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Thu, 17 Aug 2023 19:21:49 GMT

Tips for mentoring PhD students through rejection/critical feedback! Posted on the other site, cross-posting here #psychscisky #neurosky #philsky #devpsyc #academicsky

1 - Start LONG before their first experience with rejection, ideally in the student’s first year in your lab. It is important to familiarize students with the process of critical feedback before they experience it themselves. There are several concrete ways to do this:

Most PhD students have never submitted a paper! Outline the steps to the review process. What is the role of editors and reviewers, what to expect, typical timelines, etc. Explain major/minor revisions and common reasons for rejection.

Have “review process” lab meetings at least once a sem. Choose a recent pub from your lab, and have your lab read the first submission, the response(s) to reviewers, and then the final accepted version of the paper. Have students reflect on where feedback improved the paper

Have your student do “external peer review” on their own manuscript before submission – pretend to be a reviewer reading the paper for the first time, and provide critical, honest feedback....

...Use my peer review guide if helpful: https://www.bu.edu/cdl/files/2022/04/Journal-Article-Peer-Review-Guide.pdf

Being the external reviewer for their own paper helps them see the paper through the eyes of a reviewer, and helps them to know what to expect when the time comes.

2 – Develop an emotional vocabulary. Feedback can take you through the 5 stages of grief: denial (how could they?), anger (they clearly didn't get it!), bargaining (maybe we don’t have to run another exp!), depression (ugh), and acceptance (ok maybe they were right about X)

Let your student know (again, before the rejection happens as well as after!) that it’s normal to feel lots of feelings, and that taking time to process critical feedback helps tremendously in processing the feelings as well

3 – Remind your student early and often that everyone experiences rejection/critical feedback, and more often than not it leads to better work (despite what they may see on social media)

4 – (perhaps most important) Emphasize to your student that THEY ARE NOT THEIR WORK. Rejection of the work does NOT mean that they themselves are being rejected.

5 – Finally, practice what you preach! Model positive behavior in the wake of a rejection/critical feedback, and don’t take it personally – at least not in front of your student!

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 19:16:30 GMT