research, but it may well be due to the reasons in the section above — research offers huge opportunities for leverage, so if you take a hits-based approach to finding the best solutions to social problems, it’ll often be most attractive.

In addition, our focus on neglected problems often means we focus on smaller and less developed areas, and it’s often unclear what the best solutions are in these areas. This means that research is required to figure this out.

For more examples, and to get a sense of what you might be able to work on in different fields, see this list of potentially high-impact research questions, organised by discipline .

The sections above give reasons why research can be expected to be impactful in general . But as we’ll show below , the productivity of individual researchers probably varies a great deal (and more than in most other careers). This means that if you have reason to think your degree of fit is better than average, your expected impact could be much higher than the average.

Depending on which subject you focus on, you may have good backup options

Pursuing research helps you develop deep expertise on a topic, problem-solving, and writing skills. These can be useful in many other career paths. For example:

• Many research areas can lead to opportunities in policymaking , since relevant technical expertise is valued in some of these positions. You might also have opportunities to advise policymakers and the public as an expert.
• The expertise and credibility you can develop by focusing on research (especially in academia) can put you in a good position to switch your focus to communicating important ideas , especially those related to your speciality, either to the general public, policymakers, or your students.
• If you specialise in an applied quantitative subject, it can open up certain high-paying jobs, such as quantitative trading or data science , which offer good opportunities for earning to give .

Some research areas will have much better backup options than others — lots of jobs value applied quantitative skills, so if your research is quantitative you may be able to transition into work in effective nonprofits or government. A history academic, by contrast, has many fewer clear backup options outside of academia.

What does building research skills typically involve?

By ‘research skills’ we broadly mean the ability to make progress solving difficult intellectual problems.

We find it especially useful to roughly divide research skills into three forms:

• Academic research

Building academic research skills is the most predefined route. The focus is on answering relatively fundamental questions which are considered valuable by a specific academic discipline. This can be impactful either through generally advancing a field of research that’s valuable to society or finding opportunities to work on socially important questions within that field.

Turing was an academic. He didn’t just invent the computer — during World War II he developed code-breaking machines that allowed the Allies to be far more effective against Nazi U-boats. Some historians estimate this enabled D-Day to happen a year earlier than it would have otherwise. 6 Since World War II resulted in 10 million deaths per year, Turing may have saved about 10 million lives.

We’re particularly excited about academic research in subfields of machine learning relevant to reducing risks from AI , subfields of biology relevant to preventing catastrophic pandemics , and economics — we discuss which fields you should enter below .

Academic careers are also excellent for developing credibility, leading to many of the backup options we looked at above, especially options in communicating important ideas or policymaking .

Academia is relatively unique in how flexibly you can use your time. This can be a big advantage — you really get time to think deeply and carefully about things — but can be a hindrance, depending on your work style.

See more about what academia involves in our career review on academia .

Practical but big picture research

Academia rewards a focus on questions that can be decisively answered with the methods of the field. However, the most important questions can rarely be answered rigorously — the best we can do is look at many weak forms of evidence and come to a reasonable overall judgement. which means while some of this research happens in academia, it can be hard to do that.

Instead, this kind of research is often done in nonprofit research institutes, e.g. the Centre for the Governance of AI or Our World in Data , or independently.

Your focus should be on answering the questions that seem most important (given your view of which global problems most matter) through whatever means are most effective.

Some examples of questions in this category that we’re especially interested in include:

• How likely is a pandemic worse than COVID-19 in the next 10 years?
• How difficult is the AI alignment problem going to be to solve?
• Which global problems are most pressing?
• Is the world getting better or worse over time?
• What can we learn from the history of philanthropy about which forms of philanthropy might be most effective?

You can see a longer list of ideas in this article .

Someone we know who’s had a big impact with research skills is Ajeya Cotra. Ajeya initially studied electrical engineering and computer science at UC Berkeley. In 2016, she joined Open Philanthropy as a grantmaker. 7 Since then she’s worked on a framework for estimating when transformative AI might be developed , how worldview diversification could be applied to allocating philanthropic budgets, and how we might accidentally teach AI models to deceive us .

Applied research

Then there’s applied research. This is often done within companies or nonprofits, like think tanks (although again, there’s also plenty of applied research happening in academia). Here the focus is on solving a more immediate practical problem (and if pursued by a company, where it might be possible to make profit from the solution) — and there’s lots of overlap with engineering skills . For example:

• Developing new vaccines
• Creating new types of solar cells or nuclear reactors
• Developing meat substitutes

Neel was doing an undergraduate degree in maths when he decided that he wanted to work in AI safety . Our team was able to introduce Neel to researchers in the field and helped him secure internships in academic and industry research groups. Neel didn’t feel like he was a great fit for academia — he hates writing papers — so he applied to roles in commercial AI research labs. He’s now a research engineer at DeepMind. He works on mechanistic interpretability research which he thinks could be used in the future to help identify potentially dangerous AI systems before they can cause harm.

We also see “policy research” — which aims to develop better ideas for public policy — as a form of applied research.

Stages of progression through building and using research skills

These different forms of research blur into each other, and it’s often possible to switch between them during a career. In particular, it’s common to begin in academic research and then switch to more applied research later.

However, while the skill sets contain a common core, someone who can excel in intellectual academic research might not be well-suited to big picture practical or applied research.

The typical stages in an academic career involve the following steps:

• Pick a field. This should be heavily based on personal fit (where you expect to be most successful and enjoy your work the most), though it’s also useful to think about which fields offer the best opportunities to help tackle the problems you think are most pressing, give you expertise that’s especially useful given these problems, and use that at least as a tie-breaker. (Read more about choosing a field .)
• Earn a PhD.
• Learn your craft and establish your career — find somewhere you can get great mentorship and publish a lot of impressive papers. This usually means finding a postdoc with a good group and then temporary academic positions.
• Secure tenure.
• Focus on the research you think is most socially valuable (or otherwise move your focus towards communicating ideas or policy).

Academia is usually seen as the most prestigious path…within academia. But non-academic positions can be just as impactful — and often more so since you can avoid some of the dysfunctions and distractions of academia, such as racing to get publications.

At any point after your PhD (and sometimes with only a master’s), it’s usually possible to switch to applied research in industry, policy, nonprofits, and so on, though typically you’ll still focus on getting mentorship and learning for at least a couple of years. And you may also need to take some steps to establish your career enough to turn your attention to topics that seem more impactful.

Note that from within academia, the incentives to continue with academia are strong, so people often continue longer than they should!

If you’re focused on practical big picture research, then there’s less of an established pathway, and a PhD isn’t required.

Besides academia, you could attempt to build these skills in any job that involves making difficult, messy intellectual judgement calls, such as investigative journalism, certain forms of consulting, buy-side research in finance, think tanks, or any form of forecasting.

Personal fit is perhaps more important for research than other skills

The most talented researchers seem to differ hugely in their impact compared to typical researchers across a wide variety of metrics and according to the opinions of other researchers.

For instance, when we surveyed biomedical researchers, they said that very good researchers were rare, and they’d be willing to turn down large amounts of money if they could get a good researcher for their lab. 8 Professor John Todd, who works on medical genetics at Cambridge, told us :

The best people are the biggest struggle. The funding isn’t a problem. It’s getting really special people[…] One good person can cover the ground of five, and I’m not exaggerating.

This makes sense if you think the distribution of research output is very wide — that the very best researchers have a much greater output than the average researcher.

How much do researchers differ in productivity?

It’s hard to know exactly how spread out the distribution is, but there are several strands of evidence that suggest the variability is very high.

Firstly, most academic papers get very few citations, while a few get hundreds or even thousands. An analysis of citation counts in science journals found that ~47% of papers had never been cited, more than 80% had been cited 10 times or less, but the top 0.1% had been cited more than 1,000 times. A similar pattern seems to hold across individual researchers , meaning that only a few dominate — at least in terms of the recognition their papers receive.

Citation count is a highly imperfect measure of research quality, so these figures shouldn’t be taken at face-value. For instance, which papers get cited the most may depend at least partly on random factors, academic fashions, and “winner takes all” effects — papers that get noticed early end up being cited by everyone to back up a certain claim, even if they don’t actually represent the research that most advanced the field.

However, there are other reasons to think the distribution of output is highly skewed.

William Shockley, who won the Nobel Prize for the invention of the transistor, gathered statistics on all the research employees in national labs, university departments, and other research units, and found that productivity (as measured by total number of publications, rate of publication, and number of patents) was highly skewed , following a log-normal distribution.

Shockley suggests that researcher output is the product of several (normally distributed) random variables — such as the ability to think of a good question to ask, figure out how to tackle the question, recognize when a worthwhile result has been found, write adequately, respond well to feedback, and so on. This would explain the skewed distribution: if research output depends on eight different factors and their contribution is multiplicative, then a person who is 50% above average in each of the eight areas will in expectation be 26 times more productive than average. 9

When we looked at up-to-date data on how productivity differs across many different areas , we found very similar results. The bottom line is that research seems to perhaps be the area where we have the best evidence for output being heavy-tailed.

Interestingly, while there’s a huge spread in productivity, the most productive academic researchers are rarely paid 10 times more than the median, since they’re on fixed university pay-scales. This means that the most productive researchers yield a large “excess” value to their field. For instance, if a productive researcher adds 10 times more value to the field than average, but is paid the same as average, they will be producing at least nine times as much net benefit to society. This suggests that top researchers are underpaid relative to their contribution, discouraging them from pursuing research and making research skills undersupplied compared to what would be ideal.

Can you predict these differences in advance?

Practically, the important question isn’t how big the spread is, but whether you could — early on in your career — identify whether or not you’ll be among the very best researchers.

There’s good news here! At least in scientific research, these differences also seem to be at least somewhat predictable ahead of time, which means the people entering research with the best fit could have many times more expected impact.

In a study , two IMF economists looked at maths professors’ scores in the International Mathematical Olympiad — a prestigious maths competition for high school students. They concluded that each additional point scored on the International Mathematics Olympiad “is associated with a 2.6 percent increase in mathematics publications and a 4.5 percent increase in mathematics citations.”

We looked at a range of data on how predictable productivity differences are in various areas and found that they’re much more predictable in research.

What does this mean for building research skills?

The large spread in productivity makes building strong research skills a lot more promising if you’re a better fit than average. And if you’re a great fit, research can easily become your best option.

And while these differences in output are not fully predictable at the start of a career, the spread is so large that it’s likely still possible to predict differences in productivity with some reliability.

This also means you should mainly be evaluating your long-term expected impact in terms of your chances of having a really big success.

That said, don’t rule yourself out too early. Firstly, many people systematically underestimate their skills . (Though others overestimate them!) Also, the impact of research can be so large that it’s often worth trying it out, even if you don’t expect you’ll succeed . This is especially true because the early steps of a research career often give you good career capital for many other paths.

How to evaluate your fit

How to predict your fit in advance.

It’s hard to predict success in advance, so we encourage an empirical approach: see if you can try it out and look at your track record.

You probably have some track record in research: many of our readers have some experience in academia from doing a degree, whether or not they intended to go into academic research. Standard academic success can also point towards being a good fit (though is nowhere near sufficient!):

• Did you get top grades at undergraduate level (a 1st in the UK or a GPA over 3.5 in the US)?
• If you do a graduate degree, what’s your class rank (if you can find that out)? If you do a PhD, did you manage to author an article in a top journal (although note that this is easier in some disciplines than others)?

Ultimately, though, your academic track record isn’t going to tell you anywhere near as much as actually trying out research. So it’s worth looking for ways to cheaply try out research (which can be easy if you’re at college). For example, try doing a summer research project and see how it goes.

Some of the key traits that suggest you might be a good fit for a research skills seem to be:

• Intelligence (Read more about whether intelligence is important for research .)
• The potential to become obsessed with a topic ( Becoming an expert in anything can take decades of focused practice , so you need to be able to stick with it.)
• Relatedly, high levels of grit, self-motivation, and — especially for independent big picture research, but also for research in academia — the ability to learn and work productively without a traditional manager or many externally imposed deadlines
• Openness to new ideas and intellectual curiosity
• Good research taste, i.e. noticing when a research question matters a lot for solving a pressing problem

There are a number of other cheap ways you might try to test your fit.

Something you can do at any stage is practice research and research-based writing. One way to get started is to try learning by writing .

You could also try:

• Finding out what the prerequisites/normal backgrounds of people who go into a research area are to compare your skills and experience to them
• Reading key research in your area, trying to contribute to discussions with other researchers (e.g. via a blog or twitter), and getting feedback on your ideas
• Talking to successful researchers in a field and asking what they look for in new researchers

How to tell if you’re on track

Here are some broad milestones you could aim for while becoming a researcher:

• You’re successfully devoting time to building your research skills and communicating your findings to others. (This can often be the hardest milestone to hit for many — it can be hard to simply sustain motivation and productivity given how self-directed research often needs to be.)
• In your own judgement, you feel you have made and explained multiple novel, valid, nontrivially important (though not necessarily earth-shattering) points about important topics in your area.
• You’ve had enough feedback (comments, formal reviews, personal communication) to feel that at least several other people (whose judgement you respect and who have put serious time into thinking about your area) agree, and (as a result) feel they’ve learned something from your work. For example, lots of this feedback could come from an academic supervisor. Make sure you’re asking people in a way that gives them affordance to say you’re not doing well.
• You’re making meaningful connections with others interested in your area — connections that seem likely to lead to further funding and/or job opportunities. This could be from the organisations most devoted to your topics of interest; but, there could also be a “dissident” dynamic in which these organisations seem uninterested and/or defensive, but others are noticing this and offering help.

If you’re finding it hard to make progress in a research environment, it’s very possible that this is the result of that particular environment, rather than the research itself. So it can be worth testing out multiple different research jobs before deciding this skill set isn’t for you.

Within academic research

Academia has clearly defined stages, so you can see how you’re performing at each of these.

Very roughly, you can try asking “How quickly and impressively is my career advancing, by the standards of my institution and field?” (Be careful to consider the field as a whole, rather than just your immediate peers, who might be very different from average.) Academics with more experience than you may be able to help give you a clear idea of how things are going.

We go through this in detail in our review of academic research careers .

Within independent research

As a very rough guideline, people who are an excellent fit for independent research can often reach the broad milestones above with a year of full-time effort purely focusing on building a research skill set, or 2–3 years of 20%-time independent effort (i.e. one day per week).

Within research in industry or policy

The stages here can look more like an organisation-building career , and you can also assess your fit by looking at your rate of progression through the organisation.

As we mentioned above , if you’ve done an undergraduate degree, one obvious pathway into research is to go to graduate school ( read our advice on choosing a graduate programme ) and then attempt to enter academia before deciding whether to continue or pursue positions outside of academia later in your career.

If you take the academic path, then the next steps are relatively clear. You’ll want to try to get excellent grades in undergraduate and in your master’s, ideally gain some kind of research experience in your summers, and then enter the best PhD programme you can. From there, focus on learning your craft by working under the best researcher you can find as a mentor and working in a top hub for your field. Try to publish as many papers as possible since that’s required to land an academic position.

It’s also not necessary to go to graduate school to become a great researcher (though this depends a lot on the field), especially if you’re very talented. For instance, we interviewed Chris Olah , who is working on AI research without even an undergraduate degree.

You can enter many non-academic research jobs without a background in academia. So one starting point for building up research skills would be getting a job at an organisation specifically focused on the type of question you’re interested in. For examples, take a look at our list of recommended organisations , many of which conduct non-academic research in areas relevant to pressing problems .

More generally, you can learn research skills in any job that heavily features making difficult intellectual judgement calls and bets, preferably on topics that are related to the questions you’re interested in researching. These might include jobs in finance, political analysis, or even nonprofits.

Another common route — depending on your field — is to develop software and tech skills and then apply them at research organisations. For instance, here’s a guide to how to transition from software engineering into AI safety research .

If you’re interested in doing practical big-picture research (especially outside academia), it’s also possible to establish your career through self-study and independent work — during your free time or on scholarships designed for this (such as EA Long-Term Future Fund grants and Open Philanthropy support for individuals working on relevant topics ).

Some example approaches you might take to self-study:

• Closely and critically review some pieces of writing and argumentation on relevant topics. Explain the parts you agree with as clearly as you can and/or explain one or more of your key disagreements.
• Pick a relevant question and write up your current view and reasoning on it. Alternatively, write up your current view and reasoning on some sub-question that comes up as you’re thinking about it.
• Then get feedback, ideally from professional researchers or those who use similar kinds of research in their jobs.

It could also be beneficial to start with some easier versions of this sort of exercise, such as:

• Explaining or critiquing interesting arguments made on any topic you find motivating to write about
• Writing fact posts
• Reviewing the academic literature on any topic of interest and trying to reach and explain a bottom-line conclusion

In general, it’s not necessary to obsess over being “original” or having some new insight at the beginning. You can learn a lot just by trying to write up your current understanding.

