Career Development for Postdocs

Rutgers Writing Resources for PhDs

• School of Graduate Studies’ Communicating Science Course: You will learn for both oral and written communication how to identify the essential message that defines your research, recognize the diverse audiences you speak to about your research, engage your audience and tell them why they should care about what you do, and speak clearly and vividly in the language your audience will understand. Contact: Dr. Janet Alder: janet.alder@rutgers.edu

• Rutgers University Libraries: offers research tools and services such as citation management, copyright guidance, research data services, tutorials, and more.

• The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity: has members from almost every discipline and represents various colleges and universities. They offer the following writing resources to assist faculty, postdocs, and graduate students. Activate your free membership to benefit from these resources:

  • Guest Expert Webinar: Writing as Metaphor: Developing a Writing Process That Works For You

  • Interested in working with a writing accountability buddy?

  • 14-Day Writing Challenge

  • WriteNow Access – provides an opportunity to connect with other scholars and utilize the WriteNow software for 12 weeks.

External Writing Resources

• Alliance SciComm & Consulting, LLC: Dr. Ada Hagan offers support for science communication, including science writing labs, structure/content revision, line editing, presentation feedback, webinars, and consulting services. There are also free resources including eBooks, writing & editing tips, worksheets, cheat sheets, and more.

• American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) has the latest industry news, tips & tricks, mini tutorials, and resources, including a list of downloadable resources.  AMWA also has its own journal and resource library for members.

• APA Style is a widely used format for academic writing, particularly in the social sciences, that provides guidelines for formatting papers, citing sources, and referencing. The APA Style website provides resources such as tutorials, sample papers, and quick guides to help writers and researchers learn and use the APA style correctly.

• Citation Styles: the University of Pittsburgh's citation help guide, which provides resources and guidance on various citation styles, including APA, MLA, Chicago, and more.

• Coursera Writing in the Sciences Course: teaches scientists to become more effective writers, using practical examples and exercises. Topics include principles of good writing, tricks for writing faster and with less anxiety, the format of a scientific manuscript, peer review, grant writing, ethical issues in scientific publication, and writing for general audiences.

• Council for the Advancement of Science Writing offers multiple resources, such as books, videos, and professional organization recommendations, and a curated collection of award-winning science journalism.

• “The Craft of Scientific Writing” by Michael Alley: provides practical advice on how to write scientific papers and other types of scientific writing. It covers topics such as organizing and structuring your writing, writing clearly and concisely, and creating effective visuals.

• Demystifying the Journal Article, Reyes (2017): provides a helpful and accessible guide for scholars looking to improve their academic writing and increase their chances of getting published in top-tier journals.

• The Environmental Storytelling Studio: run through Brown University, this Studio supports authors and new writers who marry scholarship and literary skill as they bring environmental stories to the public through three initiatives: the course, the column, and the club.

• Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers: provides immediate help for anyone preparing a biomedical paper by giving specific advice on organizing the components of the paper, effective writing techniques, writing an effective results section, documentation issues, sentence structure and much more.

• How to Write and Publish a Research Paper for a Peer-Reviewed Journal, Busse & August (2020): explains the basic structure of a scientific paper and describes the information that should be included in each section. The authors also identify common pitfalls for each section and recommend strategies to avoid them. Further, they give advice about target journal selection and authorship.

• "How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper" by Robert A. Day and Barbara Gastel: provides practical advice on how to write scientific papers and get them published. It covers topics such as choosing a journal, writing an abstract, and preparing a manuscript for submission.

• JournalGuide: data sources include major industry data sets, public resources, information submitted directly by journal editors, and even real-life publishing experiences submitted by authors.

• The Journal of Postdoctoral Research (JPR): a peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research articles, review articles, and short communications written by postdoctoral researchers. Submitting a paper to JPR can be a good way for postdocs to gain experience writing for publication.

• National Association of Science Writers (NASW) offers a wide array of resources to the science writing community, many of which do not require NASW membership.

• The Open Notebook has published hundreds of articles and other resources aimed at helping science journalists sharpen their skills—and helping newcomers get started. This page contains a subset of those resources, with a focus on what’s most relevant to people who are getting started in science journalism. 

• "The Scientist's Guide to Writing" by Stephen B. Heard: provides guidance on how to write scientific papers, grant proposals, and other types of scientific writing. It covers topics such as organizing and structuring your writing, writing clearly and concisely, and avoiding common mistakes.

• Why and how to start a writing accountability group, Breitenstein (2021): provides a practical guide to starting and sustaining a writing accountability group (WAG), a strategy to increase writing productivity and meet writing goals.

• Writing Accountability: Full Free Guide and Tools, Kidder (2023): Complete guide to writing accountability, including why writing accountability is important, how to keep yourself accountable, useful apps and software, writing groups, coaching, partners/friends/alpha readers, and choosing the right writing accountability method for you.

