To any of you who are walking down the aisle this month:
KUDOS & CONGRATULATIONS!
Advisor Management Tip: Attach a Memo
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Have you ever handed in a draft of your paper and heard nothing back
for weeks? Or months?
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Have you ever made the changes your advisor suggested only to get
entirely different criticisms back on the revised version?
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Have you gotten drafts back from your advisor with so few comments – either
positive or negative – that you feel completely adrift and
unguided?
If any of these situations are familiar, then you need to implement
advisor management strategies. Here’s a first step:
Attach a memo to every piece of writing you give to your advisor.
Why are memos needed?
BECAUSE YOUR PUBLISHING PACE IS MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU THAN TO YOUR ADVISOR.
Somewhere, on an intellectual basis, you know your advisor isn’t
thinking about your research every waking moment. But on an emotional
level it is hard to keep this truth in mind. Your ability to get papers
out is so central to your life that it is easy to forget that other peoples’ lives
don’t revolve around it.
To succeed as a post doc and position yourself as a star, you need to
remember that your work is a top priority for you, and only you. Your
interactions with your advisor need to show that you take full responsibility
for the content and progress of your research.
Memos are one way to show your advisor that you are taking the lead
role in keeping track of your research project. Most post docs I work
with attach the document in a short email that says something like “here’s
the draft of paper X.”
Don’t do this! Handing in a draft without a memo
asks your advisor to remember what this document is, what stage it is
at, and what he or she is supposed to do with it. You are, in effect,
asking your advisor to keep your project at the forefront of his or her
mind. This may be fine if you’re working on a project that is at
the top of the professor’s priority list. However, if you are working
with a star who has many students, your project may be only one of many
projects on your advisor’s radar screen.
A memo announces to your advisor, “This work is my top priority
(not necessarily yours) so I’ll keep track of where we are in the
process and what I need from you.” It also helps you present yourself
as a responsible, proactive academic by reminding your advisor exactly
what you are handing in and stating what type of feedback would be useful.
It is also an appropriate time to ask when your advisor will be able
to read the draft.
For example, a memo might say something along these lines:
Dear Professor xxx,
Here is the revised draft of our paper on XXX.
When we last met, you
suggested that I address the following issues:
- Brief description
of Issue A.
- Description of Issue B.
- Description of
Issue C.
To address problem “A”, I’ve added three
paragraphs on page x.
To address problem “B”, I’ve
significantly changed two sections on page y and z.
I still have questions
about Issue C: I’ve tried to address them on pages xx and yy
but would appreciate any additional comments you might have about this
topic, especially my use of Y methodology.
Although we haven’t
discussed it, I’ve also tightened up the introduction and would
appreciate you taking the time to see how it works better now. It is
always helpful to know the sections where you think I’m on track,
as well as the places there are still problems.
To make it easier for
you to find these revised sections, I’ve highlighted them in
red.
Would it be convenient to meet in a couple of weeks to review
these changes? If you have time, my schedule is very flexible the week
of xxx, except for when I teach on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Is
there a specific time that would work well for you?”
The core of the memo is the “what,” “why” and “when” of
the material you are submitting. The wording will vary depending on the
nature of your relationship with your advisor. You’ll want to make
the tone of your memo warm and casual, or professional and formal, depending
on the style of your usual interactions. But whether your memo is a quick
handwritten note, or an obsessively detailed email message, the
underlying message is: “I want to make reviewing this draft as
easy as possible for you.”
Benefits of the memo:
1) It takes your advisor less time to review your draft.
2) It presents you as mature, professional and proactive.
3) You are more likely to get useful, focused critiques.
4) It gives you the chance to ask for positive as well as critical feedback.
5) You are less likely to have your advisor change courses or go off
on new tangents.
One common complaint I hear from students and post docs is that their
advisors change their minds about what they’ve
said earlier. Post docs revise work based on comments of their advisor.
They hand in the new
draft, wait forever for the feedback, and then get a list of new suggestions
about completely different points. Sometimes advisors even contradict
previous advice – criticizing the revisions they’ve previously
requested. Memos create a paper trail that can protect you from
the whims of your advisor.
So, WRITE A MEMO. It’s polite, professional,
proactive and self-protective.
Good luck,
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