Choosing a research field

When you’re getting started building research skills, there are three factors to consider in choosing a field:

• Personal fit — what are your chances of being a top researcher in the area? Even if you work on an important question, you won’t make much difference if you’re not particularly good at it or motivated to work on the problem.
• Impact — how likely is it that research in your field will contribute to solving pressing problems?
• Back-up options — how will the skills you build open up other options if you decide to change fields (or leave research altogether)?

One way to go about making a decision is to roughly narrow down fields by relevance and back-up options and then pick among your shortlist based on personal fit.

We’ve found that, especially when they’re getting started building research skills, people sometimes think too narrowly about what they can be good at and enjoy. Instead, they end up pigeonholing themselves in a specific area (for example being restricted by the field of their undergraduate degree). This can be harmful because it means people who could contribute to highly important research don’t even consider it. This increases the importance of writing a broad list of possible areas to research.

Given our list of the world’s most pressing problems , we think some of the most promising fields to do research within are as follows:

• Fields relevant to artificial intelligence, especially machine learning , but also computer science more broadly. This is mainly to work on AI safety directly, though there are also many opportunities to apply machine learning to other problems (as well as many back-up options).
• Biology, particularly synthetic biology, virology, public health, and epidemiology. This is mainly for biosecurity .
• Economics . This is for global priorities research , development economics, or policy research relevant to any cause area, especially global catastrophic risks.
• Engineering — read about developing and using engineering skills to have an impact .
• International relations/political science, including security studies and public policy — these enable you to do research into policy approaches to mitigating catastrophic risks and are also a good route into careers in government and policy more broadly.
• Mathematics, including applied maths or statistics (or even physics). This may be a good choice if you’re very uncertain, as it teaches you skills that can be applied to a whole range of different problems — and lets you move into most of the other fields we list. It’s relatively easy to move from a mathematical PhD into machine learning, economics, biology, or political science, and there are opportunities to apply quantitative methods to a wide range of other fields. They also offer good back-up options outside of research.
• There are many important topics in philosophy and history, but these fields are unusually hard to advance within, and don’t have as good back-up options. (We do know lots of people with philosophy PhDs who have gone on to do other great, non-philosophy work!)

However, many different kinds of research skills can play a role in tackling pressing global problems.

Choosing a sub-field can sometimes be almost as important as choosing a field. For example, in some sciences the particular lab you join will determine your research agenda — and this can shape your entire career.

And as we’ve covered, personal fit is especially important in research. This can mean it’s easily worth going into a field that seems less relevant on average if you are an excellent fit. (This is due both to the value of the research you might produce and the excellent career capital that comes from becoming top of an academic field.)

For instance, while we most often recommend the fields above, we’d be excited to see some of our readers go into history , psychology, neuroscience, and a whole number of other fields. And if you have a different view of global priorities from us, there might be many other highly relevant fields.

Once you have these skills, how can you best apply them to have an impact?

Richard Hamming used to annoy his colleagues by asking them “What’s the most important question in your field?”, and then after they’d explained, following up with “And why aren’t you working on it?”

You don’t always need to work on the very most important question in your field, but Hamming has a point. Researchers often drift into a narrow speciality and can get detached from the questions that really matter.

Now let’s suppose you’ve chosen a field, learned your craft, and are established enough that you have some freedom about where to focus. Which research questions should you focus on?

Which research topics are the highest-impact?

Charles Darwin travelled the oceans to carefully document different species of birds on a small collection of islands — documentation which later became fuel for the theory of evolution. This illustrates how hard it is to predict which research will be most impactful.

What’s more, we can’t know what we’re going to discover until we’ve discovered it, so research has an inherent degree of unpredictability. There’s certainly an argument for curiosity-driven research without a clear agenda.

That said, we think it’s also possible to increase your chances of working on something relevant, and the best approach is to try to find topics that both personally motivate you and seem more likely than average to matter. Here are some approaches to doing that.

Using the problem framework

One approach is to ask yourself which global problems you think are most pressing , and then try to identify research questions that are:

• Important to making progress on those problems (i.e. if this question were answered, it would lead to more progress on these problems)
• Neglected by other researchers (e.g. because they’re at the intersection of two fields, unpopular for bad reasons, or new)
• Tractable (i.e. you can see a path to making progress)

The best research questions will score at least moderately well on all parts of this framework. Building a perpetual motion machine is extremely important — if we could do it, then we’d solve our energy problems — but we have good reason to think it’s impossible, so it’s not worth working on. Similarly, a problem can be important but already have the attention of many extremely talented researchers, meaning your extra efforts won’t go very far.

Finding these questions, however, is difficult. Often, the only way to identify a particularly promising research question is to be an expert in that field! That’s because (when researchers are doing their jobs), they will be taking the most obvious opportunities already.

However, the incentives within research rarely perfectly line up with the questions that most matter (especially if you have unusual values, like more concern for future generations or animals). This means that some questions often get unfairly neglected. If you’re someone who does care a lot about positive impact and have some slack, you can have a greater-than-average impact by looking for them.

Below are some more ways of finding those questions (which you can use in addition to directly applying the framework above).

Rules of thumb for finding unfairly neglected questions

• There’s little money in answering the question. This can be because the problem mostly affects poorer people, people who are in the future , or non-humans, or because it involves public goods . This means there’s little incentive for businesses to do research on this question.
• The political incentives to answer the question are missing. This can happen when the problem hurts poorer or otherwise marginalised people, people who tend not to organise politically, people in countries outside the one where the research is most likely to get done, people who are in the future , or non-humans. This means there’s no incentive for governments or other public actors to research this question.
• It’s new, doesn’t already have an established discipline, or is at the intersection of two disciplines. The first researchers in an area tend to take any low hanging fruit, and it gets harder and harder from there to make big discoveries. For example, the rate of progress within machine learning is far higher than the rate of progress within theoretical physics. At the same time, the structure of academia means most researchers stay stuck within the field they start in, and it can be hard to get funding to branch out into other areas. This means that new fields or questions at the intersection of two disciplines often get unfairly neglected and therefore provide opportunities for outsized impact.
• There is some aspect of human irrationality that means people don’t correctly prioritise the issue. For instance, some issues are easy to visualise, which makes them more motivating to work on. People are scope blind which means they’re likely to neglect the issues with the very biggest scale. They’re also bad at reasoning about issues with low probability, which can make them either over-invest or under-invest in them.
• Working on the question is low status. In academia, research that’s intellectually interesting and fits the research standards of the discipline are high status. Also, mathematical and theoretical work tends to be seen as higher status (and therefore helps to progress your career). But these don’t correlate that well with the social value of the question.
• You’re bringing new skills or a new perspective to an established area. Progress often comes in science from bringing the techniques and insights of one field into another. For instance, Kahneman started a revolution in economics by applying findings from psychology. Cross-over is an obvious approach but is rarely used because researchers tend to be immersed in their own particular subject.

If you think you’ve found a research question that’s short on talent, it’s worth checking whether the question is answerable. People might be avoiding the question because it’s just extremely difficult to find an answer. Or perhaps progress isn’t possible at all. Ask yourself, “If there were progress on this question, how would we know?”

Finally, as we’ve discussed, personal fit is particularly important in research . So position yourself to work on questions where you maximise your chances of producing top work.

Find jobs that use a research skills

If you have these skills already or are developing it and you’re ready to start looking at job opportunities that are currently accepting applications, see our curated list of opportunities for this skill set:

View all opportunities

Career paths we’ve reviewed that use these skills

• AI safety technical research and engineering
• AI governance and coordination
• Biorisk research
• China-related AI safety and governance paths
• Grantmaker focused on pressing world problems
• Research into global priorities
• Forecasting and related research and implementation
• Historian of large societal trends, inflection points, progress or collapse
• Expert in AI hardware

Specialist in emerging global powers

• Investigate a potentially pressing but unexplored global issue
• Research management
• Think tank research
• Research and advocacy promoting impactful climate solutions
• Improving China-Western coordination on global catastrophic risks
• Engineering
• Economics PhDs
• Machine learning PhDs
• Biomedical research
• Computer science PhDs
• Data science
• Philosophy academia

Learn more about research

• High Impact Science by Carl Shulman
• How to succeed as an early-stage researcher: the “lean startup” approach
• Podcast: Luisa and Robert Long on how to make independent research more fun
• A list of potentially high-impact research questions, organised by discipline

See all our articles and podcasts on research careers .

Read next:  Explore other useful skills

Want to learn more about the most useful skills for solving global problems, according to our research? See our list.

Plus, join our newsletter and we’ll mail you a free book

Join our newsletter and we’ll send you a free copy of The Precipice — a book by philosopher Toby Ord about how to tackle the greatest threats facing humanity. T&Cs here .

Notes and references

• “Green Revolution technology saved an estimated one billion people from famine and produced more than enough food for a world population that doubled from three to six billion between 1960 and 2000.” Archived link , retrieved 5-Nov-2018. ↩
• Turing, A. M. (1937). “ On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem “. Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society. 2. 42 (1): 230–265. ↩
• See Figure 1 of Bloom et al, (2017) ↩
• “We present a wide range of evidence from various industries, products and firms showing that research effort is rising substantially while research productivity is declining sharply. A good example is Moore’s law. The number of researchers required today to achieve the famous doubling every two years of the density of computer chips is more than 18 times larger than the number required in the early 1970s.” Bloom, N., Jones, C. I., Van Reenen, J., & Webb, M. (2017). Are ideas getting harder to find? National Bureau of Economic Research. ↩
• The number of academics and graduate students in the world ↩

If Turing and his group had not weakened the U-boats’ hold on the North Atlantic, the 1944 Allied invasion of Europe — the D-Day landings — could have been delayed, perhaps by about a year or even longer, since the North Atlantic was the route that ammunition, fuel, food and troops had to travel in order to reach Britain from America. ↩

• Open Philanthropy is 80,000 Hours’ largest funder, as of 2023 ↩

Sir Andrew McMichael, leading HIV vaccine researcher

For the good person whose CV you just described, would you prefer their CV landing on your desk or an extra grant?

“It’s not a simple choice. If they’re that good, they’ll probably get their own funding at some point. You can take them on without huge risk. I would always take the person.” How about if you could have half a million pound grant?

“It’s hard to turn down half a million pounds. I wouldn’t know many groups who would. You could buy another machine or do another project that would be too expensive otherwise. It depends on how much money I’ve got there already. It’s fantastic to get good people though, no question.”

Can good researchers always get funding?

“Yes, reasonably easily. Everyone can get bad patches. It’s unusual to always be on top of everything. For instance, you can get a dip at the end of a line of work, while you’re getting ready to start something else. But on the whole they can.”

John Todd, a Professor of Medical Genetics at Cambridge

Would you prefer £100,000 per year or [a good person] working for you?

“Definitely the guy”

How about £0.5mn per year?

“I’d still take the person at £0.5mn. By £5mn, I’d prefer the money! There’s a cut off somewhere between the two.”

Why would you pay so much?

“It’s very difficult to find brilliant people who have the true grit to get things done, even if it takes a long time. Most of them end up in the city.”

“The best people are the biggest struggle. The funding isn’t a problem. It’s getting really special people. I call them the one percenters…If you have a good person, it’s easy to get the grants for them. I don’t think there’s a really good researcher out there who couldn’t get funding from the MRC or Wellcome Trust.”

“One good guy can cover the ground of five, and I’m not exaggerating”

Katie Ewer, a cellular immunologist

Is your impression that it’s harder to find good researchers or additional funding?

“In order for research to progress, you need lots of different types of people within an organisation. You need people who are very methodical in what they do and are capable of doing large volumes of high through-put work, and then you need a few people at the top with the creativity to pull ideas out of the sky that nobody else would ever think of and convince Bill Gates to give you £1 million. I guess if you have somebody like that in your institution who is that creative and has that amazing ability and insight, then you can probably convince people to give you £1 million. But funding is always limited. We could proceed our field more quickly if we had as much funding as the HIV field.”

“If you are uniquely gifted in scientific research, then you should probably be a scientific researcher. But for the other 99.9% of the population, they’re probably best going and earning £1 million elsewhere and funding research.” ↩

• “Differences in rates of scientific production are much bigger than differences in the rates of performing simpler acts, such as the rate of running the mile, or the number of words a man can speak per minute… a large number of factors are involved so that small changes in each, all in the same direction, may result in a very large change in output. For example, the number of ideas a scientist can bring into awareness at one time may control his ability to make an invention and his rate of invention may increase very rapidly with this number.” Shockley, W. (1957) On the statistics of individual variations of productivity in research laboratories . Proceedings of the IRE, 45(3), 279-290. ↩

Career Paths

• Mar 6, 2024
• 11 min read

How to Become a Researcher (Duties, Salary and Steps)

You could uncover the next big thing in our lives.

Mike Dalley

HR and Learning & Development Expert

Reviewed by Chris Leitch

Everything important in our day-to-day life started as a groundbreaking piece of research.

Researchers make ideas come to life, and all of the things that we take for granted wouldn’t be here without research. Therefore, being a researcher offers a rewarding, challenging and varied career path .

This article takes you through the details of being a researcher, including what this exciting role entails, what the working environment and salary are like and, critically, what you can do to get started in the role.

What is a researcher?

A researcher collects data and undertakes investigations into a particular subject , publishing their findings. The purpose of this is to uncover new knowledge or theories. Researchers typically specialize in a particular field and follow rigorous methodologies in order to ensure their research is credible.

What are the different types of researchers?

There are many ways to categorize researchers, such as by their field, expertise or methodologies. Here are six basic types of researchers:

• Applied researchers use existing scientific knowledge to solve problems . They use this knowledge to develop new technologies or methodologies.
• Clinical researchers conduct research related to medical treatments or diseases. They often work in institutions like hospitals or pharmaceutical companies.
• Corporate researchers collect data related to business environments, with the aim to use this to benefit organizations.
• Market researchers gather data related to consumer preferences or an organization’s competitors.
• Social researchers investigate human behavior and the factors influencing this. Social research relates to fields like psychology , anthropology and economics.
• Policy researchers work with companies and governments to investigate the impact of policies, regulations or programs.

What does a researcher do?

Researcher work is quite varied. It begins with reviewing existing research and literature and formulating research questions . Researchers also have to design studies and protocols for their research, and diligently and thoroughly collect data.

Once the data is collected, researchers have to critically analyze their findings and communicate them . To ensure the research is reliable, researchers must embrace peer review , where their research is evaluated by other researchers in the same field, and draw conclusions accordingly. The entirety of this process must be bound by ethical considerations, as researchers have a duty to ensure their work is truthful, integral and accurate.

Researchers also undertake supportive duties, such as applying for grants and funding, and investigating new areas to research.

What is their work environment?

Researchers’ work environment depends greatly on the type of research they are doing and their field. The typical researcher environment can, therefore, vary considerably but might include time in laboratories, academic institutions, office spaces and IT workshops. There might also be the need to undergo onsite fieldwork or attend conferences and workshops.

Researchers work in collaborative environments, and teamwork is common. That said, they also need to undertake plenty of solo work that requires concentration and quiet. Consequently, they need to be happy in a variety of different work settings.

How many hours do they work?

The hours researchers work vary just as much as their working environment. Freelance or contract researchers might work atypical hours, whereas academic or corporate researchers might work more standard hours, such as a 40-hour working week.

Field researchers might have to work longer hours at times in order to collect data. This also might involve travel time.

All researchers might have to work long hours when deadlines are due, or when projects are time-sensitive. Finally, because of the idiosyncratic nature of research work, all researchers might have their favorite personal working style and work their hours in preferred patterns.

How much do they earn?

Owing to the nature of the role, researcher salaries can vary considerably. Based on current market data , the average salary is $82,276 per year .

One of the largest variables in researcher salaries is the field you decide to go into. Academic researchers are typically paid towards the lower end of the scale, as are government researchers. Industry or corporate researchers are paid a lot more, with computer and information research roles paying a median annual salary of over $130,000.

Researcher salaries can also vary based on the job level. Apprentices or research assistants have lower salaries, whereas research scientist or professor-level roles often pay over $100,000. Pay scales are connected to academic reputation, industry credentials, and the industry you work in. This also means that as your career in research progresses, you can expect to take home extremely good paychecks.

What is the job market like for researchers?

Some research roles can be extremely competitive, with tenure-track roles in academic research being highly in demand, as are positions in consulting firms. The labor market for corporate research and governmental research roles can also be very strong, but research is heavily impacted by economic conditions, and roles can be cut in times of recession.

In general, research roles are highly sought-after , and this means competition for them is fierce. This means that you need to have a strong network, undergo continuous professional development, work on your research portfolio, and ensure your résumé and other supporting documentation are up to date.

