Everybody needs a mentor. When you look for a mentor the most important factor is chemistry. You will spend a lot of time together with your mentor so communication has to be pleasant and productive. The research area may not be that important as long as your mentor is the right person for you. 

In large multicenter trials there may be problems about authorship if you do not settle that before study start. In this context it is advisable to make a formal authorship contract with the study sites before accrual of the first patient.

In this episode we go through the editorial process. What happens with your paper in its way through the editorial office, out for review, back again, and the additional steps until final publication.

Whenever possible you should use a reporting guideline when writing your paper. This will increase the quality and transparency of your work and it will also increase the chance of getting your paper published.

It is important to write a research protocol for almost all types of studies. Usually the protocol is large and comprehensive for human clinical trials, and for other study types the protocol may be smaller.

In this episode I go through my current choice of software for PC/Mac and apps for smartphone. These are tools that will make your life easier as a biomedical researcher.

There are many reasons why a paper can be rejected by the editor. We go though some of the most important reasons, where choice of the wrong journal may be the most important one. 

The submission proces has certain steps and include the manuscript system used by the journal, a cover letter, submission of different files, and if you get a chance to revise your paper, the revised paper should be submitted with a detailed rebuttal letter.

Writers block may be the most important inhibitor in the writing proces, both for novices as well as experienced authors. This episode will outline the possible causes and potential solutions to this common and irritating problem.

There are different issues to consider when you are deciding for a target journal for your scientific article. The best advice is to decide as early as possible because it may influence the writing of the paper and even the study design in some cases.