How to get the most out of your research mentor

1. Take personal responsibility for making the partnership productive. Ask questions, look interested. Demonstrate initiative and independence. Set and meet goals.

2. Develop professional commitment. Make an effort to learn what professional researchers do—getting grants, making posters and presentations, etc.

3. Produce high quality work. Go beyond minimal requirements. Ask for additional readings. Proofread your work.

4. Use time well. Make and keep appointments to meet regularly; set goals for the meeting and bring information necessary to make progress on the project. Make timely progress on project.

5. Communicate frequently, honestly and openly about progress on the project and interpersonal issues without personalizing, flattering or blaming. Negotiate about the mentor’s expectations for students and the kind of feedback that they will provide and you need to receive. Be clear about “who will do what,” intellectual ownership and authorship issues.

6. Develop a positive relationship with the mentor—be open about common interests, show interest in him/her as a person. Have reasonable expectations about “turnaround” time for responding to proposals and drafts.

7. Cultivate a breadth of intellectual life—show respect to other disciplines, philosophical foundations, and intellectual curiosity.

8. Be open to honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses and seek help/advice when appropriate. Respond thoughtfully and non-defensively to constructive criticism of your work.

9. Develop technical skills in writing, computer literacy, oral presentations, etc.

10. Cultivate an active interest in research skills—designing, conducting and interpreting.

11. Develop interpersonal skills—be polite, respectful and sincere with supervisors, peers, and support staff, regardless of gender, race, age, class, sexual orientation, etc.

12. Adhere to ethical standards in your treatment of research materials, subjects, and data. Adhere to appropriate professional boundaries in the mentor-mentee relationship.

13. Do not abuse books or lab materials which you are loaned or to which you have access.

References:

O’Neil, J. M. & Wrightsman, L. S. (2001) .The mentoring relationship in psychology training programs. In S. Walfish & A. K. Hess, Succeeding in graduate school: The career guide for psychology students. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. 111-127. ch 9.

Hess, A. K. & Sauser, W. I. (2001). Students and faculty: The growth of relationships. In S. Walfish & A. K. Hess, Succeeding in graduate school: The career guide for psychology students. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Ch 8, pages 95-109.

http://smi.stanford.edu/people/pratt/smi/advice.html

http://www.cs.indiana.edu/how.2b/how.2b.research.html

Back to independent study and research