Educators around the world, particularly those in secondary schools, often default to a compelling story when they are trying to motivate their students: Work hard, achieve well and you will secure a successful future with attractive job prospects. This is currently the conventional wisdom across much of the Western world, with strong links drawn between […] … learn more→

If you’re a researcher in any field, chances are you want people to find, read and use your stuff, right? You probably want them to continue finding it, using it and correctly attributing it to you, whether it’s twenty days or twenty years after publication. In our current state of digital deluge, we’re pretty good […] … learn more→

Deciding to start a PhD is alternately exciting and terrifying, especially if you need a scholarship to afford to study. In 2012, I decided to do my PhD. I wrote an application, put together my support documents for Honours 1 equivalency (at 83% I was a few points short of a greatly desired First), and […] … learn more→

Lots of doctoral researchers worry about the Th word, Theory. When said aloud, you can often hear the capital T. It must be important. Theory. And perhaps because of the capital T, the question “What’s your theoretical framework?” can reduce doctoral researchers to a state of near panic. Now, theory is a term which often […] … learn more→

Recently, Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay published a peer-reviewed paper, subsequently retracted by the publisher, titled “The Conceptual Penis”. The paper was ridiculous in every respect. It appeared in a peer-reviewed journal, albeit one that’s pay-to-publish. These journals require the author to pay “page fees” for publishing. They may be rigorous but typically have low circulation, which […] … learn more→

Whether you realize it or not, manufacturing is the cornerstone of economic growth. The literal definition of manufacturing is defined as “the process that transitions raw materials into physical products.” And there are many ways that manufacturing impacts our economy. For starters, it can introduce jobs in any country, regardless of population, and can also […] … learn more→

“Excuse me professor, but can you write me a letter of reference?” Every semester, one student, sometimes more, will ask me for a letter of reference. Even with large classes, I still have standout students, and so if I can remember even a little about the student, I do so, presenting what I know in […] … learn more→

How to interest 16-year-olds in the first world conflict other than by reading hairy letters or the eternal visit to a war memorial? How to make the violence of war and its consequences palpable in a region at the opposite end of the line? These two questions are at the origin of an educational experiment conducted […] … learn more→

In 1999, as an undergraduate student in modern languages at the University of Oxford, I stumbled upon a documentary about bioethics featuring an interview with Jean Bernard, a renowned and by then elderly French haematologist, bioethicist and member of the Académie Française. He described the remarkable changes in medicine during the 20th century – from […] … learn more→

As it is, far too many small business owners struggle just to keep the lights on. While this is unfortunate, it is a fact of life as many owners are risking everything to reach their dream. Even though most small businesses fail, there are ways in which a budding entrepreneur can increase the odds of […] … learn more→