What are the entry requirements?

Starting your career as a researcher requires plenty of preparation. Here’s what you need to focus on in terms of education, skills and knowledge, and licensing and certification.

Higher education is essential to become a researcher; what degree you choose might depend on what field of research you are interested in. A bachelor’s degree will give you foundational knowledge , whereas a master’s or PhD offers more specialized knowledge and can lead to more career opportunities later in your career journey.

Skills and knowledge

Entry-level researchers need a rich mix of skills and knowledge to be able to fulfil their job duties . Skills to develop include analytical skills , critical thinking ability and solving problems, with other useful ones being IT and presentation skills . Knowledge of research methodologies and rationale, as well as database management, is very useful.

Licensing and certification

Licensing and certification requirements for researchers vary , depending on the field you are planning to go into. Academic credentials, as outlined above, are important, but being a member of relevant professional associations is also highly advised.

Some sensitive areas of research might require you to have specialist credentials, such as certification in Good Clinical Practice if you’re planning to undertake medical research.

Do you have what it takes?

Being a researcher is a labor of love. If your values, passions and talent are related to traits like curiosity, attention to detail, discovering more about the world we live in, and rigorous attention to detail, then being a researcher is the perfect job for you. You also have to have a lot of patience, honesty when it comes to reporting unwelcome results, and resilience.

If you’re not sure what kind of career your skills, interests and passions might lead to, then consider taking CareerHunter’s six-stage assessment . These tests have been developed by psychologists and assess your skills and interests in order to provide you with best-fit careers that you can really thrive in.

How to become a researcher

A lot of preparation is needed to become a researcher. If, after reading this far, you still feel that becoming a researcher is the perfect job for you, then read on to discover how you can make this career dream a reality.

Step 1: Choose your field

Try to choose your research field as soon as you can. This is important, because it might provide you with direction for your higher education. There are so many different research fields to choose from — for example: social sciences, humanities, business, healthcare, engineering , or simply focusing on research theory or methodologies.

It’s important to choose a field that you have a strong interest or passion in. Also, consider where your talents and skills lie, and let this guide your decision too.

Step 2: Get qualified

As we’ve covered already, education is an important first step to becoming a researcher.

Common degrees to focus on can be the sciences (biology, chemistry or physics), computer science , mathematics, or statistics . Alternatively, if you have decided on your chosen research field, then consider obtaining higher education that relates to this.

Being a researcher is a competitive career: good grades in leading institutions will be required if you want to work as a researcher in prestigious organizations.

Step 3: Develop your research skills

Whether it’s part of your higher education or simply learning in your own time, developing research skills such as new methodologies, quantitative and qualitative methods , strategic analysis, or data analytics will keep you professionally competitive.

Additionally, it’s useful to gain experience in using research tools and software. These can include statistics software like SPSS, as well as programming languages like Java and Python. Understanding data visualization and presentation tools can also be hugely helpful.

Step 4: Gain research experience

A great way to start your career as a researcher is to undertake undergraduate research. This could be your own independent research project but is most commonly achieved through research internships or assistantships . With these experiences, you can collaborate with academic leaders, mentors or established researchers on their projects, and learn from their experience and expertise as well.

Another way to gain experience is through volunteering in research-related roles in academic institutions, laboratories or other similar environments.

Step 5: Network with peers

Networking with fellow research professionals enables you to exchange ideas, resources and expertise . Your network might be able to support you in finding research positions as your career progresses.

Grow your network by attending conferences and seminars, and by leveraging your work experience. You can also grow your network by reaching out to researchers on LinkedIn, and by publishing your own research papers as your experience grows.

Step 6: Present and publish your work

Presenting your work and publishing your findings establishes and grows your credibility as a researcher. You can present your research at conferences or even online via websites like YouTube.

Being published or listed as a collaborator on research papers can impact your career hugely , and being featured on important or large-scale research works can truly establish you as a researcher and lead to larger projects or more funding.

Step 7: Develop your résumé

Ensure that your résumé links to your portfolio of published works , as well as your presentations. It should showcase to potential employers and academic institutions what you have done, and what you’re capable of doing.

Ensure your résumé also references your research skills in a way that relates to the reader, and that it can be parsed effectively in applicant tracking systems .

Step 8: Seek funding

Research requires time and money. By applying for research grants, fellowships, scholarships and projects, you’ll grow your experience and leverage your credibility . Many of these opportunities are competitive, and being able to showcase what you can achieve via your published work, portfolio or résumé is essential.

Applying for funding is a skill in itself, as researchers need to be able to write compelling and thorough applications. You’ll also need to use negotiating and influencing skills in order to secure the funding and get your projects off the ground.

Step 9: Apply for research jobs

Whereas being a researcher often means that you’re working on independent projects, freelancing, or affiliated with an academic institution rather than being employed by one, there are plenty of research jobs out there — and lots of companies have their own in-house research teams.

If you apply for these roles, ensure that your résumé is up to date and that you practice your interviewing skills for them. Research jobs are in demand, and being able to showcase what you do is essential for success.

Step 10: Never stop discovering

Being a successful researcher isn’t just about continuous learning; it’s about endless discovery as well. The best researchers stay curious about their field , exploring new research questions, learning and growing from failure, and asking new questions.

Researchers are passionate about discovery and believe that learning new things and overcoming challenges makes the world a better place. Enthusiastically discovering new things will also ensure that your career as a researcher keeps growing. You’ll also develop resilience and persistence, which are powerful skills to have.

Final thoughts

Being a researcher requires a lot of skills and knowledge, as well as you taking time to figure out exactly what kind of research you want to get involved with. The job is complex and detailed, and can be as frustrating as it can be rewarding.

Becoming a leading researcher requires a lot of career preparation, and hopefully this article can point you in the right direction if you feel this is the perfect job for you. Once you get started, choose your research projects carefully, and who knows? You could be the researcher that uncovers the next big thing in our lives!

Are you thinking about becoming a researcher, or want to share your experiences? Let us know in the comments section below.

Career Exploration

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How to become a successful researcher at every stage of your career

November 16, 2020

By Sneha Mittal Sachdeva

Steps to building a successful research career – with a JACC webinar for physician-scientists

Pursuing a career in research can be daunting. Regardless of your field, it can be highly competitive, with challenges at every stage. These include the uncertainty of grants and fellowships, maintaining work-life balance, and  publishing in premium, high-impact journals opens in new tab/window .

For physician-scientists, the success rates for securing research grants has declined from 33 percent to 19 percent, while the number of grant applications has increased by 72 percent. However, with a roadmap for success, the path can provide personal and professional fulfillment and dynamism.

In this article – based on our webinar the  Journal of the American College of Cardiology opens in new tab/window  (JACC) – Dr. Valentin Fuster and Dr. Harlan Krumholtz share best practices to become a successful researcher at three stages of your career: early, mid-career and senior. While their advice is for physician-scientists, it can apply to people in all fields of research.

Webinar: How to become a successful researcher at every stage of your career

How to Become a Successful Researcher At Every Stage of Your Career (brighttalk.com) opens in new tab/window Join this  free webinar opens in new tab/window  with Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, Editor-in-Chief of the  Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) opens in new tab/window , and Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM, FACC, Director of the  Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation opens in new tab/window  at the Yale School of Medicine. They discuss how to maintain a successful physician-scientist career at three stages: early, mid-career and senior. They also suggest tips for grant receipts and talk about the importance of the mentor/mentee relationship and the need for creativity in grant submissions.

1. Identify the right research project

As a researcher, irrespective of the career stage, understand that you’re in constant competition to continue your research. To ensure that you’re working in the right direction, you can follow this step-by-step approach:

Identify your skills and resources: Identify the range of skills you currently have and your available resources. But don’t be afraid to think big!

Recognize the requirements: Next, recognize what kind of projects are you willing to do. Ask yourself if you are flexible, if you’re willing to take risks and if you can really choose and afford to be entrepreneurial in terms of the available opportunities for your project.

Research the topic: Read and learn from the existing literature around your research topic, demonstrate the rationale for selecting the topic and ensure you’ve completed the background research before finalizing your research topic.

Improve the likelihood of success: Identify what resources, skills, individuals and support can enhance the likelihood of your success.

Prioritize time: Estimate the amount of time required to complete the project vs your available time. Allocate your time carefully to important projects, and don’t underestimate the time, efforts and energy required for each project. If you’re a senior researcher, identify the opportunities for networking, learning and future opportunities, but take a calculated approach before taking on a new project.

Understanding the current scenario: Understand what projects your sponsors, funding teams or organization will pay you to do. Ask yourself if you can leverage the available opportunities to find a balance between what you want to do, what the world is interested in and the support you can expect to receive for the project.

Make a strong case: Do you understand what you’re doing and why you’re doing this? In a short description, try to write key compelling reasons why you should take the project, and only take on the project if the reasons are convincing.

Once you have clarity on the research project topic, ensure you put your energy and efforts toward making the project a success. Then take all your learnings to your next project.

2. Develop and nurture qualities of being a successful researcher.

Is a researcher born or created with dedication and hard work? Or is it a combination of both? The best researchers are curious by nature. Here are a few other qualities that predispose them for success:

Courage: The top quality of any successful researcher is the courage to ask the right questions, seek answers from peers, experts as well as literature and questioning how their project will make an impact. A successful researcher will fight the fall into the comfort zone and will understand the rewards of a life in science which can help him/her contribute to the world.

Persistence: When thinking about your research career growth, envision the position you would like to achieve and the journey you would like to take to reach that position. Even though sometimes the journey might not quite suit you, don’t quit, learn and improve as you go.

Determination & Resilience in the face of challenges: Everyone among the top successful researchers have faced challenges at one or more junctures of their life. Everyone faces difficult times when people don’t believe in them or doubt their capabilities. However, what made them stand apart was the resilience they displayed in the face of challenges. When times are hard, don’t quit easily because success only comes to those who work hard.

Self-motivation: Surround yourself by an environment where you see examples of success, where you see people you admire, people who inspire us to think about what we might aspire to be, who we want to be and how do we want to get there. Find colleagues who’re asking questions, trying to seek knowledge to improve people lives and don’t limit this search to people just in front of you, but look for opportunities across institutions and across borders.

3. Find a mentor for every stage of your life.

A mentor is someone who can provide guidance and support, accommodate and suit your individual needs and requirements, understand your aspirations and become an anchor for you at difficult stages of life. Regardless of the stage of your career, the role of a mentor is critically important in steering your interests and contributing to your growth.

You can have several mentors in your life based on your career stage; for example, a mentor to guide your thesis, a mentor who supports your career growth and a mentor who is an anchor for your life. A great mentor-mentee relationship is one where you have good chemistry and comfort. Mentorship doesn’t necessarily mean a mentor is supposed to tell you what needs to be done, but it’s a relationship where you can always seek guidance and supporting advice.

If you’re in early or middle stages of your career, find a mentor who is welcoming, supportive, encouraging and helps create or discover opportunities for your growth.

If you’re a senior researcher, contribute to society by discovering people with talent and encouraging them. Find the right triggers, understand talent, and support the people who have the right ingredients to become successful in their life.

4. Understand your talent and enhance it.

Understand your talents, skills and interests, and spend time enhancing these. You can ask yourself these key questions to help you grow in the right direction:

Self-discovery questions:

What are you trying to achieve in the next 5 years?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

What projects keep me excited

Which strengths would you like to cultivate in the upcoming years?

Self-motivation:

What happens when things don’t work?

How can I keep myself motivated?

What are my contributions to the society?

What is the journey I would like to go through?

How can I achieve that big win?

How do I connect with people?

How do I motivate others around me?

How do others around me keep me motivated?

Research area of interest:

Do you enjoy working on new ground-breaking research or does your strength lie in enhancing the existing research?

How can you add value to your institution with your research?

Parting wisdom

At every stage of your career, remember to be a bold and creative problem solver. Ensure you thank the people who have made your journey important and memorable. Be satisfied with what you do, understand your talent and invest in them continuously. Begin with the end in mind. Your research is not the money, but the contribution you have made to the society and the impact you have had on your team. And most importantly don’t forget to enjoy each stage of your journey, learning lessons and striving towards becoming a better version of yourself each day.

Related stories and resources

Researcher Academy: Publishing in premium journals opens in new tab/window

Learn more about JACC journals opens in new tab/window

Contributor

Sneha mittal sachdeva.

What Are Research Skills, and How You Can Improve Them

• Posted on March 9, 2022

Original research is an arduous task, no matter how you slice it. Conducting extensive research and collecting relevant information for an original idea is complicated. It involves much more than just reading several recently published papers.

Good research will help you develop a data collection that provides accurate and relevant information to your topic. So, is research a skill that you can develop and improve? What are research skills?

Research skills are the abilities and techniques needed to conduct research. This includes finding and assessing information and properly citing all research. Research skills are fundamental to academic success, and the more you practice, the better you will become.

Research Skills vs. Research Methods

Some people use the terms research skills and research methods interchangeably. Although they relate closely, they are different.

Research skills are a part of the process, but they also take a lot of time to master. Research methods are what you use during the research stages.

For example, one research method may be a literature review. Research skills would involve learning how to conduct the best possible literature review.

You can practice research skills and improve your speed, accuracy, and reliability. Critical thinking, project management, effective note-taking, and time management are great examples of research skills.

How To Improve Your Research Skills

Conducting high-quality research requires mastering several skills. Some of the best skills for good academic research come with practice and experience. You can improve your research skills by using outlines, sources and practicing.

Use Outlines to Your Advantage

An outline is a great way to keep yourself organized and on topic. By paying close attention to the outline you craft, you set yourself up to conduct good research that lends itself to a well-written paper. After all, an outline makes it easier to write your first draft, and a structured approach will improve your writing.

Before you even begin your research, outline what you need to do to complete your paper on time. Start with an introduction, add your first point and then supporting evidence, a second point with its supporting evidence, and then a third, fourth, or fifth, depending on how in-depth your paper will be. The last step will be your conclusion or a summary of your content.

Often outlining will give you ideas for research methods that you may not have considered before. Data collection can be challenging, but devising an outline can make the process much easier.

Because an outline allows you to think about all the topics you need to cover in your paper, you’ll be better prepared when you begin researching.

Dig Into Your Sources

It’s daunting to determine relevant information, especially if it’s a topic that you’re not knowledgeable about. It’s important to know when your sources are reliable for academic research . It’s also imperative to use different sources when finding relevant information, or you may display a bias. This also helps you avoid plagiarism by relying on multiple points of reference.

For example, you should know that an article published in a peer-reviewed journal will be more reliable than an article found on Wikipedia. Wikipedia, though often sourced, is open to be edited by anyone. The sources supplied themselves are not always credible, as the organization largely relies on unpaid editors to donate time to review articles.

A peer-reviewed journal will be fact-checked multiple times, demonstrate a history of credibility, and use reputable sources to support any arguments or claims.

Your sources should also answer the question that you are trying to ask. You should perform a light critical analysis of your source materials to determine their value. This requires investigative thinking and research itself. You need to discover:

• Who wrote the source?
• What was their agenda?
• Who sponsored the publication, if anyone?
• What was the agenda of the publisher?
• Does the publisher have a notable bias?
• Does the author have a notable bias?
• What year was the material published, and has it become outdated?

Try Advanced Search Techniques

Google and other search engines aren’t the only way to find information for your research paper. Library resources offer a wealth of services and tools, such as full-text journals and databases. Your local university library is another excellent place to start.

Often, librarians will be able to assist you with your research and can help you utilize advanced research methods you may not have thought of. They can direct you to the correct database and demonstrate how to best use it to find information about your subject. They may know of specific journals or other literature that could be a good starting point to get your footing.

During your research process, seek a different point of view and new ways to find reliable sources for your paper. When you rely on a single viewpoint or only one credible source, you not only develop a bias by showing just one side of your topic, but you run the risk of plagiarism. Where will your source’s argument end and yours begin? It may appear that you’re simply copying someone else’s hard work.

Practice Makes Perfect

Research isn’t a skill that people learn overnight. But you’d be surprised how fast these skills develop every time you conduct research. Once you get used to collecting data from reliable sources, you can become a master at it by learning from your own research paper mistakes.

One of the most overlooked aspects of research is a person’s time management skills. Those who wait until the last minute to start research run the risk of not finding adequate sources and producing a sub-par product. By giving yourself extra time, especially as you develop your research skills, you allow yourself to thoroughly investigate your sources, find appropriate support for your arguments, and develop a conclusion based on research, rather than trying to scramble to find research to support a specific conclusion.

6 Steps for Conducting Research

Conducting research isn’t easy, and many people find it frustrating. It can be like solving a puzzle to uncover the best information about the topic you’re researching. Here are 5 steps to help with your research strategy.

