Productivity for researchers: 9 brilliant tips

Are you great at procrastinating? Do you wish you could get more done in a week, or just do things ‘better?’ Here are some helpful hints and tips for your research workflow!

By Stacy Konkiel

At Altmetric, we provide actionable insights into the online engagement surrounding published research. In early 2017 we asked researchers to share their favorite productivity tips and tricks for tackling their to-do lists, in the hope picking up some ideas ourselves and sharing their wisdom with the wider community. Here are some of their top recommendations.

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In sickness and in health: the importance of taking regular breaks

Time away from work is crucial for daily productivity and personal development, says Atma Ivancevic.

A few weeks ago, I took my first sick day for the year. I was mentally and physically exhausted: disheartened by delays and failures in the laboratory, and constantly bad-tempered from headaches and stress. I started staying up late. I stopped exercising and gave up my hobbies. I ignored my friends, partner and family, irritated by the distractions they presented. I prioritized work to the extent that I became miserable and unproductive, existing on bad coffee and fast food.

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Women aren’t failing at science — science is failing women

Women in science face considerable barriers to success. Why?

Image 20170215 27406 yhpp79Female scientists are often more productive than their male colleagues but much less likely to be recognised for their work.
Argonne National Laboratory/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

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Counting all the ways connections matter

New research shows that the size of a faculty member’s network predicts productivity, promotion, and probability of winning an NIH R01 grant.

Guest contributor Viviane Callier

Connections matter – in terms of productivity, in terms of obtaining grants, in terms of promotion and advancement, and in terms of retention in academic positions, a new Harvard-based study shows. Women and underrepresented minorities (URMs) have a smaller “reach” – a measure of second-order connections – and the discrepancy between the reach of women & URMs and that of white men is greatest at the junior faculty level. This discrepancy may account for differences in productivity, promotion, and retention of women and URMs in academia.

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CREDIT: CC-BY-SA Atos/Flickr

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