Building a Research Career

Liam M Flood FRCS, The Journal of Laryngology and Otology, (2011): "The title immediately suggests a relevance to only a minority of our speciality, but any trainee would do well to read this book. I was initially concerned that this book might not be applicable to a research career outside the US, but far from it. I was equally daunted to read in an opening sentence that this career is "post doctoral" and that entry level is here defined as the PhD, a stage that few of us in clinical practice attain! I am glad I stuck with it however, as there is a very good generic message, even for those of us who never contribute much more than the odd case report, the dodgy RCT, or the less than systematic review. The book starts by outlining the stages of progress through a research career, from that new PhD to the retired professor emeritus. The second chapter, on designing research, is an excellent review of methodology, in only 24 pages. It is surely all too familiar to a scientist at this stage, but it provides a nice coverage more suited to a "jobbing" surgeon or trainee. The next, brief, chapter concentrates on on-line methods of keeping up to date with the evolving literature and shows how far we have come from just reading the journals...if we choose to. A chapter on getting one's work published is particularly good on justifying authorship, ethics and Impact Factor...There is an excellent chapter on "Achieving Success in Academia", which deals with such issues as work-life balance, women in biomedical research and the value of sabbaticals and study leave. The target audience has clearly been the clinician considering a future in whole time research. The message carried is of equal value to anyone who intends to maintain any academic profile on completion of clinical training and I would highly recommend this book." Rachael M Harrington, George Washington University, Doody's Review Service, (February 2011): "The sections on grant writing and grant processing are particularly well written and informative, and several chapters include appendixes that present practical summaries and additional resources. The authors also provide online resources. This is an interesting, easy to read book that would be useful for any student or young professional interested in pursuing a research career in the allied health fields."