Today's #ResearchTip is competitive academia often makes it difficult to admit when we don't know something. But if you don't understand your work/studies ask for help asap. The longer you leave things, the worse they can get. #AcademicChatter #AcademicTwitter #HigherEd #MedEd
Ideally you'd ask for help from your supervisor, manager, tutor etc. But not everyone is safe to seek answers from. In which case colleagues, friends working in other unis, professional organisations, your union, or checking online may be a reassuring place to begin.
If you're working or studying in a place that makes it difficult, unsafe, or impossible to ask for advice or clarify when you don't know something, that's a major red flag. Yes, seek additional help with the ideas above, but you may also want to find another place to work/study.
If you can't admit mistakes, ask for help, or share concerns then this is not a safe place for you - or others. Same applies if nobody is available to assist you, answer questions, or anticipate your training, access, and other support needs. #AcademicChatter #AcademicTwitter
My teaching is based on my many mistakes. I've done a lot of good research. I've also made a lot of errors, because I'm only human. Sometimes they were preventable, but a lot happened either because of poor teaching and low support, or being too scared to admit I didn't know.
When I did my final year project we were under huge pressure to collect, analyse and write up data. Much less attention paid to *how* you go about collecting said data. Meaning when I sent my participant invitation letters out I forgot to sign my name - or check my error...
....nobody had replied to my invitation to join in and in a panic I called one of the places I'd asked. 'We were wondering when you'd phone' they said 'we wanted to join in, but had no idea who you were!' Eventually all the participants I'd initially invited joined in. But...
....I was embarrassed and afraid to admit this because I thought it would count against my degree. It did end up as a case example in my teaching and my first book ☺️ All was okay in the end, but if I'd not checked, the study would've failed. Bad for any research.
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