• Clearly define your research question. Precisely formulate your question so you know exactly which information sources are relevant to your research. This will save you lots of time.
• Draft a solid outline. Put your research question at the top of the document, then write out each of your supporting points or arguments. Include a few thoughts that go with each of those points.
• Determine the research methods you’ll use. Depending on the type of research paper you’re writing, you may need primary or secondary research. Your research will likely be either qualitative, quantitative, descriptive, or experimental.
• Find data from reliable sources. Make sure your resources are reliable by looking for things like the date of publication, author credentials, and publisher.
• Focus on your note-taking. Take detailed notes in whatever format you’re most comfortable with, whether that’s on your computer, tablet, or by hand in your notebook or on index cards.
• Draft your research paper. Combine your notes with a solid outline, and put it all together. Don’t forget to cite all of your sources . Give your paper a final review, then you’re done!

Final Thoughts

Conducting research can be a frustrating assignment. Here is the good news: the above steps and tools will make research report writing more effective.

By clearly defining your research question, determining the type of research methods you’ll use, and finding data from reliable sources, you’ll be on your way to conducting successful research.

Your last steps should be using a plagiarism detector and a citation generator, to double-check your work. Quetext is an online plagiarism checker with a built citation generator, so you can easily cite everything that you read.

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What are Research Skills? How to Improve Your Skills in Research

Learn strategies and techniques to improve your research skills. Avoid common mistakes and implement proven methods for efficient research. This article offers practical tips to enhance your ability to find and evaluate high-quality information.

Are you struggling to find relevant and reliable information for your research? Do you want to avoid getting lost in a sea of sources and needing help knowing where to start? Improving your research skills is essential for academic success and professional growth.

In today's information age, effectively conducting research has become more important than ever. Whether you are a student, a professional, or simply someone who wants to stay informed, knowing how to find and evaluate information is crucial.

Fortunately, some strategies and techniques can help you improve your research skills and become a more efficient and effective researcher. By avoiding common mistakes and implementing proven methods, you can enhance your ability to find high-quality information and make the most of your research endeavors. This article will explore some practical tips and tricks to help you improve your research skills and achieve better results.

What is Research?

Research is a critical part of learning, problem-solving, and decision-making. It is an essential process used in every field for both the individual and collective’s mutual benefit and success. Research involves systematically gathering data from primary or secondary sources, analyzing it, interpreting it, and communicating its findings to researchers and other interested parties.

Research can be divided into two main categories: quantitative research, which uses numerical data to describe phenomena, and qualitative research, which seeks to understand people's beliefs, opinions, values, or behaviors. Quantitative research often involves applying model-based approaches that can predict outcomes based on observations. It is one of the most powerful methods of discovering information about the world, as it allows for testing hypotheses in a systematic manner. Qualitative research is more exploratory in nature by focusing on understanding the motivations behind what people do or think rather than developing models or producing statistics in order to conclude behavior and relationships between variables. This type of research usually relies more on observation and engagement with people instead of using statistical models.

What are Research Skills?

Research skills are the abilities and talents required to focus on an objective, gather the relevant data linked to it, analyze it using appropriate methods, and accurately communicate the results. Taking part in research indicates that you have acquired knowledge of your subject matter, have digested that knowledge, and processed, evaluated, and analyzed it until you can resolve a problem or answer a query. It is highly beneficial for employers to hire people with strong research skills since they can provide valuable insights and add value to the company’s performance. Therefore, researching effectively has become crucial to securing a job in most industries.

Why Do Research Skills Matter?

Research skills are essential if one intends to succeed in today's competitive world. With technology ever-evolving and a need to stay ahead of the competition, employees who possess research skills can prove invaluable to their employers. These skills include researching, analyzing, and interpreting data and making informed decisions based on that information.

Employers value workers who can quickly develop a thorough understanding of any changes or trends in their field of work through accurate research. Knowing how to assess customer needs, recognize competition, write reports, improve productivity, and advise on investments can also benefit any business. With the help of research skills, companies can uncover ways to adapt their services or products that better serve their customers’ needs while helping them save money at the same time. This makes overall operations more efficient as well as helps a company remain ahead of its competitors.

Essential Research Skills :

Here is a list of essential research skills:

Data Collection

Data collection is an important part of comprehending a certain topic and ensuring reliable information is collected while striving to answer complex questions. Every situation differs, but data collection typically includes surveys, interviews, observations, and existing document reviews. The data collected can be quantitative or qualitative, depending on the nature of the problem at hand. As students advance through university and other educational institutions, they will need to read extensively into a particular field and may even need to undertake comprehensive literature reviews to answer fundamental questions.

The skills acquired through data collection during university are invaluable for future roles and jobs. Gaining experience in understanding complex topics, reading widely on a given subject matter, collecting relevant data, and analyzing findings - all these activities are integral when dealing with any type of project within the corporate sector. Therefore, embarking on various research projects enhances a person's education level and brings about significant professional experience.

Goal-Setting

Setting goals is an important skill for any successful research project. It allows you to stay focused and motivated throughout the process. Goals are also essential in helping with direction: they provide a path to organize our thoughts, narrow our focus, and prioritize the tasks we need to undertake to achieve our desired result. The concept of goal-setting is inherent in most research processes, as everything needs to have something to strive for — whether that’s gaining knowledge about a particular topic or testing a theory.

When it comes to creating and setting goals during the research process, you must have clear and specific objectives in mind from the outset. Writing down your thoughts helps define these objectives, which can inform the data collection process; moreover, thinking about short-term and long-term goals can help you create manageable steps toward achieving them. Learning how to break up larger projects into smaller “mini-goals effectively” can make all the difference when tackling complex investigations — allowing researchers to monitor their progress more easily and culminate results further down the line.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is an integral part of the modern workplace. To succeed, one must be able to look at a situation objectively and make decisions based on evidence. The information examined needs to come from various sources, such as data collection, personal observation, or analysis. The goal should then be to take all this information and form a logical judgment that informs an action plan or idea.

Someone who displays strong critical thinking skills will not just accept proposed ideas at face value but instead can understand how these ideas can be applied and challenged. Accepting something without consideration means making the wrong decision due to a lack of thought. Critical thinkers understand how brainstorming works, assessing all elements before forming any decision. From negotiating with colleagues or customers in adversarial scenarios to analyzing complex documents such as legal contracts in order to review business agreements - critical dedicated apply their knowledge effectively and are able to back up their evaluation with evidence collected from multiple sources.

Observation Skills

Observation skills are necessary for conducting any form of research, whether it be in the workplace or as part of an investigative process. It is important to be able to pick up on the details that might otherwise pass unnoticed, such as inconsistencies in data or irregularities in how something is presented, and to pay careful attention to regulations and procedures that govern the company or environment. This can help researchers to ensure their processes are accurate and reliable.

As well as analyzing what we see around us directly, many research methodologies often involve calculated statistical analyses and calculations. For this reason, it’s important to develop strong observation skills so that the legitimacy of information can be confirmed and checked before conclusions are formed. Improving this skill requires dedication and practice, which could include keeping a journal reflecting on experiences, posing yourself questions about what you have observed, and seeking out opportunities in unfamiliar settings to test your observations.

Detail Orientation

Detail orientation is an important research skill for any scientific endeavor. It allows one to assess a situation or problem in minute detail and make appropriate judgments based on the information gathered. A detail-oriented thinker can easily spot errors, inconsistencies, and vital pieces of evidence, which can help lead to accurate conclusions from the research. Additionally, this skill allows someone to evaluate the quality and accuracy of data recorded during an experiment or project more efficiently to ensure validity.

Spotting small mistakes that may otherwise have been overlooked is a crucial part of conducting detailed research that must be perfected. Individuals aiming for superior outcomes should strive to develop their skill at detecting details by practicing critical analysis techniques, such as breaking down large bodies of information into smaller tasks to identify finer points quickly. Moreover, encouragement should also be made for elaborate comparison and analysis between different pieces of information when solving a complex problem, as it can help provide better insights into problems accurately.

Investigative Skills

Investigative skills are an essential component when it comes to gathering and analyzing data. In a professional setting, it is important to determine the accuracy and validity of different sources of information before making any decisions or articulating ideas. Generally, effective investigation requires collecting different sets of reliable data, such as surveys and interviews with stakeholders, employees, customers, etc. For example, if a company internally assesses possible challenges within its business operations environment, it would need to conduct more profound research involving talking to relevant stakeholders who could provide critical perspectives about the situation.

Data-gathering techniques such as comparison shopping and regulatory reviews have become more commonplace in the industry as people strive for greater transparency and more accurate results. Knowing how to identify reliable sources of information can give individuals a competitive advantage and allow them to make sound decisions based on accurate data. Investing time in learning different investigative skills can help recruiters spot applicants dedicated to acquiring knowledge in this field. Developing these investigative skills is also valuable for those looking for executive positions or starting their own business. By familiarizing themselves with their application process, people can become adept at collecting high-quality data they may use in their research endeavors.

Time Management

Time management is a key skill for any researcher. It's essential to be able to allocate time between different activities so you can effectively plan and structure your research projects. Without good time management, you may find yourself hastily completing tasks or feeling stressed out as you rush to complete an analysis. Ultimately, managing your time allows you to stay productive and ensure that each project is completed with the highest results.

Good time management requires various skills such as planning ahead, prioritizing tasks, breaking down large projects into smaller steps, and even delegating some activities when possible. It also means setting realistic goals for yourself in terms of the amount of research that can be achieved in certain timestamps and learning how to adjust these goals when needed. Becoming mindful of how you spend the same hours each day will propel your productivity and see positive results from your efforts. Time management becomes especially relevant regarding data collection and analysis – it is crucial to understand precisely what kind of resources are needed for each task before diving into the research itself. Knowing how much time should be dedicated to each step is essential for meeting deadlines while still retaining accuracy in the final outcomes of one’s study.

Tips on How to Improve Your Research Skills

Below are some tips that can help in improving your skills in research:

Initiate your project with a structured outline

When embarking on any research project, creating an outline and scope document must first ensure that you remain on the right track. An outline sets expectations for your project by forming a detailed strategy for researching the topic and gathering the necessary data to conclude. It will help you stay organized and break down large projects into more manageable parts. This can help prevent procrastination as each part of the project has its own timeline, making it easier to prioritize tasks accordingly.

Using an outline and scope document also allows for better structure when conducting research or interviews, as it guides which sources are most relevant, what questions need to be answered, and how information should be collected or presented. This ensures that all information received through research or interviews stays within the confines of the chosen topic of investigation. Additionally, it ensures that no important details are overlooked while minimizing the chance that extraneous information gets included in your results. Taking this time upfront prevents potential problems during analysis or reporting of findings later.

Acquire expertise in advanced data collection methods

When it comes to collecting data for research purposes, a range of advanced data collection techniques can be used to maximize your efficiency and accuracy. One such technique is customizing your online search results with advanced search settings. By adding quotation marks and wildcard characters to the terms you are searching for, you are more likely to find the information you need from reliable sources. This can be especially useful if, for instance, you are looking for exact quotes or phrases. Different search engines require different advanced techniques and tactics, so learning these can help you get more specific results from your research endeavors.

Aside from using online searches, another standard methodology when conducting research is accessing primary information through libraries or other public sources. A specific classification system will likely be in place that can help researchers locate the materials needed quickly and easily. Knowing and understanding this system allows one to access information much more efficiently while also giving them ample opportunity to increase their knowledge of various topics by browsing related content in the same category groups. Thus, by learning about advanced data collection techniques for both online and offline sources, researchers can make substantial progress in their studies more efficiently.

Validate and examine the reliability of your data sources

Collecting reliable information for research can be a challenge, especially when relying on online sources. It is essential to remember that not all sources are created equal, and some sites may contain false or inaccurate data. It is, therefore important to verify and analyze the data before using it as part of your research.

One way to start verifying and analyzing your sources is to cross-reference material from one source with another. This may help you determine if particular facts or claims are accurate and, therefore, more valid than others. Additionally, trace where the data is coming from by looking at the author or organization behind it so that you can assess their expertise in a particular field and authority on the topic at hand. Once these steps have been completed, you can confidently use this trusted information for your project.

Structure your research materials

Organizing your research materials is an integral part of any research process. When you’re conducting a project or study and trying to find the most relevant information, you can become overwhelmed with all the data available. It’s important to separate valid from invalid materials and to categorize research materials by subject for easy access later on. Bookmarking websites on a computer or using a digital asset management tool are two effective methods for organizing research information.

When researching, it’s critical to remember that some sources have limited value and may be outside the scope of your topic. Recognizing reliable material versus trustworthy resources can be complex in this sea of information. However, sorting data into appropriate categories can help narrow down what is necessary for producing valid conclusions. This method of classifying information helps ensure that vital documents aren't overlooked during the organization process as they are placed in folders shortcutted for quick access within one centralized source whenever needed. Separating valuable sources also makes it easier to reference later on when writing reports or giving presentations - material won't get lost among irrelevant data, and conclusions will be backed by sound evidence.

Enhance your research and communication capabilities

Developing research and communication skills is essential for succeeding academically and professionally in the modern world. The key to improving these skills lies in rigorous practice, which can begin with small projects such as resolving common issues or completing a research task that can be made into a personal project. One way to do this is to volunteer for research projects at work and gain experience under the guidance of experienced researchers. This will improve your research skills and help you develop communication skills when working with others on the project. Another option is to turn a personal project into a research task. For example, if you plan on taking a holiday soon, you could create an objective method to select the best destination by conducting online research on destinations and making informed decisions based on thorough analysis. Practicing in this way enables you to complete any research task confidently and communicate efficiently with ease.

How to Articulate Research Skills on Your Resume

Research projects require commitment and perseverance, making it an important skill to include on a resume. Even if you have had limited research experience throughout your education or previous job, including this in your resume assesses these qualities to potential employers. It's important to consider the extent of your research experience when deciding how to add this part of your background to your resume. If you have been involved with multiple in-depth research projects, it might be best to highlight this by including it as its own section. On the other hand, if the amount of research you have completed is more limited, then try including it in the skills section instead.

When adding research experience and accomplishments into either section of your resume, be sure to emphasize any specific roles or contributions you made during the process instead of just describing the project itself. Furthermore, remember to quantify any successes where possible - this showcases both communication and technical proficiency strengths, which can help make your resume stand out even more. By properly articulating research skills within a resume, employers will likely be more interested in what job seekers have accomplished in their careers.

How to Apply Research Skills Effectively in Your Workplace

Research skills are an invaluable set of abilities to bring to your workplace. To make sure you use them properly, a good place to start is by taking time to plan the project you have been assigned. Whether it’s writing a report or analyzing data, mapping out what tasks you need to do and how long they should take helps to understand the project timeline better. This also makes setting aside dedicated time for research easier too.

To ensure that the decisions made are sound and informed, reading up on the subject area related to the project remains one of the premier ways of doing this. This will help to ensure that any problems arising can be solved quickly and effectively, as well as provide answers before any decisions are actually put into practice. By arming yourself with knowledge gathered through reading about a particular topic, it can give you more confidence when formulating plans or strategies in which direction to take your work in.

Final Thoughts

Research skills are increasingly important in the modern world, and gaining proficiency in this area can significantly benefit a person's career. Research skills are essential for success in many different roles and fields, including those within business and industry, education, science, and medicine. Developing a deep understanding of research allows us to identify problems better and critically evaluate potential solutions. It also bolsters our problem-solving abilities as we work to find creative solutions that meet our efforts' objectives.

By improving your research capabilities, you can impress employers during an application process or when joining a team at work. Research skills are considered soft skills by potential employers since they signal that you have attention to detail while simultaneously demonstrating your ability to learn new things quickly. Employers regard these skills highly, making them one of the key graduate career skills recruiters seek. Furthermore, being able to add ‘research skills’ to your CV will be looked upon favorably by employers and help drive up your employability significantly. Demonstrating that you possess these sought-after traits makes it easier for recruiters to give you the opportunity you've been looking for, so it's worth investing the time into developing these life-long learning tools today.

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How to Become a Research Scientist

Industry Advice Science & Mathematics

Professionals with a background in biotechnology can choose to pursue many lucrative careers . One of the most common choices is to become a research scientist. These individuals work in drug and process development, consistently conducting research and performing experiments to help move the biotechnology industry forward. 

“At the highest level, a research scientist is somebody who can design and execute experiments to prove or disprove a hypothesis,” says Jared Auclair , director of the biotechnology and bioinformatics programs at Northeastern. “Within the world of biotechnology, that can mean a number of different things, from creating new drugs to improving the process of how we make a drug.”

Professionals in this industry are often drawn to the wide array of applications of this work, as well as the consistently positive career outlook. The average salary of a biotechnology research scientist is $85,907 per year, with plenty of opportunities for increased salary potential depending on specializations, location, and years of experience. 

