双语对照|给博士生/访问学者/博士后的20条建议

英国牛津大学Lucy A.Taylor博士针对博士学习阶段的一些问题提出并整理出20条建议，发表在著名杂志Nature上。本文对于从事科研的访问学者及博士后都会有一定启迪，在此知识人网小编特用双语对照的形式推出。

Starting a PhD can be tough. Looking back, there are many things I wish I’d known at the beginning. Here, I have curated a list of advice from current PhD students and postdoctoral researchers from the Department of Zoology at my institution, the University of Oxford, UK, to aid new graduate students.

开始攻读博士学位的时候，感觉困难重重。现回首往事，有很多事情我真希望在读博之初就知道。在这里，我整理出牛津大学动物学系博士生以及博士后研究人员的一些建议，以帮助那些马上要步入博士学习生涯的研究生们。

1.     Maintain a healthy work–life balance by finding a routine that works for you. It’s better to develop a good balance and work steadily throughout your programme than to work intensively and burn out. Looking after yourself is key to success.

找到一个适合自己的工作模式，保持健康的工作与生活平衡。与其紧张工作得精疲力竭，不如在整个计划中保持良好的均衡，有条不稳的工作。照顾好自己是成功的关键。

2.     Discuss expectations with your supervisor. Everyone works differently. Make sure you know your needs and communicate them to your supervisor early on, so you can work productively together.

与导师讨论沟通你的期望。每个人的工作方式不一样，明确自己的期望、需求，并尽早与导师沟通，这样你们就可以有成效的一起工作了。

3.     Invest time in literature reviews. These reviews, both before and after data collection, help you to develop your research aims and conclusions.

大量阅读综述文献。这些综述，无论是你在进行数据收集之前或是之后，都有助于设定你的研究目标和结论。

4.     Decide on your goals early. Look at your departmental guidelines and then establish clear PhD aims or questions on the basis of your thesis requirements. Goals can change later, but a clear plan will help you to maintain focus.

尽早决定你的目标。查阅院系指南，然后根据论文要求，设定明确的读博目标或研究问题。目标以后可能会更改，但是一个明确的计划有助于您保持专注。

5.     “I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember it” is the biggest lie you can tell yourself! Write down everything you do — even if it doesn’t work. This includes meeting notes, method details, code annotations, among other things.

常言道“好记性不如烂笔头”！你可以告诫自己：尽可能地做笔记--即使它没起作用。笔记内容包括：会议记录，研究方法细节，代码注释等等。

6.     Organize your work and workspace. In particular, make sure to use meaningful labels, so you know what and where things are. Organizing early will save you time later on.

打理好自己的工作和空间。特别是，可以使用有意义的标签，以便你知道和要找的东西在哪里。前期打理好这些将节省以后的时间。

7.     It’s never too early to start writing your thesis. Write and show your work to your supervisor as you go — even if you don’t end up using your early work, it’s good practice and a way to get ideas organized in your head.

尽早开始撰写论文！即使最后你没有使用前期所写的论文，尽早动笔写下你的工作并让导师了解审阅也是有意义的实践和做法，特别是可以帮助理顺头脑中的思路。

8.     Break your thesis down into SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely) goals. You will be more productive if your to-do list reads “draft first paragraph of the results” rather than “write chapter 1”. Many small actions lead to one complete thesis.

把论文撰写过程用SMART（具体的、可衡量的、可实现的、相关的和有时间限制的）原则分解为若干目标。在你的待办事宜中，“撰写研究结果第一段草稿”要远远好于“撰写第一章”。日积跬步，终至千里。

9.     The best thesis is a finished thesis. No matter how much time you spend perfecting your first draft, your work will come back covered in corrections, and you will go through more drafts before you submit your final version. Send your drafts to your supervisor sooner rather than later.

最好的论文是一篇完成的论文。但无论你如何精心雕琢第一遍初稿，它都会被退回进一步修改，而且要在最终提交之前将进行多次修改。所以尽早完成手稿让导师审阅吧。

10. Be honest with your supervisor. Let them know if you don’t understand something, if you’ve messed up an experiment or if they forgot to give you feedback. The more honest you are, the better your relationship will be. Helping your supervisor to help you is key.

诚实对待导师。如果自己有不懂的内容，实验没有做好，或者是他们忘记给你反馈，你都要及时的告知导师。你越诚实，和导师的关系就会越好，关键是他能更多的帮助你。

11. Back up your work! You can avoid many tears by doing this at least weekly.

记得做备份！每周备份研究进展，万一资料丢失，也不至于焦头烂额。

12. Socialize with your lab group and other students. It’s a great way to discuss PhD experiences, get advice and help, improve your research and make friends.

与实验室同事朋友搞好关系。这有助于交流经验，获得建议和帮助，改进研究，甚至交到知心朋友。

13. Attend departmental seminars and lab-group meetings, even (or especially) when the topic is not your area of expertise. What you learn could change the direction of your research and career. Regular attendance will also be noticed.

积极参加院系研讨会，实验室小组会议，即使（尤其）会议主题是你不熟悉的专业领域。你从中学到的东西，可能会影响到你的研究进展甚至未来的职业方向。经常出席会议也会增加你的曝光率。

14. Present your research. This can be at lab-group meetings, conferences and so on. Presenting can be scary, but it gets easier as you practise, and it’s a fantastic way to network and get feedback at the same time.

对他人展示你的研究内容。这可以在实验小组中，或者是组外会议中。刚开始展示可能有难度，但是勤加练习就会越来越容易。而且这是拓展人脉，获得反馈的绝佳方式。

15. Aim to publish your research. It might not work out, but drafting articles and submitting them to journals is a great way to learn new skills and enhance your CV.

尽量发表自己的研究内容。即使最终发表不了，撰写论文并投稿也有助于学习新技能，并丰富自己的简历。

16. Have a life outside work. Although your lab group is like your work family, it’s great for your mental health to be able to escape work. This could be through sport, clubs, hobbies, holidays or spending time with friends.

注意劳逸结合。即使你愿意把实验室当家一样，也要常“离家出走”放松身心。可以进行体育锻炼，参加俱乐部，培养自己爱好，去度假或者是与朋友聚会来放松头脑。

17. Don’t compare yourself with others. Your PhD is an opportunity to conduct original research that reveals new information. As such, all PhD programmes are different. You just need to do what works for you and your project.

不要与别人攀比。读博是进行原创研究、探索新知识的宝贵机会。每个博士项目都是不同的，你只需专注在自己的研究上即可。

18. The nature of research means that things will not always go according to plan. This does not mean you are a bad student. Keep calm, take a break and then carry on. Experiments that fail can still be written up as part of a successful PhD.

研究的本质意味着研究过程中会困难百出，而并非你做的不好。遇到挫折，不要气馁。保持冷静，休息一下，然后继续。失败的实验，仍然可以作为成功博士论文的一部分来写。

19. Never struggle on your own. Talk to other students and have frank discussions with your supervisor. There’s no shame in asking for help. You are not alone.

永远不要独自面对困难。积极与同学，导师真诚交流。向别人求助并不丢人。你并不孤单。

20. Enjoy your PhD! It can be tough, and there will be days when you wish you had a ‘normal’ job, but PhDs are full of wonderful experiences and give you the opportunity to work on something that fascinates you. Celebrate your successes and enjoy yourself.

享受你的读博过程！这可能很难，而且有时候你会希望自己有一份“正常”的工作，而不是读博。但是读博是一段充满美好的经历，让自己有机会从事一些令自己着迷的事情。庆祝自己的成功，尽情享受吧！