What do you think?
Rate this book
The Art of Being a Scientist: A Guide for Graduate Students and their Mentors
This is a hands-on guide for graduate students and young researchers wishing to perfect the practical skills needed for a successful research career. By teaching junior scientists to develop effective research habits, the book helps to make the experience of graduate study a more efficient and rewarding one. This book is an outgrowth of the notes for the graduate course, "The Art of Science," taught by the authors at Colorado School of Mines and highly rated and appreciated by students over the years. A sample curriculum, which parallels the curriculum followed in the authors' course, is available in the book as Appendix B, and as an online resource. This sample is offered as a possible starting point for instructors in graduate schools wanting to teach a similar course at their university.
Topics covered in the book include: choosing a research topic, department, and advisor; making workplans; the ethics of research; using scientific literature; perfecting oral and written communication; publishing papers; writing proposals; managing time effectively; and planning a scientific career and applying for jobs in research and industry. The wealth of advice is invaluable to students, junior researchers and mentors in all fields of science, engineering, and the humanities.
Topics covered in the book include: choosing a research topic, department, and advisor; making workplans; the ethics of research; using scientific literature; perfecting oral and written communication; publishing papers; writing proposals; managing time effectively; and planning a scientific career and applying for jobs in research and industry. The wealth of advice is invaluable to students, junior researchers and mentors in all fields of science, engineering, and the humanities.
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 1, 2021
Like a 4.5/5!
This is the first book I've ever read about graduate school, and I found it extremely helpful. The authors note that this book could also be helpful to established scientists who will be mentoring younger students, but I expect that there would be more specific books for such an interest than this.
I haven't yet begun graduate school, so I have yet to encounter many of the topics discussed in this excellent book. However, if I had to recommend a time to read it, I think reading it before, or at the very beginning of the first year, of graduate school is best. It gives helpful suggestions for habit-building that I can begin to implement now. Additionally, critical choices in graduate school like the selection of a primary mentor usually happen within the first year; I feel better prepared going into first-year rotations because I have a host of new questions to consider when comparing labs and mentors. Overall, I was somewhat skeptical that this book wouldn't be very practical and would end up giving only very high-level or theoretical advice. But, I was pleasantly surprised to find it very useful. I can imagine referencing some key sections later on in graduate school.
This is the first book I've ever read about graduate school, and I found it extremely helpful. The authors note that this book could also be helpful to established scientists who will be mentoring younger students, but I expect that there would be more specific books for such an interest than this.
I haven't yet begun graduate school, so I have yet to encounter many of the topics discussed in this excellent book. However, if I had to recommend a time to read it, I think reading it before, or at the very beginning of the first year, of graduate school is best. It gives helpful suggestions for habit-building that I can begin to implement now. Additionally, critical choices in graduate school like the selection of a primary mentor usually happen within the first year; I feel better prepared going into first-year rotations because I have a host of new questions to consider when comparing labs and mentors. Overall, I was somewhat skeptical that this book wouldn't be very practical and would end up giving only very high-level or theoretical advice. But, I was pleasantly surprised to find it very useful. I can imagine referencing some key sections later on in graduate school.
November 5, 2019
Wish I had read this book as a first year PhD student or even as an undergrad. will definitely be recommending this book to younger students - easy to read with plenty of information that seems common sense but much that is not
July 30, 2011
Knowing one of the authors professionally led me to this book. Understanding his passion in wanting to help students, particularly graduate students in STEM fields, to succeed helped me push through it, in a non-academic setting. I think it's best delivered in a classroom setting, where discussions can occur. Regardless of the setting it is a straight-forward book with important points to ponder/consider.
Nothing earth-shattering but topics that we may have pushed to the side...that are helpful to consider.
Nothing earth-shattering but topics that we may have pushed to the side...that are helpful to consider.
May 24, 2011
I had to return this interlibrary loan long before I was finished...and I wasn't heartbroken about it. The writing style is overly wordy and the advice isn't anything unusual that I hadn't already seen somewhere else. If you can get past the writing style, and are brand new to science, this could be a good book, but if you already have some experience, it's probably not worth your time.
July 16, 2012
This book was dry but included some useful information. I will keep it around for the sections on writing papers and applying for postdoc positions. The writing was not as clear as I would expect for a published work and I found several mistakes and typos. Errors like these make it difficult to take the authors' advice on proofreading seriously.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews