In academic publishing, the affiliation of an author is the place (institution) at which the author conducted the research that they have reported / written about. This article explains the significance of affiliation and illustrates how to accurately mention your affiliation in different scenarios.

Our job as researchers is to contribute to the growth in understanding of our world. However, you may one day find yourself in a situation one day where you are tasked with researching a topic about which there is little or no existing and available published literature. In this article, we discuss how to tackle this situation.

When applying for a PhD, you may be requested to submit either a personal statement or a statement of purpose (SoP), or possibly both. This article explains the similarities and differences between them and some pointers for how to write each.

The statement of purpose (SoP) is the only personal document in most Master’s or PhD application packages. This article offers essential guidelines for writing an effective SoP.

A personal statement is an important part of a PhD application package, which, also typically includes a research proposal, CV, transcripts and references. This article discusses several aspects of writing your personal statement for a PhD application, including the groundwork you need to do for writing the statement.

This article provides some pointers on writing the key components of a conference abstract.

The proofing stage is more or less your last chance to ensure that all the important details of your paper are correct. This article provides a checklist for ensuring that your final proof and the soon-to-be published article are error-free.

Academia, being the demanding and stressful environment that it is, can take a particularly immense toll on a researcher’s mental health, which can sometimes be difficult to address. This could be due to a number of reasons, but it’s time for us to reappraise academia’s relationship with mental health and openly approach these very real problems.

Academia can be a relentless environment. As a researcher, you encounter major stressors, which can take their toll over time. It is therefore especially important for you to take care of yourself.

An embargo in the context of academic publishing typically means a temporary stop or ban on disclosing information contained in a research paper. This article discusses ways to deal with the embargo period both as an author and as a reader.

The multi-authored paper now represents the norm, especially in STEM publishing. With more authors, however, certain questions arise that need to be tackled. In this article, we discuss the various intricacies involved in co-authorship.

It is extremely important that you set realistic expectations and standards with your supervisor/advisor/principal investigator (PI). Here are some things to consider for cultivating a healthy and productive working relationship with your supervisor/PI.

There has been an exponential increase in the use of social media in recent years. However, while there is often a positive sense of community to be had, it can be equally toxic and destructive. This article outlines some practical steps you can take to ensure healthy, positive use of social media as a researcher/academic.

Desk rejection (also known as summary review, pre-review, editorial triage or similar terms) refers to rejection before a paper is sent out for peer review. This article discusses key reasons for desk rejection and also provides essential suggestions for avoiding it.

Sample size can be defined as the number of pieces of information, data points or patients (in medical studies) tested or enrolled in an experiment or study. The larger the sample size, the more accurate the average values will be. Larger sample sizes also help researchers identify outliers in data and provide smaller margins of error. This article discusses the various aspects of studies with large sample sizes.

About 25%–60% of articles received by a journal are sent for peer review. As an author, how you can avoid or at least reduce your chance of rejection at this stage? This article discusses some common reasons for peer review rejection and some ways to avoid it.

The Conclusion is an important part of your paper where you distil your study and give the paper a sense of finality. This articles explains the dos and don'ts of writing the Conclusion section along with an example.

A paper in conference proceedings is based on a talk or poster presented at an academic symposium or conference. This article explains all that you need to keep in mind and do when working on such a paper.

It takes, on average, anywhere between six and eight years to complete a PhD programme. Therefore, choosing the right PhD topic becomes a very important factor in determining the successful completion of your PhD.

Completing your PhD research project is often a lengthy process that will at some stage almost certainly involve changes in your initial plans. This article outlines some considerations and actions to take if you are contemplating changing your topic or even your field.