It’s been another busy month for the Naturejobs team this month, but we’ve had some great stuff on the blog too. We’ve looked at funding cycles in academia, jobs for bioscience researchers, networking, event planning and much more. Here we’ve got a list of your favourite posts from this month, which includes some of our videos from the Naturejobs Career Expo! We’re really pleased that you like them and we’ll definitely be making more at Expos to come.

We also want to give a special thank you to all our guest authors too: Scott Chimileski, Samuel Brod, Sarah Blackford, Gary McDowell and Simon Hazelwood-Smith! If you think you have an idea for a blog post on the Naturejobs blog, an experience that you’ve learned from and want to share or a science-career related event you went to, please do get in touch with me by email at naturejobseditor [AT] nature [DOT] com.

1. How to get published in high-impact journals: Big research and better writing. This post outlines some top tips from Nature and Macmillan editors on how to get your research into high impact journals.

2. Ask the expert: What other jobs can bioscience researchers and PhD students consider if they want to leave academia? Sarah Blackford was our expert this month and she answered this question with a list of potential roles that bioscientists can easily fit into. But remember that you don’t need to pigeon-hole yourself: if you think you’ve got the skills to do something that’s not on the list (teaching, for example) then go for it!

3. What isn’t science communication? Samuel Brod writes up the science communication panel from the Naturejobs Career Expo in London this year. It’s a frank insight into what to consider before diving into a science communication career.

4. FILM: Should I apply for a postdoc or a fellowship after my PhD? The career paths in academia panel answers this question posed by a member of the audience at the London Naturejobs Career Expo. The main message: it depends on your field of research and your level of confidence.

5. FILM: How important is it to have a mentor in your academic career? Another short Q&A film from the career paths in academia panel at the Naturejobs Career Expo. This time, mentors: some have them, some don’t. But those that did found them invaluable.

6. FILM: How do you achieve work life balance in academia? The career paths in academia panel is back again, this time talking about work/life balance. The answers imply that this work/life balance thing will go in swings-and-roundabouts. Sometimes you’re good, sometimes not.

7. How to publish better science through better data is a summary of an event run by Scientific Data and Nature Publishing Group earlier this month. Editors, publishers, data curators and other stake holders give their perspectives on how data can be managed better in science to ensure we get better publications. There’s also some chat about reproducibility.

8. FILM: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a woman in academia? One last film on this list, this one aimed at the female researchers amongst you (although it’s interesting for the men too!). Some panelists from the career paths in academia panel have faced challenges, but Lorraine Kerr hadn’t because of her close connections with industry where the imbalance isn’t as strong.

9. Enough Doom and Gloom part 1: Science funding is cyclical. This is the first of a three part series by Scott Chimileski. He’s been rather dissappointed at all the Doom and Gloom in the media recently concerning academia, funding and jobs. He wanted to show that things aren’t all that bad.

10. Enough Doom and Gloom part 2: Curiosity is the currency of science. Part two of Chimileski’s series looks at how sources of science funding have changed over the years and how this might continue to do so in the future.

Happy Friday everyone!