1. How to Become an Independent and Successful Researcher?
Andrzej M. Goscinski
October 2009

2. Plan Part 1 Part 2 Being a good researcher
Developing your area of expertise
Working individually and in a group
Finding a problem worthy of your attention
Doing research
Publishing
Applying for a grant
Networking – breaking into research community
Part 2
Research student supervision

3. Step 1 – Being a good researcher
You need good ideas and their implementation
You have to spend a lot of time reading papers
You must discuss your ideas with your colleagues
You have to write and revise your papers
You have to keep track of your research
Where you are going
Where have you been
You have to stay motivated
You have to work long hours
You should project yourself on the other side of a fence – learn from good things and your suffering of your PhD student time, and …
Other requirements ….
If you still don’t get it, go to the top of this list

4. Step 2 – Developing your area of expertise
Even if you have a PhD degree , starting your independent research is not easy
There are many reasons of this
You have been getting relaxed after your PhD time for too long
You do not know how to start, in which area, and whether it would be a good area
You can continue research in the area of your PhD study or / and go for a new area

5. Step 2 – Developing your area of expertise
You have to become an expert in one area – this should be your area of research for at least three years
What are you interested in? Specify!
Literature study
You should be able to see current and future trends
You should be able to review conference / journal papers in this area - when you review papers
You learn how to write papers
You improve your knowledge

6. Step 2 – Developing your area of expertise
You have to know neighbor areas
You should be able to link your area of specialism with those neighbour areas
You should be able to review conference / journal papers in those areas– when you review papers:
You learn how to write papers
You improve your knowledge

7. Step 3 – Working individually and in a group
It is easier to start your research as a member of a good research group
The very first stage is learning how to work in your research group – Computing / IT exploits working in groups extensively
You will benefit from working group meetings:
Project topics
Literature study
Review comments

8. Step 3 – Working individually and in a group
Working in groups also includes
Attending seminars
You should ask for feedback and provide feedback / ask questions and be grateful after you received questions – see queries as
Opportunity to clarify points of your research
Chance to hear opinions that may open another path of thought
Chance to analyse good points of your research
Remember: we attack problems, never presenters / speakers
Note: some do not understand this approach at all
You can identify errors / problems and propose solutions

9. Step 3 – Working individually and in a group
At some stage, not too late, you should start your independent research
You have to overcome psychological barriers
You have to overcome knowledge barriers
You have to overcome becoming independent researcher barriers

10. Step 4 – Finding a problem worthy of your attention
Finding a problem requires
Good general knowledge
Critical thinking
Freedom of thinking
Some form of “craziness”
Knowing what industry, business, people want
What helps to identify a problem?
Attending seminars
Participation in working meetings
Discussions with your group co-workers
Literature study
Watching technology trends

11. Step 4 – Finding a problem worthy of your attention
Try to do your research in the area of research of leading researchers of your organization
It is very difficult to start doing research on your own even if you think that you have found a great area
Go for something “yours” when you have become an independent researcher
Pick up a narrow, well defined topic
This could be like a topic for your PhD, but a bit wider and deeper
This will allow you to solve it in a well defined period of time
It will help you to build your confidence

12. Step 4 – Finding a problem worthy of your attention
If you think that you have found a problem, you have to confirm that it is a problem that it is “good” by answering the following questions
Is there any research published in this area?
Are there any results that could indicate that other researchers addressed that problem?
How far are you from their research?
Will solving it add to the current knowledge or create new knowledge?
Is it new?
Is it significant?
What are expected outcomes of the project?