These factors—alongside the growing demand for advancement in biotechnology over the last few decades—have led many aspiring biotechnologists to consider a career in research science. Below we offer five steps professionals can take to kick-start a career in this field.

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5 Steps to Become a Research Scientist

1. acquire the necessary technical skills..

According to Auclair, there are four main applications of research science within the biotechnology field:

• Molecular Biology
• Process Science
• Biochemistry
• Analytical Biotechnology

Professionals hoping to pursue a career in research science must begin by deciding which of these four areas is the best fit for their interests and backgrounds. They must then acquire the specific skill sets they need to excel in that area. 

Below, Auclair breaks down some of the key skills and knowledge required within each of these specializations:

• Molecular biologists should focus on developing a complex understanding of DNA and learn how to do a Polymerase Chain Reaction alongside other DNA-related experiments. 
• Process scientists must understand cell biology and how to work with living mammalian cells, as well as how to perform analytical experiments using mass spectrometry and other analytical tools.
• Biochemists should focus on obtaining the skills necessary to make a protein drug, including the expression and purification of proteins.
• Analytical biotechnicians must become comfortable with techniques like mass spectrometry—a process that uncovers what drug products are at a molecular level.

One efficient way aspiring research scientists can obtain these specific skill sets is to pursue a master’s degree in biotechnology at a top university like Northeastern. 

“The biotech program is designed in collaboration with industry so that we’re meeting their needs,” Auclair says. “This includes training students with the skills they need to be a successful research scientist.”

The curriculum of Northeastern’s program explores the core competencies required to excel in the general biotechnology field and provides students with the unique subsets of skills they need to specialize in a specific area of research science. Students can even declare one of 10 industry-aligned concentrations, including options that directly relate with these common research science roles.

“Especially in industry, most people who are doing research science—who are actually doing the experiments and helping think about experiments with some of the senior leaders in the company—are people with a master’s degree,” Auclair says.

2. Become a critical thinker.

Alongside honing technical skills, Auclair says that critical thinking abilities are key for aspiring research scientists. 

“It’s important to become a critical thinker and a problem solver, and to challenge yourself wherever you can to step outside of your comfort zone,” Auclair says. 

Though critical thinking is a common requirement among most professional career paths, it is especially important for research scientists, who are constantly tasked with innovating and thinking creatively to solve problems.

Northeastern’s master’s in biotechnology program is designed to help students grow in this regard. “Everything we do within the program is geared [toward] making you a critical thinker and a problem solver,” Auclair says. “We try to define classes and assessments to make you think, [and] we also hire most of the faculty in our program directly from the industry, so they bring with them real-world experience that they can talk about with the students.”

These real-world case studies are a core component of Northeastern’s approach to learning, and they help prepare students to think critically about their work. By bringing this exposure into the classroom, students also graduate better prepared to tackle current industry challenges and adapt to evolving trends .

3. Hone your “power skills.”

It’s no longer enough for research scientists in biotechnology to have obtained the technical skills needed to complete their work. Today, many employers require an array of industry-specific “power skills”—previously known as “soft skills”—among candidates for research science roles.

Below we explore the top three “power skills” for biotechnology research scientists:

• Communication: As a research scientist, “you must be able to communicate scientific information to both technical and non-technical people,” Auclair says. For this reason, professionals should work to hone their verbal and written communication styles, focusing specifically on the variances in each depending on which audience they’re interacting with.
• Presentation Ability: Research scientists must be able to present their findings clearly and concisely to a variety of different audiences, ranging from fellow scientists to investors to C-suite executives. Research scientists must be comfortable in front of a group and know how to speak about their experiments and conclusions in an engaging and informative way.
• Teamwork: Although one might think a research scientist’s work is very siloed, today’s professionals must be very comfortable working with others in a lab environment. They must become comfortable sharing ideas, providing feedback to others in their cohort, and tweaking their experiments based on contributed findings.

Northeastern offers students the chance to explore each of these core “power skills” during their time within the master’s in biotechnology program. For example, the university offers countless opportunities for students to collaborate with and present to classmates, instructors, and even industry-leading organizations through Northeastern’s experiential learning opportunities, giving them the chance to apply these skills in both classroom and real-world situations early on.

Learn More: How to Become a Biotechnologist: Build Your Soft Skills

4. Obtain hands-on experience.

One of the most effective ways an aspiring research scientist can prepare for a career in this field is to obtain experiences working in a real lab. While finding these kinds of opportunities can be difficult for those just breaking into the field, programs like Northeastern’s MS in biotechnology bake hands-on learning directly into the curriculum. 

“Students do essentially four to six months [working in the] industry, and put what they learn in the classroom…into practice,” Auclair says.

These opportunities, known as co-ops , provide students with the chance to work within top organizations in the industry and explore the real-world challenges of the field from inside a functioning lab.

Did You Know: Northeastern’s program provides students with exposure to the tools and equipment used within labs in the industry. This access to cutting-edge technology reduces the learning curve and allows students to dive into their work as soon as they graduate.

Another unique way Northeastern provides hands-on experience is through Experiential Network (XN) Projects . Students who participate in these projects are typically paired with a sponsor from an active biotech company that has a real-world problem they need to solve. Then, “under the guidance of a faculty member, students spend the semester trying to come up with solutions to that problem,” Auclair says. “It’s all student-driven.”

Hands-on learning opportunities like these give students a competitive advantage when it comes to applying for jobs. “The experiential learning piece [of our program] is what has our students actually stand out above others in the field,” Auclair says, because employers like to see that their candidates are capable of applying their skills in a real-world environment. 

5. Grow your network.

Research shows that 85 percent of all jobs today are filled through networking, making it more important than ever for professionals across industries to invest time and energy into building these vital relationships.

Professionals hoping to establish a career as a research scientist are no exception. These individuals should aim to develop connections with organizations and individuals within the greater biotech industry early on in their careers, and use those relationships to help carve their path forward.

Northeastern’s master’s in biotechnology program has strategically created many great opportunities for students to network throughout their time in the program. They are encouraged to build relationships with their classmates, guest speakers, faculty, and even the industry leaders they meet through co-ops and XN projects. As a result, they establish various impactful connections with individuals at different stages in their careers, all before they graduate.

Learn More: Networking Tips for Scientists

Another way Northeastern’s program supports networking is through opportunities for student/faculty collaboration. “We encourage our students to interact with our own faculty who are research scientists as much as possible, whether that’s volunteering in their lab or finding a half an hour to talk to them about what they’re doing,” Auclair says. “We want our students to be exposed to as many research scientists as possible while they’re in the program.”

Take the Next Step

Pursuing a master’s degree in biotechnology from a top university like Northeastern is a great way for aspiring research scientists to break into the field. Students in these programs can hone related skill sets, grow their professional networks, and experience hands-on learning, all while pursuing graduate-level education. 

Learn more about how a master’s in biotechnology can set you up for success as a research scientist on our program page , then get in touch with our enrollment coaches who can help you take the first step.

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The average U.S. bioscience worker earned nearly $99,000 in 2016, 85% greater than the average for the overall private sector. (BIO, 2018)

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The Most Important Research Skills (With Examples)

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Research skills are the ability to find out accurate information on a topic. They include being able to determine the data you need, find and interpret those findings, and then explain that to others. Being able to do effective research is a beneficial skill in any profession, as data and research inform how businesses operate. Whether you’re unsure of your research skills or are looking for ways to further improve them, then this article will cover important research skills and how to become even better at research. Key Takeaways Having strong research skills can help you understand your competitors, develop new processes, and build your professional skills in addition to aiding you in finding new customers and saving your company money. Some of the most valuable research skills you can have include goal setting, data collection, and analyzing information from multiple sources. You can and should put your research skills on your resume and highlight them in your job interviews. In This Article    Skip to section What are research skills? Why are research skills important? 12 of the most important research skills How to improve your research skills Highlighting your research skills in a job interview How to include research skills on your resume Resume examples showcasing research skills Research skills FAQs References Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs Show More What are research skills?

Research skills are the necessary tools to be able to find, compile, and interpret information in order to answer a question. Of course, there are several aspects to this. Researchers typically have to decide how to go about researching a problem — which for most people is internet research.

In addition, you need to be able to interpret the reliability of a source, put the information you find together in an organized and logical way, and be able to present your findings to others. That means that they’re comprised of both hard skills — knowing your subject and what’s true and what isn’t — and soft skills. You need to be able to interpret sources and communicate clearly.

Why are research skills important?

Research skills are useful in any industry, and have applications in innovation, product development, competitor research, and many other areas. In addition, the skills used in researching aren’t only useful for research. Being able to interpret information is a necessary skill, as is being able to clearly explain your reasoning.

Research skills are used to:

Do competitor research. Knowing what your biggest competitors are up to is an essential part of any business. Researching what works for your competitors, what they’re doing better than you, and where you can improve your standing with the lowest resource expenditure are all essential if a company wants to remain functional.

Develop new processes and products. You don’t have to be involved in research and development to make improvements in how your team gets things done. Researching new processes that make your job (and those of your team) more efficient will be valued by any sensible employer.

Foster self-improvement. Folks who have a knack and passion for research are never content with doing things the same way they’ve always been done. Organizations need independent thinkers who will seek out their own answers and improve their skills as a matter of course. These employees will also pick up new technologies more easily.

Manage customer relationships. Being able to conduct research on your customer base is positively vital in virtually every industry. It’s hard to move products or sell services if you don’t know what people are interested in. Researching your customer base’s interests, needs, and pain points is a valuable responsibility.

Save money. Whether your company is launching a new product or just looking for ways to scale back its current spending, research is crucial for finding wasted resources and redirecting them to more deserving ends. Anyone who proactively researches ways that the company can save money will be highly appreciated by their employer.

Solve problems. Problem solving is a major part of a lot of careers, and research skills are instrumental in making sure your solution is effective. Finding out the cause of the problem and determining an effective solution both require accurate information, and research is the best way to obtain that — be it via the internet or by observation.

Determine reliable information. Being able to tell whether or not the information you receive seems accurate is a very valuable skill. While research skills won’t always guarantee that you’ll be able to tell the reliability of the information at first glance, it’ll prevent you from being too trusting. And it’ll give the tools to double-check .

12 of the most important research skills

Experienced researchers know that worthwhile investigation involves a variety of skills. Consider which research skills come naturally to you, and which you could work on more.

Data collection . When thinking about the research process, data collection is often the first thing that comes to mind. It is the nuts and bolts of research. How data is collected can be flexible.

For some purposes, simply gathering facts and information on the internet can fulfill your need. Others may require more direct and crowd-sourced research. Having experience in various methods of data collection can make your resume more impressive to recruiters.

Data collection methods include: Observation Interviews Questionnaires Experimentation Conducting focus groups

Analysis of information from different sources. Putting all your eggs in one source basket usually results in error and disappointment. One of the skills that good researchers always incorporate into their process is an abundance of sources. It’s also best practice to consider the reliability of these sources.

Are you reading about U.S. history on a conspiracy theorist’s blog post? Taking facts for a presentation from an anonymous Twitter account?

If you can’t determine the validity of the sources you’re using, it can compromise all of your research. That doesn’t mean just disregard anything on the internet but double-check your findings. In fact, quadruple-check. You can make your research even stronger by turning to references outside of the internet.

Examples of reliable information sources include: Published books Encyclopedias Magazines Databases Scholarly journals Newspapers Library catalogs

Finding information on the internet. While it can be beneficial to consulate alternative sources, strong internet research skills drive modern-day research.

One of the great things about the internet is how much information it contains, however, this comes with digging through a lot of garbage to get to the facts you need. The ability to efficiently use the vast database of knowledge that is on the internet without getting lost in the junk is very valuable to employers.

Internet research skills include: Source checking Searching relevant questions Exploring deeper than the first options Avoiding distraction Giving credit Organizing findings

Interviewing. Some research endeavors may require a more hands-on approach than just consulting internet sources. Being prepared with strong interviewing skills can be very helpful in the research process.

Interviews can be a useful research tactic to gain first-hand information and being able to manage a successful interview can greatly improve your research skills.

Interviewing skills involves: A plan of action Specific, pointed questions Respectfulness Considering the interview setting Actively Listening Taking notes Gratitude for participation

Report writing. Possessing skills in report writing can assist you in job and scholarly research. The overall purpose of a report in any context is to convey particular information to its audience.

Effective report writing is largely dependent on communication. Your boss, professor , or general reader should walk away completely understanding your findings and conclusions.

Report writing skills involve: Proper format Including a summary Focusing on your initial goal Creating an outline Proofreading Directness

Critical thinking. Critical thinking skills can aid you greatly throughout the research process, and as an employee in general. Critical thinking refers to your data analysis skills. When you’re in the throes of research, you need to be able to analyze your results and make logical decisions about your findings.

Critical thinking skills involve: Observation Analysis Assessing issues Problem-solving Creativity Communication

Planning and scheduling. Research is a work project like any other, and that means it requires a little forethought before starting. Creating a detailed outline map for the points you want to touch on in your research produces more organized results.

It also makes it much easier to manage your time. Planning and scheduling skills are important to employers because they indicate a prepared employee.

Planning and scheduling skills include: Setting objectives Identifying tasks Prioritizing Delegating if needed Vision Communication Clarity Time-management

Note-taking. Research involves sifting through and taking in lots of information. Taking exhaustive notes ensures that you will not neglect any findings later and allows you to communicate these results to your co-workers. Being able to take good notes helps summarize research.

Examples of note-taking skills include: Focus Organization Using short-hand Keeping your objective in mind Neatness Highlighting important points Reviewing notes afterward

Communication skills. Effective research requires being able to understand and process the information you receive, either written or spoken. That means that you need strong reading comprehension and writing skills — two major aspects of communication — as well as excellent listening skills.

Most research also involves showcasing your findings. This can be via a presentation. , report, chart, or Q&A. Whatever the case, you need to be able to communicate your findings in a way that educates your audience.

Communication skills include: Reading comprehension Writing Listening skills Presenting to an audience Creating graphs or charts Explaining in layman’s terms

Time management. We’re, unfortunately, only given 24 measly hours in a day. The ability to effectively manage this time is extremely powerful in a professional context. Hiring managers seek candidates who can accomplish goals in a given timeframe.

Strong time management skills mean that you can organize a plan for how to break down larger tasks in a project and complete them by a deadline. Developing your time management skills can greatly improve the productivity of your research.

Time management skills include: Scheduling Creating task outlines Strategic thinking Stress-management Delegation Communication Utilizing resources Setting realistic expectations Meeting deadlines

Using your network. While this doesn’t seem immediately relevant to research skills, remember that there are a lot of experts out there. Knowing what people’s areas of expertise and asking for help can be tremendously beneficial — especially if it’s a subject you’re unfamiliar with.

Your coworkers are going to have different areas of expertise than you do, and your network of people will as well. You may even know someone who knows someone who’s knowledgeable in the area you’re researching. Most people are happy to share their expertise, as it’s usually also an area of interest to them.

Networking involves: Remembering people’s areas of expertise Being willing to ask for help Communication Returning favors Making use of advice Asking for specific assistance

Attention to detail. Research is inherently precise. That means that you need to be attentive to the details, both in terms of the information you’re gathering, but also in where you got it from. Making errors in statistics can have a major impact on the interpretation of the data, not to mention that it’ll reflect poorly on you.

There are proper procedures for citing sources that you should follow. That means that your sources will be properly credited, preventing accusations of plagiarism. In addition, it means that others can make use of your research by returning to the original sources.

Attention to detail includes: Double checking statistics Taking notes Keeping track of your sources Staying organized Making sure graphs are accurate and representative Properly citing sources

How to improve your research skills

As with many professional skills, research skills serve us in our day to day life. Any time you search for information on the internet, you’re doing research. That means that you’re practicing it outside of work as well. If you want to continue improving your research skills, both for professional and personal use, here are some tips to try.

Differentiate between source quality. A researcher is only as good as their worst source. Start paying attention to the quality of the sources you use, and be suspicious of everything your read until you check out the attributions and works cited.

Be critical and ask yourself about the author’s bias, where the author’s research aligns with the larger body of verified research in the field, and what publication sponsored or published the research.

Use multiple resources. When you can verify information from a multitude of sources, it becomes more and more credible. To bolster your faith in one source, see if you can find another source that agrees with it.

Don’t fall victim to confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is when a researcher expects a certain outcome and then goes to find data that supports this hypothesis. It can even go so far as disregarding anything that challenges the researcher’s initial hunch. Be prepared for surprising answers and keep an open mind.

Be open to the idea that you might not find a definitive answer. It’s best to be honest and say that you found no definitive answer instead of just confirming what you think your boss or coworkers expect or want to hear. Experts and good researchers are willing to say that they don’t know.

Stay organized. Being able to cite sources accurately and present all your findings is just as important as conducting the research itself. Start practicing good organizational skills , both on your devices and for any physical products you’re using.

Get specific as you go. There’s nothing wrong with starting your research in a general way. After all, it’s important to become familiar with the terminology and basic gist of the researcher’s findings before you dig down into all the minutia.

Highlighting your research skills in a job interview

A job interview is itself a test of your research skills. You can expect questions on what you know about the company, the role, and your field or industry more generally. In order to give expert answers on all these topics, research is crucial.

Start by researching the company . Look into how they communicate with the public through social media, what their mission statement is, and how they describe their culture.

Pay close attention to the tone of their website. Is it hyper professional or more casual and fun-loving? All of these elements will help decide how best to sell yourself at the interview.

Next, research the role. Go beyond the job description and reach out to current employees working at your desired company and in your potential department. If you can find out what specific problems your future team is or will be facing, you’re sure to impress hiring managers and recruiters with your ability to research all the facts.

Finally, take time to research the job responsibilities you’re not as comfortable with. If you’re applying for a job that represents increased difficulty or entirely new tasks, it helps to come into the interview with at least a basic knowledge of what you’ll need to learn.

How to include research skills on your resume

Research projects require dedication. Being committed is a valuable skill for hiring managers. Whether you’ve had research experience throughout education or a former job, including it properly can boost the success of your resume .

Consider how extensive your research background is. If you’ve worked on multiple, in-depth research projects, it might be best to include it as its own section. If you have less research experience, include it in the skills section .

Focus on your specific role in the research, as opposed to just the research itself. Try to quantify accomplishments to the best of your abilities. If you were put in charge of competitor research, for example, list that as one of the tasks you had in your career.

If it was a particular project, such as tracking the sale of women’s clothing at a tee-shirt company, you can say that you “directed analysis into women’s clothing sales statistics for a market research project.”

Ascertain how directly research skills relate to the job you’re applying for. How strongly you highlight your research skills should depend on the nature of the job the resume is for. If research looks to be a strong component of it, then showcase all of your experience.

If research looks to be tangential, then be sure to mention it — it’s a valuable skill — but don’t put it front and center.

Resume examples showcasing research skills

Example #1: Academic Research

Simon Marks 767 Brighton Blvd. | Brooklyn, NY, 27368 | (683)-262-8883 | [email protected] Diligent and hardworking recent graduate seeking a position to develop professional experience and utilize research skills. B.A. in Biological Sciences from New York University. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Lixus Publishing , Brooklyn, NY Office Assistant- September 2018-present Scheduling and updating meetings Managing emails and phone calls Reading entries Worked on a science fiction campaign by researching target demographic Organizing calendars Promoted to office assistant after one year internship Mitch’s Burgers and Fries , Brooklyn, NY Restaurant Manager , June 2014-June 2018 Managed a team of five employees Responsible for coordinating the weekly schedule Hired and trained two employees Kept track of inventory Dealt with vendors Provided customer service Promoted to restaurant manager after two years as a waiter Awarded a $2.00/hr wage increase SKILLS Writing Scientific Research Data analysis Critical thinking Planning Communication RESEARCH Worked on an ecosystem biology project with responsibilities for algae collection and research (2019) Lead a group of freshmen in a research project looking into cell biology (2018) EDUCATION New York University Bachelors in Biological Sciences, September 2016-May 2020

Example #2: Professional Research

Angela Nichols 1111 Keller Dr. | San Francisco, CA | (663)-124-8827 |[email protected] Experienced and enthusiastic marketer with 7 years of professional experience. Seeking a position to apply my marketing and research knowledge. Skills in working on a team and flexibility. EXPERIENCE Apples amp; Oranges Marketing, San Francisco, CA Associate Marketer – April 2017-May 2020 Discuss marketing goals with clients Provide customer service Lead campaigns associated with women’s health Coordinating with a marketing team Quickly solving issues in service and managing conflict Awarded with two raises totaling $10,000 over three years Prestigious Marketing Company, San Francisco, CA Marketer – May 2014-April 2017 Working directly with clients Conducting market research into television streaming preferences Developing marketing campaigns related to television streaming services Report writing Analyzing campaign success statistics Promoted to Marketer from Junior Marketer after the first year Timberlake Public Relations, San Francisco, CA Public Relations Intern – September 2013–May 2014 Working cohesively with a large group of co-workers and supervisors Note-taking during meetings Running errands Managing email accounts Assisting in brainstorming Meeting work deadlines EDUCATION Golden Gate University, San Francisco, CA Bachelor of Arts in Marketing with a minor in Communications – September 2009 – May 2013 SKILLS Marketing Market research Record-keeping Teamwork Presentation. Flexibility

Research skills FAQs

What research skills are important?

Goal-setting and data collection are important research skills. Additional important research skills include:

Using different sources to analyze information.

Finding information on the internet.

Interviewing sources.

Writing reports.

Critical thinking.

Planning and scheduling.

Note-taking.

Managing time.

How do you develop good research skills?

You develop good research skills by learning how to find information from multiple high-quality sources, by being wary of confirmation bias, and by starting broad and getting more specific as you go.

When you learn how to tell a reliable source from an unreliable one and get in the habit of finding multiple sources that back up a claim, you’ll have better quality research.

In addition, when you learn how to keep an open mind about what you’ll find, you’ll avoid falling into the trap of confirmation bias, and by staying organized and narrowing your focus as you go (rather than before you start), you’ll be able to gather quality information more efficiently.

What is the importance of research?

The importance of research is that it informs most decisions and strategies in a business. Whether it’s deciding which products to offer or creating a marketing strategy, research should be used in every part of a company.

Because of this, employers want employees who have strong research skills. They know that you’ll be able to put them to work bettering yourself and the organization as a whole.

Should you put research skills on your resume?

Yes, you should include research skills on your resume as they are an important professional skill. Where you include your research skills on your resume will depend on whether you have a lot of experience in research from a previous job or as part of getting your degree, or if you’ve just cultivated them on your own.

If your research skills are based on experience, you could put them down under the tasks you were expected to perform at the job in question. If not, then you should likely list it in your skills section.

University of the People – The Best Research Skills for Success

Association of Internet Research Specialists — What are Research Skills and Why Are They Important?

MasterClass — How to Improve Your Research Skills: 6 Research Tips

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Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

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Home > Blog > Tips for Online Students > The Best Research Skills For Success

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The Best Research Skills For Success

Updated: June 19, 2024

Published: January 5, 2020

Every student is required to conduct research in their academic careers at one point or another. A good research paper not only requires a great deal of time, but it also requires complex skills. Research skills include the ability to organize, evaluate, locate, and extract relevant information.

Let’s learn how to develop great research skills for academic success.

What is Research?

We’ve all surely heard the term “research” endlessly. But do you really know what it means?

Research is a type of study that focuses on a specific problem and aims to solve it using scientific methods. Research is a highly systematic process that involves both describing, explaining, and predicting something.

Photo by  Startup Stock Photos  from  Pexels

What are research skills.

Research skills are what helps us answer our most burning questions, and they are what assist us in our solving process from A to Z, including searching, finding, collecting, breaking down, and evaluating the relevant information to the phenomenon at hand.

Research is the basis of everything we know — and without it, we’re not sure where we would be today! For starters, without the internet and without cars, that’s for sure.

Why are Research Skills Important?

Research skills come in handy in pretty much everything we do, and especially so when it comes to the workforce. Employers will want to hire you and compensate you better if you demonstrate a knowledge of research skills that can benefit their company.

From knowing how to write reports, how to notice competition, develop new products, identify customer needs, constantly learn new technologies, and improve the company’s productivity, there’s no doubt that research skills are of utter importance. Research also can save a company a great deal of money by first assessing whether making an investment is really worthwhile for them.

How to Get Research Skills

Now that you’re fully convinced about the importance of research skills, you’re surely going to want to know how to get them. And you’ll be delighted to hear that it’s really not so complicated! There are plenty of simple methods out there to gain research skills such as the internet as the most obvious tool.

Gaining new research skills however is not limited to just the internet. There are tons of books, such as Lab Girl by Hope Jahren, journals, articles, studies, interviews and much, much more out there that can teach you how to best conduct your research.

Utilizing Research Skills

Now that you’ve got all the tools you need to get started, let’s utilize these research skills to the fullest. These skills can be used in more ways than you know. Your research skills can be shown off either in interviews that you’re conducting or even in front of the company you’re hoping to get hired at .

It’s also useful to add your list of research skills to your resume, especially if it’s a research-based job that requires skills such as collecting data or writing research-based reports. Many jobs require critical thinking as well as planning ahead.

Career Paths that Require Research Skills

If you’re wondering which jobs actually require these research skills, they are actually needed in a variety of industries. Some examples of the types of work that require a great deal of research skills include any position related to marketing, science , history, report writing, and even the food industry.

Photo by  Abby Chung  from  Pexels

How students can improve research skills.

Perhaps you know what you have to do, but sometimes, knowing how to do it can be more of a challenge. So how can you as a student improve your research skills ?

1. Define your research according to the assignment

By defining your research and understanding how it relates to the specific field of study, it can give more context to the situation.

2. Break down the assignment

The most difficult part of the research process is actually just getting started. By breaking down your research into realistic and achievable parts, it can help you achieve your goals and stay systematic.

3. Evaluate your sources

While there are endless sources out there, it’s important to always evaluate your sources and make sure that they are reliable, based on a variety of factors such as their accuracy and if they are biased, especially if used for research purposes.

4. Avoid plagiarism

Plagiarism is a major issue when it comes to research, and is often misunderstood by students. IAs a student, it’s important that you understand what plagiarism really means, and if you are unclear, be sure to ask your teachers.

5. Consult and collaborate with a librarian

A librarian is always a good person to have around, especially when it comes to research. Most students don’t seek help from their school librarian, however, this person tends to be someone with a vast amount of knowledge when it comes to research skills and where to look for reliable sources.

6. Use library databases

There are tons of online library resources that don’t require approaching anyone. These databases are generally loaded with useful information that has something for every student’s specific needs.

7. Practice effective reading

It’s highly beneficial to practice effective reading, and there are no shortage of ways to do it. One effective way to improve your research skills it to ask yourself questions using a variety of perspectives, putting yourself in the mind of someone else and trying to see things from their point of view.

There are many critical reading strategies that can be useful, such as making summaries from annotations, and highlighting important passages.

Thesis definition

A thesis is a specific theory or statement that is to be either proved or maintained. Generally, the intentions of a thesis are stated, and then throughout, the conclusions are proven to the reader through research. A thesis is crucial for research because it is the basis of what we are trying to prove, and what guides us through our writing.

What Skills Do You Need To Be A Researcher?

One of the most important skills needed for research is independence, meaning that you are capable of managing your own work and time without someone looking over you.

Critical thinking, problem solving, taking initiative, and overall knowing how to work professionally in front of your peers are all crucial for effectively conducting research .

1. Fact check your sources

Knowing how to evaluate information in your sources and determine whether or not it’s accurate, valid or appropriate for the specific purpose is a first on the list of research skills.

2. Ask the right questions

Having the ability to ask the right questions will get you better search results and more specific answers to narrow down your research and make it more concise.

3. Dig deeper: Analyzing

Don’t just go for the first source you find that seems reliable. Always dig further to broaden your knowledge and make sure your research is as thorough as possible.

4. Give credit

Respect the rights of others and avoid plagiarizing by always properly citing your research sources.

5. Utilize tools

There are endless tools out there, such as useful websites, books, online videos, and even on-campus professionals such as librarians that can help. Use all the many social media networks out there to both gain and share more information for your research.

6. Summarizing

Summarizing plays a huge role in research, and once the data is collected, relevant information needs to be arranged accordingly. Otherwise it can be incredibly overwhelming.

7. Categorizing

Not only does information need to be summarized, but also arranged into categories that can help us organize our thoughts and break down our materials and sources of information.

Photo by  Noelle Otto  from  Pexels

What are different types of research, 1. qualitative.

This type of research is exploratory research and its aim is to obtain a better understanding of reasons for things. Qualitative research helps form an idea without any specific fixed pattern. Some examples include face-to-face interviews or group discussions.

2. Quantitative

Quantitative research is based on numbers and statistics. This type of research uses data to prove facts, and is generally taken from a large group of people.

3. Analytical

Analytical research has to always be done from a neutral point of view, and the researcher is intended to break down all perspectives. This type of research involves collecting information from a wide variety of sources.

4. Persuasive

Persuasive research describes an issue from two different perspectives, going through both the pros and cons of both, and then aims to prove their preference towards one side by exploring a variety of logical facts.

5. Cause & Effect

In this type of research, the cause and effects are first presented, and then a conclusion is made. Cause and effect research is for those who are new in the field of research and is mostly conducted by high school or college students.

6. Experimental Research

Experimental research involves very specific steps that must be followed, starting by conducting an experiment. It is then followed by sharing an experience and providing data about it. This research is concluded with data in a highly detailed manner.

7. Survey Research

Survey research includes conducting a survey by asking participants specific questions, and then analyzing those findings. From that, researchers can then draw a conclusion.

8. Problem-Solution Research

Both students and scholars alike carry out this type of research, and it involves solving problems by analyzing the situation and finding the perfect solution to it.

What it Takes to Become a Researcher

• Critical thinking

Research is most valuable when something new is put on the table. Critical thinking is needed to bring something unique to our knowledge and conduct research successfully.

• Analytical thinking

Analytical thinking is one of the most important research skills and requires a great deal of practice. Such a skill can assist researchers in taking apart and understanding a large amount of important information in a short amount of time.

• Explanation skills

When it comes to research skills, it’s not just about finding information, but also about how you explain it. It’s more than just writing it out, but rather, knowing how to clearly and concisely explain your new ideas.

• Patience is key

Just like with anything in life, patience will always take you far. It might be difficult to come by, but by not rushing things and investing the time needed to conduct research properly, your work is bound for success.

• Time management

Time is the most important asset that we have, and it can never be returned back to us. By learning time management skills , we can utilize our time in the best way possible and make sure to always be productive in our research.

What You Need to Sharpen Your Research Skills

Research is one of the most important tasks that students are given in college, and in many cases, it’s almost half of the academic grade that one is given.

As we’ve seen, there are plenty of things that you’ll need to sharpen your research skills — which mainly include knowing how to choose reliable and relevant sources, and knowing how to take them and make it your own. It’s important to always ask the right questions and dig deeper to make sure that you understood the full picture.

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At UoPeople, our blog writers are thinkers, researchers, and experts dedicated to curating articles relevant to our mission: making higher education accessible to everyone. Read More

How To Become A Research Scientist: What To Know

Updated: Feb 29, 2024, 1:40pm

Research is at the center of everything we know and discover, whether it’s food science, engineering, wildlife or the climate. Behind these discoveries, a research scientist conducts experiments, collects data, and shares their findings with the world.

Research and development scientist, or R&D scientist, is a broad career term that encompasses numerous types of scientists, from geologists to historians. Still, every research scientist has the same goal of furthering their field through experimentation and data analysis.

Browse this guide to discover how to become a research scientist and learn about this role, responsibilities and career outlook.

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What Does a Research Scientist Do?

Research scientists design and conduct research projects and experiments to collect and interpret relevant data. Many research scientists work in laboratory settings for universities, private businesses or government agencies.

These professionals are key players in many industries, from healthcare to marine biology . For instance, a chemist may test various materials for future upgrades to a medical device, while a wildlife research scientist might conduct long-term studies on a species’s breeding patterns.

The typical duties of a research scientist, regardless of their industry and position, include:

• Identifying research needs
• Collaborating with other professionals in a project
• Conducting research and experiments
• Writing laboratory reports
• Writing grant proposals
• Analyzing data
• Presenting research to appropriate audiences
• Developing research-related plans or projects

Research scientists may face challenges throughout their careers, like securing research funding or staying updated with policy changes and technologies. Additionally, to become involved in high-level research projects, research scientists usually need a doctoral degree, requiring substantial time and financial commitment.

How To Become a Research Scientist

The path to becoming a research scientist depends on your desired type of work.

For example, if you plan to become a research scientist for a hospital’s oncology department, you’ll likely need a doctoral degree and postdoctoral research experience. However, a product development researcher may only need a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

The following steps outline the general path needed for many research scientist positions.

Earn a Bachelor’s Degree

Research scientists can start by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a field relevant to the research they want to conduct. For instance, an undergraduate degree in natural resources is helpful to become a wildlife biologist, while a prospective forensic scientist can pursue a degree in forensics.

If you’re undecided about your post-graduate goals, you can pursue a general major like chemistry, biology or physics before choosing a more field-specific master’s or doctoral degree.

