50 Things to Think about as an Early Career Researcher: Paving Your Way to Success

by Margaret J Robertson, Donna Starks, Gaelle Horsley

Overview

This book for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) provides vital insights for jump-starting your research career and guidance on how you can find your own ways of knowing, being, doing, and communicating to progress your career.

Charting a course through the first years of a research career, while retaining control of your life and your authenticity is more challenging than it has ever been. This book argues that there are multiple ways of being an ECR, and that research pathways are uniquely individual. It shows how to prepare yourself for your research journey and contains useful hints about preparing manuscripts, writing research grants, developing supervision skills, and forging a successful research career. Offering solutions to common challenges, it provides insights into preparing CVs, preparing for interviews and other opportunities for you and your career.

Providing practical advice based on extensive experience, this book is essential reading for those completing, or who have recently completed, PhDs, as well as those in the early stages of their career in higher education.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032770543
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/11/2025
Pages:	166
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

Margaret J. Robertson is an Honorary Academic at La Trobe University School of Education. Her research focus is team supervision and agency development within this context. Her recent research considers the importance of agency through education, life and career choices, and the importance of role models.

Donna Starks is an Honorary Researcher in the School of Cultures, Languages and Linguistics at The University of Auckland. Her research focuses on how we manifest ourselves through our ways of knowing, being, and communicating to the world around us.

Gaelle Horsley is a Master of Social Work, though originally qualified to teach art and English, in the UK. She has recently retired from sessional tutoring in Counselling at Victoria University, and now teaches beginner and advanced watercolours at Hunt Club Arts Centre (Brimbank Council).

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Preparing for the ECR journey ahead

3. Building your research career

4. Collaborations

5. Your research: Publication

6. Progressing your research with (or without) funding

7. You as a supervisor

8. Difficulties

9. Next steps

Afterword: Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in research

Editorial Reviews

"50 Things to Think About as an Early Career Researcher is a game changer. During my Ph.D. final year and my early career transition, navigating the unwritten rules and hidden wisdom of practice and being an early academic researcher felt overwhelming. This book changes that dynamic! The authors have skilfully distilled scattered insights into one accessible guide, making the journey not just ‘survivable’ but ‘actionable’. Whether you are starting out or supporting emerging researchers, this book is an essential companion – one that belongs on your desk."

Nick Baker, Lecturer, Otago University, New Zealand

"Completing your PhD and becoming an ECR can pose huge challenges to your identity – who are you now? 50 Things to Think About as an Early Career Researcher: Paving Your Way to Success is packed full of practical suggestions about how to successfully navigate this change and build your research career. Presented in an approachable, easy-to-read style, the authors offer timeless advice in response to a fast-changing research environment. The clear structure lays out common issues facing today’s ECRs, offering ideas about how to leverage doctoral experience and progress your research in new and satisfying directions."

Cally Guerin, Senior Lecturer, Graduate Research School, La Trobe University, Australia

"This book reflects the wisdom and experience of academics who have clearly guided and mentored many over the years. Written with deep empathy, it acknowledges the unique challenges and diverse paths each early career researcher may take, making it relatable for anyone navigating this phase. As an early career researcher myself, I found the advice not only resonates with my current experiences but also offers guidance for what lies ahead. It’s a resource I’ll continue to return to as I grow in my professional journey."

Jessica Velasquez Urribarri, Lecturer, University of Adelaide, Australia

From the Publisher