UCLA professor of Law and Communication Mario Biagioli dissects how metric-based evaluations are shaping university agendas.

"Do you have any advice for future graduate students?" I asked. The student had recently defended his Ph.D., and I was conducting an exit interview-something I do with every graduating biomedical Ph.D. student at my university, where I am in charge of evaluating our medical school's Ph.D. training programs. He sat back in his chair and thought for a minute before responding: He wished he had started to plan for his post-Ph.D. career earlier. My shoulders dropped and I let out a sigh. "Program directors recommend this to incoming students every year, but some don't seem to hear it," I said. "How do you think we can get them to listen?" This time, he didn't hesitate. "They are graduate students in science ," he exclaimed. "Show them the data!" > "Even when you're just getting started, you need to look forward." That was my aha moment. I immediately began to document the responses to this question in subsequent interviews. It has been 3 years now, and the data I've collected confirm my suspicions-the same answers come up again and again. As a new cohort of Ph.D. students starts grad school this fall, here are the five pieces of advice graduates offer most frequently. Thirty-two percent of graduating students said this is the most critical decision a Ph.D. student can make. Many students gravitate toward mentors who work in areas they find interesting and exciting, but it is also important to think about what style of mentoring you respond to best. Finding a mentor with the right mentoring approach for you is at least as important as finding one who studies a specific topic. You need time to (a) decide which career paths you find appealing and (b) start preparing for those careers. Twenty percent of graduating students recommended exploring future careers as early as possible so you can use your time in grad school to build additional skills you will need. To learn about specific professions, you can conduct informational interviews, attend seminars where alumni discuss their careers, do an internship, or engage in a variety of other options. Graduate school is full of ups and downs. Thirteen percent of graduates said that if you feel the need to talk to someone on or off campus, don't hesitate. "If you are not happy, try to do something about it and make a change," one student said. If you feel isolated, another student recommended joining a campus group to connect with others. Twelve percent of graduates recommended that students consistently and critically evaluate their progress throughout their training. Make an outline of your research and career goals and when you want to achieve them, and hold yourself to that plan. Some students use an individual development plan to prompt discussions with their mentor and thesis committee. But don't wait for these meetings; setting goals and holding yourself accountable should be a continuous habit. This looks different for different people, but don't ignore it. You should expect to work hard in grad school, but the right work-life balance can have an important influence on your mental health and overall quality of life. Nine percent of graduates recommended finding something that helps you unwind, such as pursuing hobbies, getting together with friends, or volunteering in the community. Observant readers may notice that the numbers above only add up to 86%. Other pieces of advice included be assertive and ask for what you need, learn to trust your experimental results as long as the controls work, and plan your projects around what's needed for a publishable paper. But the most important thing is to take these pointers to heart early on. Even when you're just getting started, you need to look forward.

Expert behind vaccine confidence report points to halting of Oxford Covid trial as example.

The 2021 draft budget would give Horizon Europe commitments of €11.5 billion, less than the European Commission's June proposal which had €12.3 billion slated for the R&D programme.

New report published by Springer Nature analyses usage patterns across open access and closed books.The results show higher geographic diversity of usage, higher numbers of downloads and more citations for open access books.

The UK government wants more students to study science subjects - but employers want humanities graduates too.

It's not just the lungs - the pathogen may enter brain cells, causing symptoms like delirium and confusion, scientists reported.

The pandemic has worsened the plight of postdoctoral researchers. Funders need to be offering more than moral support.

Invest in Open Infrastructure receives initial funding to launch and hire a Director.

The pandemic has shown how a lack of solid statistics can be dangerous. But even with the firmest of evidence, we often end up ignoring the facts we don't like.

New guidelines aimed at ensuring AI research is of same quality as that in other fields.

We asked GPT-3, OpenAI's powerful new language generator, to write an essay for us from scratch. The assignment? To convince us robots come in peace.

Most open access journals lack the technical means and plans to preserve their articles, despite a mandate from some funders that they do so. Specialists worry about a potential loss to scholarship.

Rise in carbon capture as global warming speeds growth of forests would be negated by earlier deaths, say scientists.

After 25 years I feel Britain has broken my trust. I'm one of many academics who now see their future in Europe

Universal facial masking might help reduce the severity of SARS-CoV-2 and ensure that a greater proportion of new infections are asymptomatic.

The academic and broadcaster recounts her experience of harassment by a colleague.

The COVID-19 pandemic is severely pressuring a long-building rise in worldwide innovation, likely hindering some innovative activities while catalyzing ingenuity elsewhere, notably in the health sector, according to the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020.

After COVID-19 researchers on the East Coast received a package containing an "unknown substance," the University of Washington told 500 of its staff to be on alert.

EMBL will hold a virtual conference, 'The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on women in science: Challenges and solutions' on 9 September.

UKs Labour Party calls on health secretary to explain reasons behind increase and testing centre problems.

The intelligence wars over vaccine research have intensified as China and Russia expand their efforts to steal American work at both research institutes and companies.

Test results in 24 hours, temperature checks at every store, no fights over masks.

The coronavirus is spiking around campuses from Texas to Iowa to North Carolina as students return.

Research suggests musicians can reduce infections by decreasing volume.

The Boston university dismissed the students they were caught gathering at a hotel.

Edgenuity involves short answers graded by an algorithm, and students have already cracked it.

Explore the first ever forest soundmap of the world.

A growing body of research is raising concerns about the cardiac consequences of the coronavirus.

Seventy-six wealthy nations are now committed to joining a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to help buy and fairly distribute the shots, the project's co-lead said on Wednesday.