13. Step 5 – Doing research
To be an independent and good researcher requires more than having a brilliant idea and being able to implement it!
You should develop a plan for your work / project
You should write weekly reports (journal) of your research activities and ideas
You will use these reports to prepare drafts of your technical reports
You will come back to the ideas you generated earlier

14. Step 5 – Doing research You have to spend a lot of time reading papers
You cannot read everything
Read selectively
Scan a paper before reading: go through the title, abstract, introduction and conclusions and answer a question “is this paper worthy my attention?”
Evaluate the paper
Organize your papers into area modules – you will be able to find a needed paper easily
You must discuss your ideas with your supervisor, advisor, mentor and colleagues
Discussions will help you refine your ideas
Asking questions will save you a lot of time
If you carry out experimental research you can get advice regarding implementation solutions

15. Step 5 – Doing research Staying focused and motivated
It is hard to maintain positive attitude and stay motivated
You can suffer from insecurity, anxiety, and even boredom – this is normal!
You should find a sympathetic ear: other colleagues, mentor
Identify your problems
Identify steps to resolve the issues
To stay focused and motivated, it helps to have organized activities
It is very important to manage your time well
Set up priorities
Do something everyday
Follow the plan
You have to be aware and stay aware of directly related research
You also must know about research in neighbour areas and new directions of your field

16. Step 6 – Publishing You publish or you perish
The best work never presented is a complete waste of your and other people time and somebody’s money
You need publications to get a job (good job)
You need publications to get promoted
You have to report on the outcomes of your project / work / advertise

17. Step 6 – Publishing
To start publishing you have to know how to write a paper
You already participated in the supervised reviewing – you have learned a lot about writing papers
Write a technical report if there are some initial results – it could not be enough for a paper, but you will learn a lot
You should submit a paper if you have something that could be called
“significant content” – this can be assessed by your advisor/mentor and yourself based on your knowledge of the current state of art in your area of research
Written in good writing style – you learned that when working on technical reports

18. Step 6 – Publishing
To start publishing you have to know how to write a paper
Note
The greatest idea if presented poorly will not be accepted for publication
A poor solution described very well will not be accepted
Outcomes and actions
Reviews can give you some feedback from people who read you paper
If your paper has been accepted, congratulations and go ahead harder
If your paper has been rejected, learn from reviewers’ comments, review your partial research, and generate another version of your paper

19. Step 7 – Applying for a grant
You need a grant for two main reasons
You want to carry out research, so you have to
Employ early career researcher(s), assistants
Buy equipment
Go to conferences
Currently, research income has become more important than research outcome, thus ….
However, the Government is thinking about putting more weight to outcomes (publications)

20. Step 7 – Applying for a grant
Getting a grant is not easy, because the success percentage of a granting agency is low
Writing application is not easy – but you have to learn how to write a grant application
There are two parts to any grant application
A good / hot problem that is worthy solving
Written application

21. Step 7 – Applying for a grant
If you carry out research you can find a good / hot problem
General recommendations
Page 1 of you application should clearly state
The reasons for proposing the project
Aim
What you want to do
Significance
Other parts of your project proposal must be consistent with the content of the first page

22. Step 7 – Applying for a grant
It is very good to start a grant application and project path as a member of a group led by an experienced researcher
The next stage should be such that you are a project leader and an experienced researcher is a member of the proposed research group
First apply for a university grant once or twice before going for a national level grant
If you have built good relationship with an industry partner you could go for that grant at the stage of applying for a university grant
Ask experienced researchers to read your application
Comments and suggestions help enormously

23. Step 8 – Networking – breaking into research community
You have to meet other researchers and you have to make yourself known
Professional networking is a must
You have to learn “how to network” – it is a learned skill
Activities of breaking into research community:
Attending conferences: do this actively
Present a paper
Get involved in discussions
If somebody expresses an interest in your work, follow up
Use to remind other researchers about your research and make enquiry about their research
Meeting established and influential researchers
Making yourself known

24. Step 8 – Networking – breaking into research community
Try to initiate cooperative research
Start with a small project and write a paper together
Go for a major project
Major cooperation problem: Australia is far away from the world and cooperation requires more than communication

25. Conclusion - To become an independent and successful researcher
You need good ideas and their implementation,
You have to spend a lot of time reading papers,
You must discuss your ideas with your colleagues,
You have to write and revise your papers,
You have to keep track with your research of where you are going and where have you been,
You have to stay motivated, you have to work long hours,
In general, you have to be a scholar.