Complete a Master’s Degree

Many higher-level research jobs require a master’s degree in a relevant field. Pursuing a master’s degree lets you gain work experience before beginning a doctorate, sets you apart from other doctoral candidates and qualifies you for advanced research positions.

However, you can skip a master’s degree and enter a doctoral program. Many doctoral programs only require a bachelor’s degree for admission, so you could save time and money by choosing that route rather than earning a master’s.

Get a Doctoral Degree

Doctorates require students to hone their research skills while mastering their field of interest, making these degrees the gold standard for research scientists.

A doctorate can take four to six years to complete. Research scientists should opt for the most relevant doctorate for their career path, like clinical research, bioscience or developmental science.

Pursue a Research Fellowship

Some jobs for research scientists require candidates to have experience in their field, making a research fellowship beneficial. In a research fellowship, students execute research projects under the mentorship of an industry expert, often a researcher within the student’s college or university.

Students can sometimes complete a fellowship while pursuing their doctoral degree, but other fellowships are only available to doctoral graduates.

Research Scientist Salary and Job Outlook

Payscale reports the average research scientist earns about $87,800 per year as of February 2024. However, research scientist salaries can vary significantly depending on the field and the scientist’s experience level.

For example, Payscale reports that entry-level research scientists earn about $84,000 annually, but those with 20 or more years of experience average approximately $106,000 as of February 2024.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports salary data for several types of research scientist careers. For example, a geoscientist earns a median wage of about $87,000, while the median wage of a physicist is around $139,000 as of May 2022.

As salaries vary based on research science positions, so does demand. To illustrate, the BLS projects the need for chemists and materials scientists to grow by 6% from 2022 to 2032 but projects medical scientist jobs to increase by 10% in the same timeframe. Both projections demonstrate above-average career growth, however.

Research Scientist Specializations

A research scientist can work in many industries, so it’s crucial to understand your options before beginning your studies. Pinpointing a few areas of interest can help you find the right educational path for your future career.

Research scientists can specialize in life, physical or earth sciences.

Life science researchers like botanists, biologists and geneticists study living things and their environments. Physical research scientists, like chemists and physicists, explore non-living things and their interactions with an environment. Earth science researchers like meteorologists and geologists study Earth and its features.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Becoming a Research Scientist

What degree does a research scientist need.

Research scientist education requirements vary by specialization, but entry-level research positions require at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. Some employers prefer a master’s or doctoral degree, as advanced degrees demonstrate specialized knowledge and research experience.

How do I start a career in scientific research?

Research scientists need at least a bachelor’s degree. Many graduates pursue a master’s or doctoral degree while gaining experience with an entry-level position, internship or fellowship.

Does being a research scientist pay well?

Research scientist careers generally pay well; some specializations pay more than others. For example, the BLS reports a median salary of about $67,000 for zoologists and wildlife biologists as of May 2022, but physicists and astronomers earn just over $139,000 annually.

How many years does it take to become a research scientist?

It can take up to 10 years to become a doctorate-prepared research scientist, plus another one to five years to complete a postdoctoral fellowship. Entry-level research scientist roles may only require a four-year bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree, which takes one to two years.

Do you need a Ph.D. to be a research scientist?

No, not all research scientists need a Ph.D. Entry-level roles like forensic scientist technicians may only need a bachelor’s degree, and sociologists and economists usually need a master’s. Some research scientist roles, like physicists and medical scientists, require a doctoral degree.

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As a self-proclaimed lifelong learner and former educator, Amy Boyington is passionate about researching and advocating for learners of all ages. For over a decade, Amy has specialized in writing parenting and higher education content that simplifies the process of comparing schools, programs and tuition rates for prospective students and their families. Her work has been featured on several online publications, including Online MBA, Reader’s Digest and BestColleges.

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Research Makes for Better Doctors, Benefits Patients

Research helps create good doctors because they are better able to critically evaluate new evidence and provide the best patient care with the latest knowledge.

By Wendy Sarubbi | April 2, 2019

Research doesn’t end when students graduate. Conducting research keeps practicing engineers, emergency management operators and doctors current on new techniques and allows them to discover best practices that can impact entire industries.

That’s why medical residents continue to conduct research once they are treating patients in hospitals.

The leaders of the UCF/HCA consortium residency programs in Central and North Florida say research and other scholarly activity create scientific knowledge and help physicians share best practices, which is why they emphasize it as part of their programs.

It’s no surprise those residents conducted more than 300 scholarly research projects in the last year – scholarly work that residency leaders say is making the young doctors better caregivers.

“Scholarly activities and research help our physicians learn how to critically evaluate the scientific literature and medical studies,” says Hale Toklu, director of graduate medical education research for the North Florida Division.

UCF’s associate dean for graduate medical education Diane Davey agrees.

“Research helps you become a better physician because you are able to more critically evaluate new evidence and provide the best patient care,” Davey says. “Physicians experienced in research will be able design high quality patient safety and quality improvement studies in their own practices in the future.”

A recent report about the consortium’s research efforts showed that from 2017 to 2018, UCF-HCA residents in the North Florida Division increased their scientific efforts four-fold. In 2018, those physicians-in-training conducted 324 research projects. Twenty percent of those studies were published in medical journals or books and 43 percent were presented at a scientific meeting. About half of those studies are ongoing.

Some residents conducted case reports highlighting and researching a unique or unusual case they treated. Others conducted quality control studies on ways to improve patient outcomes. Others did research using HCA’s national patient database. With more than 34 million patient encounters a year at 179 HCA hospitals in 21 states, HCA’s database has been the foundation for nationwide studies, including a landmark 2013 study that reduced potentially deadly MRSA infections by 44 percent in hospital intensive care units.

Matthew Calestino, who leads the consortium’s Transitional Year residency at North Florida Regional in Gainesville, organized the first annual North Florida Chapter SHM Scientific Symposium in Jacksonville recently. The SHM represents those who care for hospitalized patients – including physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and hospital administrators — and is focused on improving the quality of in-patient care.

UCF/HCA residents Hiren Patel and Jake Cho won the top two poster awards. Research posters at the event came from the Internal Medicine residents at the University of Florida’s Jacksonville location, Orange Park Medical Center, Ocala Regional Medical Center, Oak Hill Hospital and the greater Orlando program anchored at Osceola Regional Medical Center as well as the Internal Medicine, Transitional Year and Psychiatry residents from North Florida Regional Medical Center.

In 2018, the recent report showed, North Florida Regional Medical Center led all UCF-HCA consortium locations with its number of research projects, and the internal medicine program headed by Christopher Bray had the highest number in the consortium.

Toklu says research during residency is associated with superior clinical performance. By doing research and participating in scholarly activities, young physicians gain insight into how diseases progress, preventative medicine and differential diagnosis. That means patients will benefit.

The UCF College of Medicine and HCA’s North Florida Division offer residency programs at Osceola, Ocala and North Florida regional medical centers and will soon begin residencies at West Florida Hospital in Pensacola. The Orlando VA Medical Center also participates in several of the programs.

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Voices for change. How a strong research training can help you become a change agent

Are you someone who want to see change happen, but aren’t sure what tools you need? Do you spot problems with care or care provision, but don’t know what to do to help others both see the problem, or help create a workable solution?

Many of us have been in similar situations but feel disempowered to do anything meaningful to help create change. It may be that some of the tools you need to help create change are found in the research toolkit.

What is the research toolkit?

Well, first and foremost it is a way of seeing and questioning. It’s about not only having an enquiring mind but knowing that you may need certain forms of data and evidence to help shift thinking about the problem that confronts people.

Second, it is knowing that following a clear research process (from problem to research question to design and beyond) will help create robust findings that people will have confidence in, to help plan change solutions.

Third, it is about bringing logical thinking to bear, following relevant threads of information and evidence to weave together into actionable recommendations.

How do you obtain this research toolkit?

Well, it always comes as a surprise to people when I say that the ‘basic’ training to do this is a PhD. Given that a PhD is the highest degree available, it seems odd to say that this is ‘basic’. However, it is fundamentally typically the most comprehensive and wide-ranging research education available, equipping people to understand as much about what they don’t know (yet) as much as what they do (and how to find out what they don’t know!).

In our well-established online, international, PhD in Palliative Care programme here at Lancaster University, we can see the change happening in our students as they engage in their learning journey, both within and beyond their PhD project. We can see them being voices for change in many of the challenges that have been identified, and where research data and its interpretation can play a part in enabling change.

Let’s look at the experience of our current students and alumni, that might inspire you.

First, Claude Chidiac used some of the research skills gained through his current PhD studies to collect, organise and interpret service data at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This work is now published 1 

He recounts: “The International Observatory on End of Life Care (IOELC) is an ideal place to do a PhD because of its world-class professors in palliative care, and its extensive connections globally.

This international exposure has made it much easier for me to harness the research skills obtained throughout my PhD studies and apply them in my PhD research.

Having studied in five different universities across four different countries, I find IOELC special because of the mentorship and support provided by faculty members. I have been privileged to have wonderful supervisors who care about me and my research, which for me as a student, is equally important to having experienced supervisors.

What really stood out for me is that the mentorship and support have gone beyond my PhD research, which I believe will be crucial in preparing me to advance my research career post PhD. This has led me to use my research skills in my job as a Nurse Consultant and publish several papers in peer-reviewed journals, independent of my PhD research, with the support of my supervisors.” (Claude Chidiac, Nurse Consultant Palliative Care and Clinical Lead for End-of-Life Care at NHS).

Second, Dr Naveen Salins has continued to collaborate with staff at the International Observatory on End of Life Care since the award of his PhD in 2021.

“After graduating from Lancaster University with a PhD in palliative care, I collaborated with the IOELC on a theory of change (TOC) project involving ICU physicians as stakeholders.

Together, we conducted TOC workshops and developed a causal map to achieve exceptional end-of-life care in the ICUs. Our work was published in the Journal of Critical Care 2 , a high-impact journal in the ICU speciality.

This collaboration significantly impacted my hospital, leading to improved and early palliative care, a reduction in the average length of ICU stay from 15 to 9 days, and more cost-effective treatment. Furthermore, it sparked interest among ICU physicians in researching end-of-life care.

It served as a supporting document for legal deliberations at the Supreme Court in India, ultimately influencing a favourable verdict in 2023. Additionally, our collaborative work informed the 2024 position statement on palliative care in the ICU.” (Dr. Naveen Salins, Professor & Head of the Dept, Department of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India).

If you want to learn more about studying for a PhD with Lancaster University, you can follow the link here https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/postgraduate-courses/palliative-care-phd/2024/

Our part-time PhD in Palliative Care takes around 4-7 years depending on the time you have available and is primarily studied online, allowing students to continue working in their home countries. This flexible programme is designed to suit working professionals.

Lancaster University’s Palliative Care PhD offers a unique blended learning approach, combining online modules with independent research.

Engage with world-leading researchers at the International Observatory on End of Life Care and enhance your research skills. Benefit from face-to-face interactions during the annual Induction Academies and flexible part-time study. As the demand for quality palliative care grows, contribute to impactful research that improves the quality of life for those with palliative care needs.

If you are passionate about driving change in end-of-life care and want to equip yourself with the tools to make a real impact, consider pursuing a PhD in Palliative Care at Lancaster University.

This programme offers comprehensive research training that will empower you to become a change agent, improving the quality of life for those with palliative care needs worldwide. For more information, email our admission tutor, Dr Yakubu Salifu, at [email protected].

Other contact information social media

• International Observatory on End of Life Care (IOELC) website: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/health-and-medicine/research/ioelc/
• IOELC Twitter (X): @IOELC
• Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-observatory-on-end-of-life-care/
• Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/LU.IOELC

1 Chidiac C, Feuer D, Flatley M, Rodgerson A, Grayson K, Preston N. The need for early referral to palliative care especially for Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in a COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a service evaluation. Palliative Medicine. 2020;34(9):1241-1248. doi:10.1177/0269216320946688 Rao, S. R., Salins, N., Remawi, B. N., Rao, S., Shanbaug, V.,

2 Arjun, N. R., … & Preston, N. (2023). Stakeholder engagement as a strategy to enhance palliative care involvement in intensive care units: A theory of change approach. Journal of Critical Care, 75, 154244.

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Research careers – Harnessing the power of postdocs

14 August 2024

We must ensure postdocs are well armed to take the next step to become a group leader but, says Ally Walters, we can’t neglect other career options… there are many ways to be a vital part of cancer research

Postdocs are the engine of academic research.

The combination of their problem solving and highly technical skills make them essential for driving progress in research. They also act as role models and fulfil a key role in helping to train PhD, Masters, and Undergraduate students. Life as a postdoc can be an enormously rewarding and productive – unshackled from the requirement to generate a thesis and armed with a refined scientific skillset, postdocs are primed to run with a project and make things happen.

However, it’s also a career stage where researchers face significant challenges, particularly around job precarity and career progression. Indeed, discussions at CRUK’s recent Postdoc Futures event brought into sharp focus the fact that postdocs need more support in taking the next step in their careers.

We clearly need brilliant scientists in academia and should be doing all we can to attract, support, and retain them.

When we asked attendees at the meeting what their career plans were, half of them wanted to take the academic group leader path. Among this group, many felt that they were not getting enough support to help them take this step, citing challenges with carving out your own research niche while working within someone else’s group, developing leadership and management skills, and finding the time and guidance to write fellowship and other funding proposals as key barriers to progress.

And that’s a problem. We clearly need brilliant scientists in academia and should be doing all we can to attract, support, and retain them. That is why we at CRUK have developed our new Bridge to Academic Leadership programme which aims to do exactly this.

However I’d argue we should also be doing more to help those in the other half of the room.

What is postdoc success?

I faced my stick or twist moment after 7 years as a postdoc. I clearly remember the moment where I stopped wondering whether I could be a group leader in academia and asked whether I wanted to be one.

I also remember the slight feeling of failure as I said “I don’t want to be a PI” out loud to my supervisor.

Since I started my postdoc in 2010, there has been a significant shift in the perception that everyone who does a postdoc will stay in academia. However, there is still a culture where the expected next step for a “successful” postdoc is to be a group leader.

But academia is not the only route to using your postdoctoral experience, there are many equally valuable options. The skills (analytical, technical, communication, project management…. the list goes on) and personal qualities (perseverance, adaptability, independence to name a few) possessed by a postdoc are highly desirable within many sectors.

The panel discussion at Postdoc Futures showcased the breadth of options open to those with a strong research background. The speakers, who were all cancer postdoc alumni, included a cancer data analyst working in the NHS, the Chief Operating Officer of a research institute, as well as individuals working in publishing, research funding, tech transfer and industry. Although all on different career paths now, each of them spoke about how the skills they gained as postdocs helped to get them where they are today.

Empowering postdocs to take their next step

To help those who want to stay in academia, funders and host institutions should focus on identifying and filling the gaps in training that leave postdocs feeling underprepared to make the transition to group leader.

For those whose next steps lie outside of academia, we as a community should ensure that postdocs are aware of the professional value their training gives them. We need to be more open about celebrating next steps that allow postdocs to continue to contribute to cancer research beyond academia.

Those who move back and forth between academia and industry, for example, bring great value to both sectors in terms of their skills and experience.

We should also do more to encourage cross sector mobility. Leaving academia shouldn’t be seen as a one-way ticket. Those who move back and forth between academia and industry, for example, bring great value to both sectors in terms of their skills and experience.

Looking back, I wish I’d had a conversation about my next steps much sooner than I did. Early and open conversations between postdocs and their supervisors are key to career progression.

So, the advice of this ex-postdoc is: postdocs, you are chock full of incredibly desirable skills, your future is bright – but make sure to be pro-active about talking about your next steps. And supervisors, be open in encouraging your team members to carry their postdoc superpowers into their next role, whatever that may be.

Dr Ally Walters

Ally is a Research Programme Manager for  Research Careers at Cancer Research UK

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Throughout the program, you'll integrate knowledge and theory of health policy, organizations, and health care financing and use it as a basis for the provision of quality, cost-effective care. Our program's core curriculum is curated to develop and increase your competencies in theory analysis and evaluation; concept clarification and development; research and refined skills in clinical inquiry; leadership; and analysis of contemporary issues. Building on the core curriculum, you'll apply your new knowledge and skills in a clinical setting. This will prepare you well for a variety of advanced nursing roles across health care settings and help you demonstrate effective advocacy for diverse populations.

Students select a population focus of either adult-gerontologic or family health nursing and are prepared for the role of nursing educator or nursing administration/leadership and management. If you are interested in pursuing the nurse practitioner or nurse executive role preparations, you should apply to our post-baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice (BSN-to-DNP) degree option.

No matter which focus you choose, we are here to support you and your goals with an accredited program and expert faculty to guide you on this exciting journey.