At Rutgers:

• TRIAD Coalition: a research community within the School of Arts and Sciences’ Office of STEM Education that brings together experts in education research across STEM disciplines. The coalition liaises with existing support structures and resources across the university to facilitate course transformations and the related measurement of change.
  • Contact: Mary Eminike, PhD, Director of the TRIAD Coalition, me293@chem.rutgers.edu
     
• P3 Collaboratory: The P3 Collaboratory within Rutgers-Newark is committed to institutional interventions that support faculty development over the lifecycle of an academic career. There is no substitute for individual discussion with a P3 staff member about one's teaching style, classroom goals, and interaction with students.
  • Contact: Taja-Nia Henderson, JD, PhD, Director, P3 Collaboratory, tajania@law.rutgers.edu
     
• Teaching Excellence Network is a collaborative effort by the School of Arts and Sciences, school of Engineering, and Learning Centers offers programming that takes an assets-based approach to target faculty agency to catalyze lasting institutional and cultural change around teaching.
  • Contact: Mary Eminike, PhD, Director of the TRIAD Coalition, me293@chem.rutgers.edu
     
• Digital Classroom Services: creates and supports instructional technology in the Rutgers-New Brunswick general purpose classrooms and learning spaces of the Office of the Chancellor. Their technology is designed to engage students through computer-based presentation, high-definition film screening, and projection of camera-captured demonstrations, and helps instructors overcome the challenges of teaching large classes through technologies such as voice amplification and multiple screen projection. 
  • Contact: Matthew Wilk (matthew.wilk@rutgers.edu) or David Wyrtzen (wyrtzen@echo.rutgers.edu) – Associate Directors
     
• The Classroom Inclusivity Series: a collaboration between various units across Rutgers, organized and facilitated by The Office of Teaching Evaluation and Assessment Research and the University Equity and Inclusion Office. The program promotes Inclusive Scholarship and Teaching (as identified by the Rutgers University Diversity Priorities) and to support a more well-rounded understanding of Classroom Inclusivity through workshops and training sessions.
  • Contact: Chris Drue, Ph.D., Associate Director for Teaching Evaluation, chris.drue@rutgers.edu
     
• The Office of Teaching Evaluation and Assessment Research: offers several workshops on the improvement of teaching and the use of instructional technologies.
  • Contact: Chris Drue, Ph.D., Associate Director for Teaching Evaluation, chris.drue@rutgers.edu
     
• The Office of Instructional Design: run through Rutgers Continuing Studies, is a sub-unit of Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT). Their mission is to support the Rutgers community in designing and implementing quality face-to-face, fully online, and hybrid courses.
   
• myTech@newark: a part of Rutgers Newark, myTech@newark helps faculty and staff learn, teach, and work with technology.
   
• Instructional Design & Technology: supports faculty in all pedagogical endeavors, specializing in course design and redesign and the appropriate use of technology to support teaching and learning goals. They assist all instructors with research-driven (or experimental!) pedagogical projects to improve, strengthen, and invigorate the experience of learning and teaching at Rutgers University–Camden.
  • Contact: Emily Corse, Director, corse@rutgers.edu

• Teaching Assistant Project: Run through the School of Graduate Studies, the TA Project offers a useful collection of resources for TAs including information on General Teaching Tips, Active Learning, Assessment, and Teaching with Technology.

External:

• Books Related to Teaching:
  • Active Learning Strategies
  • Scientists Teaching Science
     
• iBiology Educator Resources: iBiology has a variety of undergraduate and graduate resources to support the teaching and learning of biology. All videos are freely available to both educators and students. In addition, they have created free PDF-downloadable supplementary materials (including question banks) for select videos that can be accessed by educators via login.

• iJOBS - Biomedical Career Development: The Rutgers University iJOBS Program exposes life science Ph.D. students and postdocs to a range of non-academic and academic career options and empowers them to pursue their career goals. 

Advice on Resume Writing

• Always customize your resume to each job you apply to.
• When crafting your resume, it's essential to be selective about the skills and tasks you include.
• Prioritize those that you enjoy doing and align with your interests and passions rather than simply focusing on what you're good at.
• Avoid listing skills or tasks that leave you feeling burnt out, even if you excel in them.
• The role of the resume is to get you an interview. Standing out in an interview gets you the job.
• Remember, finding the right job is about striking a balance and knowing your deal breakers. While no job is perfect, prioritizing your well-being and satisfaction is key to long-term success and fulfillment in your career.

For clarity on your deal breakers, showcasing yourself effectively in your resume and the job market, finding alignment and fulfillment in a job, and standing out, consider joining the PREP career program.

Click here to view our Resume Writing Guide and our checklist. If you have any questions contact us at opa@oq.rutgers.edu.

Online Source: The Muse Editors

• Check this list of 185+ Action Verbs to Make Your Resume Stand Out.