Ten Simple Rules for Graduate Students

LoS Comput Biol. 2007 November; 3(11): e229. Published online 2007 November 30. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030229.

PMCID: PMC2098857

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Ten Simple Rules for Graduate Students
研究生须知的十个简单规则

Jenny Gu and Philip E Bourne** To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: bourne@sdsc.edu
Jenny Gu和Philip E Bourne**的联系方式是：bourne@sdsc.edu。

Choosing to go to graduate school is a major life decision.
选择读研是人生的一个重大决定。

Whether you have already made that decision or are about to, now it is time to consider how best to be a successful graduate student.
不管你已经决定或者将要决定读研，现在，你都应该思考一下怎样才能成为一个成功的研究生。

Here are some thoughts from someone who holds these memories fresh in her mind (JG) and from someone who has had a whole career to reflect back on the decisions made in graduate school, both good and bad (PEB).
下面有一些对这件事正确或错误的看法，它们来自那些刚刚有打算考研的同学和那些在事业成功之后回过头来看待这种决定的朋友。

These thoughts taken together, from former student and mentor, represent experiences spanning some 25 or more years.
这些整理出来的以前的学生和导师的看法代表了25年甚至更长时间的经验。
For ease, these experiences are presented as ten simple rules, in approximate order of priority as defined by a number of graduate students we have consulted here in the US; but we hope the rules are more globally applicable, even though length, method of evaluation, and institutional structure of graduate education varies widely.
为了简单起便，这些经验以十个简单规则呈现出来，在美国，我们请教了许多研究生对此事的看法，并根据他们的意见，按照重要性的先后顺序大概排了下顺序；虽然各个地方研究生教育的时间长短、评估方法和体制结构都差别很大，但是我们希望这些规则在全球都还是适用。

These rules are intended as a companion to earlier editorials covering other areas of professional development [1–7].
这些规则特意作为早期报道其他地区研究生发展情况的编辑们的指南。

Rule 1: Let Passion Be the Driving Force of Your Success

规则一：让激情成为推动你成功的力量

As with so many other things in life, your heart and then your head should dictate what thesis project makes sense to embark on.

因为生活中有如此多其它的事情来干扰你，你的心智应该对做什么对你的论文课题有意义保持清醒。

Doing your best work requires that you are passionate about what you are doing.

只有当你对你所从事的工作充满激情时，你才能全心全意投入其中。

Graduate school is an investment of up to a seven-year commitment, a significant chunk of your life.

研究生学习是对一个长达7年许诺的投资，它在你生命中占有重要的地位。

Use the time wisely. The educational system provides a variety of failsafe mechanisms depending on the part of the world where you study.

聪明地利用时间。教育制度所提供的不同的失败保障体制根据你学习所在地区的具体情况而不同。

Laboratory rotations and other forms of apprenticeship should not be overlooked, for they are opportunities to test the waters and measure your passion in a given subject area.

不应该忽略在实验室的轮换和不同形式的学习过程，因为它们是检验你有多少能力的机会并评估你在一个给定课题领域的激情。

It is also a chance to test your aptitude for research. Take advantage of it!

它也是一个考查你研究天分的机会。好好利用它吧！

Research is very different from simply taking courses. If you do not feel excited about doing research and the project selected, do not do it; reevaluate your career decisions.
做研究同简单的上课很不一样。如果你对做研究和所选的课题不感兴趣，真的不要做了；并重新审视一下你的职业决定。

Rule 2: Select the Right Mentor, Project, and Laboratory

规则二：选择合适的导师、课题和实验室

Finding the right mentor can be hard since it is not always possible to know the kind of mentoring that is going to work best for you until you actually start doing research.

找到合适的导师是很困难的，因为或许直到你已经开始做研究了，才可能知道你的导师会不会尽最大努力帮助你。

Some of us like to work independently, others like significant feedback and supervision.

一些人喜欢独立工作，而其他人则喜欢导师对他们的工作有大的反应并监督他们。

Talk to other students in the laboratory and get their impressions of how the principle investigator's mentoring works for them. In a large laboratory, chances are you will get less direct mentoring from the principle investigator. In that case, other senior scientists in the laboratory become important.

同实验室其他同学交流一下，并从他们那里获得一些关于主要负责人如何指导他们工作之类的事。在一个大型实验室中，你可能会得不到多少主要负责人对你直接的指导。在那种情况下，对你而言，实验室中其他高级科学家就很重要。

What mentoring are they likely to offer? Judge, as best you can, if the overall environment will work for you.

他们可能会给你什么指导哪？如果大环境能为你所用，你最好能够自己判断。

A key element is the standing of your mentor in his or her scientific field.

一个关键的因素在于你导师在她/他科学研究领域的名望。

When you graduate, the laboratory you graduate from is going to play a role in determining what opportunities exist for your postdoctoral work, either in academia, industry, or other sectors.

当你研究生毕业后，你所在的实验室将扮演一个决定为你博士后工作机会的角色，或者在学术界，或者工业界，或者其他领域。

Your proposed mentor should be very enthusiastic about the project you discuss. If he or she is not, you have the wrong mentor and/or project.