Program Details

Accreditation information.

The baccalaureate degree program in  nursing, master's degree program in nursing, and Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) , 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791, through December 31, 2031.

The programs are also approved by the Wisconsin State Board of Nursing.

At UW-Eau Claire, we understand that you may have other things to juggle in addition to graduate school, such as working full time or family obligations. Advisors are here to help you plan your schedule each step of the way. We offer both full-time and part-time program plans, and you can take up to seven years to complete your degree — all while being supported by knowledgeable and caring faculty. 

UWEC’s collaborations with renowned health care organizations allow students to be a part of innovative research while also networking with a wide array of health care providers. Education and health science graduate students also have access to a variety of research opportunities while working with clients in on-campus clinical facilities using state-of-the-art technology.

Blugold Stories

Where can the master of science in nursing program lead me after graduation?

A master's degree in nursing opens the door to new and exciting career opportunities. Our CCNE-accredited program will increase your leadership skills, update your health care provider knowledge and help you stand out when applying for jobs. A master’s degree in nursing also allows you to become a nurse educator, shaping the future of professional nursing.

Example Careers

• Nurse Educator
• Nursing Faculty
• Nurse Administrator
• Nurse Manager

Courses throughout the MSN program are designed to build on your core nursing knowledge, helping you to become an expert in your field. You can personalize your studies to focus on education or administration career goals and take courses that align best with your passions and interests. Together, you and your advisor will select courses to increase your knowledge, population focus and functional role preparation. In the classroom, you'll examine health policy, personal and professional transitions, and ever-evolving, advanced nursing roles. 

Students can select full-time or part-time programs of study. You can find information on potential course sequencing in the MSN Sample Program Plan . Courses are offered during fall semester, Winterim, and spring semester. The program plan begins in the fall semester. 

Here are a few courses in Master of Science in Nursing at UW-Eau Claire.

Leadership and Health Policy in Nursing

Leadership application for the graduate-prepared nurse with an analysis of external and internal influences. Examination of health policy, personal and professional transitions, and evolving advanced nursing roles.

Conceptual and Theoretical Foundations of Nursing

The basic philosophies, concepts and theories, and ethical decision-making frameworks underlying the development of the discipline of nursing are examined. Emphasis is focused on the development of nursing knowledge.

Nursing Research: Methods

Philosophies of science, research methodologies, and qualitative and quantitative data analyses are examined. Legal and ethical issues applicable to nursing research are discussed.

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Meet the Faculty

Related Programs

Thinking about studying master of science in nursing? You might also be interested in exploring these related programs.

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University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

105 Garfield Avenue  P.O. Box 4004  Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004 

715-836-4636

Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

Five Ways to Tap Into Other People’s Wisdom

Early in my career, I encountered an idea from my mentor, Chris Argyris, that forever changed the way I looked at myself and those around me: More often than not, highly educated, successful people are actually the least likely to learn what they most need to know.

Why? The people around us are walking around with valuable insights and information that could help us personally and professionally. But in order to access it, we have to cultivate a tolerance for not knowing.

Over the past 30 years, I’ve consulted to top executives at Fortune 500 companies around the world, overseen the training of thousands of teachers, managed teams of people with diverse backgrounds and skill sets, even built a thriving organization from the ground up. Time and again, I’ve seen just how often people fail to learn from those around them, and how costly this problem is to relationships, teams, and organizations. 

But I’ve also seen that when people do manage to overcome this problem, it opens up whole new levels of learning, growth, and connection. Leaders I worked with described the immense relief of finally breaking out of long-standing patterns, the lightbulb moment of discovering the key insight that had kept them in the dark without even realizing it. I watched relationships shift from sources of conflict and anxiety to mutual understanding and collaboration.

What’s more, I discovered that learning what others really think, feel, and know is a concrete skill set —one that anyone can learn and apply to their life—at work, at home, and in their communities. Here are five steps that can increase your self-awareness, help you make smarter decisions, and bring new levels of depth and meaning to your relationships. 

1. Choose curiosity

Without the ability to get truly curious about what you don’t know, you’ll never ask the questions you need to find out. 

Each of us is constantly telling ourselves stories about our own lives and the people in them. Our friend isn’t returning our calls because they’re secretly mad at us. Our coworker keeps missing deadlines because they just assume we will pick up the slack. We loop and loop, working ourselves into a tizzy of judgment and resentment and anxiety, so certain about our own perspective that we don’t get curious about what we might not be seeing.

Choosing curiosity is all about breaking out of these certainty loops. We tend to default to certainty instead of curiosity due to a combination of psychological biases and cultural conditioning that make it feel more comfortable to stick to what we (think) we already know. The problem is that we forget that the story we are telling ourselves is only one of many possibilities, and our story may be very different from someone else’s. Curiosity interrupts this default mode and slows our thinking enough to consider what we don’t yet know.

The next time you catch yourself feeling certain, try injecting more curiosity into your thinking. What information about this person or situation might you be overlooking? How might you be inadvertently contributing to the very problem you’re concerned about? What challenges might the other person be up against that you can’t see? Deliberately asking yourself these questions fires up your genuine curiosity and motivates you to discover what others have to teach you. 

2. Make it safe

Decades of research by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson and others have demonstrated that in order for people to speak up, they need to believe that you will not judge, shame, or punish them for sharing openly with you. This is all the more important if you are interacting across lines of difference, such as age, race, or gender, all of which can intensify the risks (real or perceived) of speaking candidly.

The key here is that it’s up to you to make it as safe, easy, and appealing as possible for the people in your life to speak honestly. If in past interactions you have reacted negatively or judgmentally, you have to work extra hard to make it safe going forward. But even if you haven’t, it’s very likely that the other person has experienced shame or punishment from others for speaking honestly and still feels unsafe at some level. While it’s easy to feel like they “should” feel safe with you, it’s far more effective to take extra steps to ensure they actually are. 

To make it safe, communicate that you can handle whatever they have to say and—this part is essential—won’t hold them responsible for any emotional reactions you have. The fear of hurting, upsetting, or angering you is the number-one reason people don’t tell you what they really think or feel. Identifying and assuaging this fear up front is often the permission slip people need to start sharing. But remember—once you make this promise, you have to keep it. 

I once experienced the power of this step during a progress meeting with an investor. Before I shared my update, she opened by explicitly stating that she didn’t expect things to be perfect and actually wanted to hear about what wasn’t going as planned with the project. This simple move dissolved any assumptions I had about what she wanted to hear and allowed me to feel safe sharing less-than-shiny information with her, information that was critical for her ability to get a full picture of the state of the project. The result? We both left the conversation with a more realistic sense of the status of the project as well as deeper trust in our relationship.

3. Pose quality questions

Foundation set, it’s time to start asking questions. Unfortunately, most adults ask far fewer questions than we should, and the ones we do are often motivated by a desire other than learning and understanding, such as convincing, proving, blaming, or even attacking the other person—even if we don’t realize it. Yes-or-no questions (“don’t you agree?”) or those that put people on the defensive (“what were you thinking?”) do not produce any valuable information, and can actually shut down conversations.

By contrast, quality questions help you learn something from the other person. They signal true curiosity, reflecting a genuine intent to learn from and understand the other person—not to prove a point or influence or fix them. They invite honesty by being clear and direct, with no alternate agenda. Quality questions tap into the other person’s story to surface the underlying meanings, reasons, emotions, and experiences. 

Questions can be used for a variety of purposes. They can help you identify what someone really cares about ( what matters most to you in this situation? ) or surface the logic beneath their beliefs or actions ( can you walk me through your thought process? ). You can use questions to enlist someone’s help in solving a problem ( I’m stuck. Can you help me think this through? ) or to find holes in your own reasoning ( what do you think I might be missing? ). Understanding your own goal for asking the question is essential to choosing the right one for the job. 

4. Listen to learn

How we listen determines how much we learn and how deeply we connect. But while 96% of people think of themselves as good listeners, research finds that we hear (and retain) only a sliver of what people are really telling us. It’s easy to feel like you’re listening, when what you’re really doing is waiting quietly until it’s your turn to respond, or scanning the other person’s words for holes and ammunition you can use to defend yourself or rebuff their argument.

Whenever you catch yourself doing this, remind yourself that your only goal is to understand what the other person is trying to share with you. Everything else—yes, even your very best counterpoints—must take a seat in order to free up the attentional resources you need to listen for multiple levels of meaning simultaneously.

Most people only listen through a single channel: the content of what others say. But to really listen to learn, you have to pay attention to two other channels. The second is emotion —the feelings, needs, and desires beneath the words. And third is action—what are they trying to do by telling you this? And what are they trying to get you to do? Only by listening to all three at once can you fully understand what someone is trying to express.

A friend of mine, Anna, recently had a challenging conversation with a colleague that left her feeling upset and a little indignant. Luckily, she had recorded the conversation (with permission, of course), so I recommended she go back and listen for emotion and action. Anna was stunned—she had been so focused on the content of her colleague’s critiques that she hadn’t noticed the edge of fear in her voice or that what she was really trying to do wasn’t to criticize Anna, but to seek reassurance that she was still committed to the project. Once Anna understood what her colleague had really been saying, they were able to have a much more productive conversation and move forward with the project from a stronger foundation.

5. Reflect and reconnect

Lastly, you have to process what you heard in a way that really allows you to learn and grow from it. You might be tempted to immediately begin fixing or solving or even apologizing. But this is when it pays to pause and take a beat so you can reflect on what you heard and what it means.

To do this, ask yourself these three questions: 

• How might what I heard revise my story about the situation?
• Based on what I heard, what action steps can I take? 
• How might what I heard challenge my deeper worldviews, assumptions, or ways of being?

Once you’ve reflected, share what you’ve learned and what you plan to do next with the person. This final step profoundly shapes the future of your relationship with them. When someone has taken the risk of sharing their honest thoughts or feelings with you, they want to know that it was worthwhile. If you don’t reconnect, it can leave the other person feeling unappreciated or, worse, used. But when you take the time to share what you’ve learned, you open the door to deeper connection and ongoing learning that benefits you both.

When Anna came back to share what she learned from their conversation and how it had impacted her, her colleague was moved and shared even more about her hopes for the project and her desire to continue partnering with Anna. From there, they were able to have a much more productive (and honest) conversation about key aspects they had previously struggled to get aligned on. They both left feeling heard and motivated to keep working and learning together.

In combination, these steps are nothing short of a superpower—one that anyone can use to transform their relationships and unlock unprecedented learning and growth in every area of their life.

About the Author

Jeff Wetzler

Jeff Wetzler, Ed.D. , is co-CEO of Transcend, a nationally recognized innovation organization, and an expert in learning and human potential. He is author of Ask: Tap Into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Unexpected Breakthroughs in Leadership and Life (Hachette Go, May 7, 2024).

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• Category: ID@Xbox

Twelve Tips & Tricks to Help You Become the Best Dinosaur Fossil Hunter

Welcome to the world of fossils! In Dinosaur Fossil Hunter , you can experience the work of a paleontologist firsthand. We’ve created this game out of our passion for dinosaurs. We’ve spent countless hours gathering information to transform it into a unique, relaxing simulator of paleontology. Here are a few introductory tips to enhance your adventure:

TIP 1 – Set Markers on the Map and Leave Your Tablet Open While Walking Around

This will make things much easier – one of your main tasks in the game will be searching for, excavating, securing, and transporting fossils. Press the “open tablet” button twice to be able to move around with the map open. Thanks to the ability to set target markers, you won’t miss any dig sites or special hidden finds, making the exploration of the area a pure pleasure.

TIP 2 – Choose the Weather and Time of Day you Prefer!

When you open the location selection tab on your tablet, you can choose not only the destination but also whether you want to work in the sunlight or moonlight. Be sure to check the weather forecast for the coming days and choose a climate that suits your mood.

TIP 3 – Carefully Read the Pop-up Screens and Hint Windows 

Of course, you can always go back to them, but we highly recommend doing it as you go. You’ll find a lot of useful information on how to handle fossils and the available equipment.

TIP 4 – Don’t Forget the Gas!

Cars run on fuel (who would have thought?), and so do some of the equipment useful at dig sites. So, make sure you have a gas canister filled with gasoline. Each HUB has a large fuel tank where you can refill fuel. If you run out of gas while in the field, check the map for full gas canister locations marked with a green fuel dispenser icon. In the later stages of the game, you’ll be able to order a drone with a mini-canister to a location of your choice. Once you’ve set up your dig site, you can find additional tools like generators or water pumps. In certain locations and weather conditions, these will be indispensable. So really, remember to keep your gas canister full!

TIP 5 – Each Car Has Different Properties

These are special task vehicles – each one has unique transport and off-road capabilities. It’s worth familiarizing yourself with all of them and choosing the best one for your needs. Keep this in mind when selecting locations and planning your work. If you forget to choose the right car, you can easily switch vehicles at the HUB using the laptop. If you get stuck in the mud remember to turn on the 4×4 and diff lock to drive out!

TIP 6 – Always Scrutinize the Markings on the Map and in your Environment

You can find special fossils and collectibles in the area. We have it on good authority that if you pay close attention to the map during your exploration, you’ll be able to find them all (even rare plants or dinosaur eggs!). If you come across a special, unique plant, take a photo of it so you can use it to decorate your exhibit.

TIP 7 – Museum Prestige and the Skill Tree are Not the Same Thing

Increase museum prestige by setting up your own exhibits, among other activities. This isn’t just about placing bones on a pedestal. You get to choose everything from the plants and rocks that adorn your displays to the very soil that forms the base of your dioramas; and all of that increases your museum prestige.

The higher your museum’s prestige, the more decorations, rooms, and, crucially, staff members you can access. Staff can assist with daily tasks, such as sending drones with supplies or fuel to your dig sites, cleaning bones, or significantly reducing your travel time between the HUB and your excavation sites. 

You can also gain skill points for work done personally. Those points enhance abilities such as digging, chiseling, and cleaning fossils. The skills tree allows you to perform manual tasks more quickly and even stay underwater longer during underwater excavations (oops, spoiler!).

TIP 8 – Always Perform an Inspection to Assemble Skeletons More Quickly

Identifying bones will help you select unique sets for cleaning and assembling, allowing you to complete your desired skeletons faster.

Pro Tip: Always check the Knowledge tab in your tablet — there you can see how many bones you’ve collected for each skeleton, where they are located, the progress of your skeletons, whether a particular set of bones is cleaned, and much more.

TIP 9 – Do Everything your Way – Choose, Rotate, Rearrange, and Decorate

There’s no single way to complete the game, and no universal recipe for your museum. It’s yours to create. Want to mix dinosaur species from different terrains and eras in one exhibit? Go ahead. Dreaming of tools in vibrant fuchsia? Feel free. If you want a beautifully designed museum but are worried about things going wrong, don’t stress – you can always adjust the placement of objects, remove them, or even delete the entire exhibit if needed. It’s your museum, and you’re in control.

There are plenty of museum customization options available – from the layout and walls to the flooring. Each decoration can be rotated, some of them may also be resized.

Remember to choose the poses for your dinosaurs, that will add expression to your exhibition. Don’t forget about the option to add water to your exhibit, which you can also customize according to your expectations – you can select its depth, color, shape, and the type of the bottom. Check the control hints and tutorials to explore all your customization options.

TIP 10 – There are Usually Several Ways to Reach your Goal

Some paths may be blocked by trees, boulders, or layers of deep mud. But don’t worry – these obstacles can be removed (well, except for the mud, but that’s what your 4×4 drive is for, if you remember to turn it on). Sometimes you’ll find alternative routes that help you bypass obstacles. And remember, you can always choose to navigate around designated paths!

TIP 11 – Make Sure You’ve Packed your Excavation Equipment

You can only pick up your gear at the HUB, so to avoid turning back halfway (or worse, once you’re already at the site), we’ve added a reminder before each departure from the HUB. Let’s be honest: our internal tests showed that without this reminder – we often ended up making a U-turn.

TIP 12 – Make your Life Easier!

As you progress through the game you can unlock various automation features. Call drones which will bring you empty crates or transport the unearthed fossils to a museum for you. Use fast travel to quickly jump between HUBs and excavations. Hire museum workers who will clean the bones for you or call for a refueling drone if you get stuck in the middle of nowhere. 

About Pyramid Games

Founded in 2012, Pyramid Games is a small game development studio passionate about science and science-fiction. Currently employing about 30 developers in our studio in Lublin, Poland. Our upcoming games focus on the topic of exploring the unknown and gathering knowledge for mankind, providing not only fun but also knowledge. We make games about the topics we are passionate about such as space exploration, engineering, paleontology and exploration.

Dinosaur Fossil Hunter is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC today!

Dinosaur Fossil Hunter – Paleontology Simulator

Pyramid Games