Early Career Learning Program
The complete guide to getting your research published and establishing your research profile
With our program for early-career researchers you can master the process of publishing and promoting your research.
The program contains everything you need to know to get your research published in an academic journal and to build your profile as a researcher. You’ll also develop the key skills and knowledge you need to prepare for the next steps in your research career, from communication to presentation, to networking and more.
The learning program is delivered by email, and each week you’ll receive a link to one PDF chapter, which you can access whenever is most convenient for you. Over 12 weeks those chapters will build into an indispensable guide you can continue to use throughout your research career.
The 12 chapters of the learning program
Chapter 1: Understanding the process of publishing your research
Includes an infographic of the full publishing process from writing your article, through submission, review, and publication.
Chapter 2: Adhering to ethical guidance
This chapter focuses on the ethical standards you need to follow to publish your research in a reputable journal, from publishing ethics to defining authorship, and avoiding plagiarism.
Chapter 3: Choosing a journal
Reaching the right readers with your research means choosing the right journal, so with this chapter you’ll learn how to find a journal’s guidelines and identify reputable journals. We’ll also give you an overview of open access publishing.
Chapter 4: Writing for an academic journal
Writing for an academic journal requires a certain style of writing, so in chapter 4 we cover tips for writing to academic standards, including layout, format, imagery, data, and tables.
Chapter 5: Writing an effective title and abstract
Impact requires eyes on your article. And your title and abstract are like the shop window or trailer for your article. So, this chapter focuses on how to write an effective and informative title and abstract.
Chapter 6: Using keywords to improve discoverability
There are millions of articles out there, so how do you ensure that the right people find yours? That’s where keywords and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) come in, helping you improve discoverability and reach the right readers.
Chapter 7: Understanding the review process
The idea of peer review – having peers and editors scrutinize your manuscript – can be daunting. So in chapter 7 we help you understand what to expect when it comes to the review process.
Chapter 8: Producing your final article
What happens once your article has been accepted by a journal? This chapter covers the production process: copyright options, publishing agreements, editing, final proofs, and more.
Chapter 9: Understanding your research impact
‘Impact’ is a word that you’ll regularly hear when you work in research, but how can you really tell what impact your published article is having? This chapter focuses on the importance of impact, article metrics, and using Altmetric Attention Scores.
Chapter 11: Using social media to promote your work
In chapter 11 we’re zooming in on how you can use social media as a researcher, to promote your work and increase its readership. We’ve included how to choose which channels you use and how to increase your engagement on social media.
Chapter 12: Effectively presenting your work
Presentations can be an incredibly effective way to communicate your research. In the final chapter we cover advice for presenting, including tips and tricks for presentation, giving a conference paper, preparing a poster session, and developing your elevator pitch.
Sound like the right program for you? Sign up today and start learning:
(Think the mid-career program might be more what you’re looking for? Head over to the program outline to find out more.)