你所看中的导师应该对你讨论的课题非常热情。如果他/她不是这样，你就选择了一个错误的导师或者错误的课题。

At the same time, beware that such enthusiasm, however senior the mentor, may be misplaced as far as your interests are concerned.

同时，无论你的导师多么高级，谨慎那种热情可能与你的兴趣所在不相符。

Gauge the novelty of the research project and potential for high-quality publications by doing your own background check through reading previously published research and talking to other scientists in related areas.

考察一下你研究课题的新颖性和被高质量出版社发表的潜力，你需要阅读以前发表的研究论文和同相关领域的其他专家交流一下，以此来弄清自己研究工作的背景情况。

Also consider if the project can be reasonably completed in the allocated time for graduation.

当然也要考虑此你的课题是否可以在毕业前规定的时间内恰当地完成。

To propel your career, you want to come out of a higher degree as a recognized individual having made a significant scientific contribution.

为了促进你自己事业的发展，你想获得一个更高的学位，并被公认对科学发展做出了重大的贡献。

Thus, it is absolutely critical that you do take the time to find the project and mentor that is going to fulfill this goal.
因此，你花时间去找到一个将能帮助你达到这个目标的课题和导师绝对是至关重要的。

Rule 3: Independent Thinking Is a Mark of a True Scientist

规则三：独立思考是一个真正科学家的标志

Regardless of your initial work habits and how much you depend on your mentor (Rule 2), eventually you will have to be more independent than when you started graduate school.

不管你开始时的工作习惯怎样，也不管你多么依赖你的导师，最后你将不得不比你开始读研时更加独立。

The earlier you start on that path to independence the better. Independence will play a critical part in your career as an innovative scientist.

拟越早开始独立思考越好。作为一个创新型的科学家，独立思考得能力将在你的研究中起到关键作用。

As much as possible define your own research project with a view to make a significant and unique scientific contribution.
尽可能地详细说明你的研究课题，从而做出一个重大且独一无二的科学贡献。

Rule 4: Remember, Life Is All about Balance

规则四：记住 ，生活处处要保持平衡

Take the time to meet your own needs.

花时间去满足你自己的需要。

Graduate school is highly demanding, both mentally and physically.

研究生学习在心理和身体上都要求很高。

Your health comes first, spend the time being healthy or else you might find yourself spending more time being sick.

健康是第一位的，花时间保持健康，否则你可能会花更多的时间来生病。

Hard work should be balanced with other activities that you enjoy and give you a break.

努力工作应该同其他你喜欢的活动保持平衡，并给自己一个休息的时间。

These activities can often become important in your future scientific career.

这些活动在你以后的科研生涯中经常会变得很重要。

Collaborations sometimes start not because of a shared scientific interest initially, but because you share the same hobby or other interest.
合作者有时开始时并不是因为最初有一个共同的科学兴趣，而是因为你们有共同的爱好或者其他兴趣。

Rule 5: Think Ahead and Develop Your Professional Career Early

规则五：先好好想想并尽早投入到专业学习中

There are two parts to this. The first part relates to professional development.

Being a successful scientist is more involved than just doing good science. You need to be able to write good papers, submit compelling scholarship and grant applications, make powerful presentations, and communicate and collaborate with other researchers.

对此，有两方面的内容。一方面与专业发展有关，做一个成功的科学家比仅仅做好科学研究更加重要。你需要写优秀的论文，递交有说服力的奖学金和科研基金的申请，作强有力的演讲，并和其他研究这一起交流合作。

The other Ten Simple Rules editorials are a start here [1–7], but you need to work on developing these skills at the same time as you work on your thesis.

其他十条简单规则的编辑也是从这里开始的，但是你需要在为你的论文工作的同时应用并发展这些技巧。

The second part involves using these emergent skills to figure out what to do with the higher postgraduate degree. Do not wait until you graduate to take the next step. Have a position and a fellowship, if possible, lined up ahead of time.
另一方面你需要运用这些技巧来找出什么与更高的研究生学位的获得有关。不要等到毕业后才来考虑下一步该怎么做。找个职位和一个合作者，如果可能的话，最好是提前做好准备。

Rule 6: Remain Focused on Your Hypothesis While Avoiding Being Held Back

规则六：在避免受阻的同时坚持你的假设

Formulation of the hypothesis is the first thing you'll learn in Science 101, and yet somehow it seems to get occasionally thrown out the window.

你在科学101上将学到的第一件事就是提出假设，并且或许不知怎的就被否定了。

When you find yourself lost in the details of your research, take a step back and remind yourself of the big picture. Revaluate your hypothesis from time to time to see if it still makes sense, because you may find yourself needing a new one.

当你觉得自己迷失在研究的细节中时，后退一步并提醒自己大的方向。时不时地重新评价你的假设，以便可以知道它是否仍然合理，因为你可能发现自己需要一个新的假设。

Always keep this in mind in discussions with your mentor. As you have these discussions, remember you are cheap labor, and, if you are a good student, a source of success to your mentor.

在同你的导师进行讨论时，要一直把它记在心里。因为当你参与这些讨论时，记得你只是廉价劳动力，并且，如果你是一个优秀的学生的话，你就是你导师成功的一种资源。

The temptation is that your mentor will want to keep you around as long as possible. Define the scope of your project early with your mentor and agree that this is what you will attempt to complete in order to receive the degree.

这种诱惑就是你导师愿意尽可能长时间的把你留在身边。尽早详细地同你导师说明你课题的研究范围，并表态这就是你为了获得学位愿意尝试完成的。

A career awaits you beyond the laboratory of your graduate student days. Do not prolong moving on to new challenges.
在你研究生实验生涯之后，一个新的机会在等着你。不要拖延，继续向一个新挑战前进。

Rule 7: Address Problems Earlier Rather Than Later

规则七：尽早解决问题
If graduate school wasn't quite what you thought it would be, be it scientifically or otherwise, find out what your options are to address the problem.

如果读研并不同你原来想象的完全一样，但是，你需要科学地或者找出自己的选择是什么来解决这个问题。

Discuss these problems with your mentors. A good mentor is there not just to guide you scientifically, but also in your personal development. Remember, they have been there themselves and have likely seen similar issues with earlier students.

同导师讨论一下这些问题。一个好的导师不仅在科研上能指导你，在你的个人发展方面也是一样。记住，导师就在那里，并且他们可能在原来的学生身上看到过相似的问题。

Take time off to reflect on your future if this is needed. A good mentor will understand that you come first.
如果需要，停一停，反思一下你的未来。一个优秀的导师将会明白你去找他的原因。

Rule 8: Share Your Scientific Success with the World

规则八: 同世界分享你的科学成功
Being recognized by your peers as someone who does good science is important both within your institution, nationally, and internationally.

被你的同行认同你的优秀研究在你所在的机构、国家和国际上都很重要。

When opportunities arise to give seminars and presentations to other groups, take them. Before starting with a mentor, come to an agreement as to when and what meetings you can attend locally and globally.

当有机会给其他机构开讨论会和演讲时，抓住机会。在同导师开始科研之前，同其达成协议在地区和国际上你可以在何时参加何种会议。

Scientific meetings are a fun and fruitful venue for exchange. Be sure to venture beyond the comfort zone of familiar faces, because it is important to meet other colleagues in your field.

各种科研会议是交流兴趣和成果的地方。要足够大胆，不要总是同熟悉的面孔待在一起，因为在你的科研领域里认识其他一些同行是很重要的。

These people may become your future collaborators, friends, advocates, and employers.
这些人可能成为你日后的合作者、朋友、拥护者以及老板。

Rule 9: Build Confidence and a Thick Skin

规则九：建立信心并脸皮要厚
As you pave the road to scientific fame with Rule 8, expect your work to be criticized and scoffed at, for that is part of the scientific process of challenging new ideas.

在规则八所提到的，当你为你的科学声誉铺路时，你的工作可能会被批评和嘲笑，这是科研过程中挑战新观点的一部分。

The best way to build self-confidence for these otherwise defensive moments is to be prepared and to present your work clearly with a confident display of your expansive knowledgebase of the relevant related work.

建立自信的最好办法不是自卫，而是准备好，自信地展示与你工作有关的广博知识，把你的工作清楚地陈述出来。

Do not be intimidated by big names who question your work; counter knowledge with knowledge. Another reason to have a thick skin is that the path to success will not be without setbacks—setbacks such as experiments that fail, and experiments that succeed but do not yield a useful result causing you to have wasted significant time.

不要被问你话的大人物所吓倒，用知识去回应他。脸皮要厚的另一个原因就是成功之路充满挫折，像实验失败，以及实验虽然成功了，但是并没有得到一个有用的结果，使得你浪费了重要的时间。

Undergraduate training is usually much more structured and does not prepare you for such setbacks. Learn as much as you can from these situations both about the science and yourself and move on.
在读研究生期间的训练通常很有组织结构，它并没有让你准备面对那种挫折。从科研和你自己身上的这些情况尽可能多地学习。

Rule 10: Help Select and Subsequently Engage Your Thesis Committee

规则十：帮助选择并随后加入你的课题委员会
This rule depends somewhat on how your institution is structured. Some institutions do not convene a thesis committee until near the end of your work.

这条规则稍微有些取决于你所在机构的结构。有些机构直到你工作结束时才成立一个课题委员会。

For those institutions that require a thesis committee to be convened early, talk with your mentor and be involved in the selection process.

对于那些要求尽早成立课题委员会的机构，同你的导师谈谈，并要求进入选择过程。

The committee is there to work for you as secondary mentors. Consider people whose own research experience will be valuable to you or who have a reputation for ongoing mentoring in all areas of professional development.

委员会相当于为你工作的第二导师。考虑那些拥有研究经验的人或者那些有在各个领域专业发展上有声誉的在职导师进入委员会将对你非常有用。

Make a point of talking to members of the committee from time to time and keep them abreast of what you are doing. On occasion, you and your primary mentor may have disagreements; committee members can be invaluable here.

经常同委员会的成员交流意见，并同他们一起对你的研究并肩作战，偶尔，你同你原来的导师可能会有不同意见，这时，委员会成员的意见就非常宝贵了。


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