Charlie and Rosie return in our latet episode, where we are joined by our mutual friend, Rob, to talk about a not very exciting but very important job: making an index for your book.

Anyone who has written their own book or anyone who has produced an edited volume, will be familiar with the dreaded INDEX. These days, authors and editors are usually responsible for producing their own index. This may sound like a simple task, but you may be surprised at how tricky and time consuming it can actually be.

As academics, we aren’t always aware of what an index is actually for and what role it plays in the publishing process. So we thought we would ask Rosie (our resident publishing expert), some questions, including:

- What is an index FOR?

- How does the process of making an index work? (What do publishers ask for, and do they give any help?)

- What makes a good and a bad index for a publisher?

- How have we, as academics, found the process of prudicing our index?

Please do 'like', and follow/subscribe to the podcast, and feel free to offer your feedback and comments (reviews increase our visibility, so please do leave us your thoughts). You can follow us on BlueSky @ecrpodcasters

In this episode, Charlie an Rosie are joined by our new guest Jo, who had a successful academic career before starting her own business as a freelance copyeditor.

Anybody who wants to publish academic research will probably at some point find themselves working with a copyeditor. The copyeditor has traditionally been an essential toolkit in academic publishing – they are the person who takes your text and polishes it up, gets rid of embarrassing typos, and makes sure your document makes sense. In this episode, we dive a bit more deeply into this role, and talk about what copyediting really involves, and the value it brings. But we also wanted to talk about copyediting as a career, in case this is something that you might be thinking about. We also talk about the state of the field, and if AI can ever really replace the human touch...

Links discussed in the episode:

- Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP): https://www.ciep.uk

- Chartered Institude of Linguistics (Translation): https://www.ciol.org.uk

- Trio Mandilli: https://www.instagram.com/trio_mandili?igsh=MW1iejU1MTJydXp6Ng==

This week, Charlie and Rosie are joined by new friends Jo and Ben, as we discuss the HUGE and multifaceted topic of neurodivertiy in academia.

Jo, Ben, and Charlie reflect on our experiences of late diagnosis, managing the impact of our spicy brains on our academic lives, working relationships, and our lives outside of work, and then we give some advice and definitions on where to get support if you think you may need help on topics relating to this week's subject.

Then we hear more about Ben and Jo's amazing work for the UK UCU (Universities and Colleges Union) specificaly relating to the links between casualisation and neurodiversity in academia.

We hope you like our episode: give us a follow, subscribe, or write us a review!

Links discussed in the show:

UCU 'Survival Guide' for neurodiverse people: https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/13562/UCU-Casualisation-and-neurodiversity-guide/pdf/UCU_Casualisation_Neurodiversity_guide.pdf

UCU Neurodiversity and Casualisation Manifesto:

https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/13560/UCU-Anti-casualisation-and-Neurodiversity-Manifesto/pdf/UCU_Casualisation_Neurodiversity_Manifesto.pdf

UCU 'Supporting Neurodiversity and Colleagues on Casualised Contracts':

https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/13558/Supporting-neurodiversity-and-colleagues-on-casualised-contracts/pdf/UCU_Casualisation_Neurodiversity_Supporting_staff.pdf

National Health Service home page on 'Exploring Neurodiversity':

https://nhsdorset.nhs.uk/neurodiversity/explore/

Inspired by recent life events, Charlie and Rachael meet to discuss what it is like to leave a job (or a degree programme) in academia, and what ECRs should be thinking about when starting a new role.

As we know well, leaving an academic post can be very stressful: it can involve a lot of uncertainty, self-doubt, and pressure. But there are also huge positives to starting in a new post, and we want to emphasise these and embrace the challenges!

We talked about: how it can feel to be leaving a job and starting a new one (and how it feels when you don't have a new role to go to immediately); things you can do to make the transition easier; our reflections on what makes it starting a new job more enjoyable and easier.

Discussed in the show: Jennifer Polk, From PhD to Life: https://fromphdtolife.com

In this episode, we welcome back Rosie, and witness the long-awaited return of one of our founders, Olivia! Like many people who are coming to the end of their time as PhD researchers, Olivia is now exploring the ways in which she can start publishing her research.

One of these potential avenues, is to turn some of her research into an article for an academic journal, and so we thought it would be worth having a discussion about how that process works, from deciding which journal to publish with, understanding the effect that the host journal may have on the way the article is written, getting some insight into how the process of peer review works, and gaining all sorts of useful additional tips along the way.

If you enjoy the episode and the show, then please do follow us on your podcast platforms, follow us on social media (@ecrpodcasters) and leave us a review!

Links discussed in the show:

Scopus journal metrics:

https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.elsevier.com%2Fproducts%2Fscopus%2Fmetrics&data=05%7C02%7CC.Rozier%40uea.ac.uk%7C8dc245c322fe486fa66708dde63588be%7Cc65f8795ba3d43518a070865e5d8f090%7C0%7C0%7C638919839782327379%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=lMqI3IDajI0TI1HE%2FWntgx%2BCzdJ7rLAYWuye445Yrvo%3D&reserved=0

Web of Science Arts and Humanities Citation Index: https://clarivate.com/academia-government/scientific-and-academic-research/research-discovery-and-referencing/web-of-science/web-of-science-core-collection/arts-humanities-citation-index/

In this episode, Charlie is joined by special guest and academic history coach Nicholas Morton, Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University (UK). Nic lends his insight into the process of dealing with criticism in academia. We discuss: 1) the places in which we often encounter criticism (including peer review of our publications, book reviews, and Q+A at conferences), 2) our strategies for how to cope with this criticism (including how to judge whether criticisms are valid or not and then how to draw up action plans), and 3) how to actually give criticism to others.

You can find more about Nic in the following places:

Nic's book, the Mongol Storm: https://basicbooks.uk/titles/nicholas-morton-2/the-mongol-storm/9781399803588/

Instagram: @nicholasmorton123

Youtube: @MedievalNearEast

...and please don't forget to follow us on Bluesky: @ecrpodcasters.bsky.social

In this episode, Charlie is joined by our long-time friend of the show Laura, plus two new guests, Isla and Josh, as we talk about what it is like to attend your first large conference. Laura and Charlie have attended lots of large conferences together, but Josh and Isla were attending their first ever events as PhD researchers. We talked about 1) why you might want to attend large conferences; 2) how you can get involved in presenting and funding a large-conference trip; 3) things that can make us nervous about large conferences and 4) what our top pieces of advice would be to help maximise your experiences.

For more information about the International Medieval Congress, where we recorded this episode, see: https://www.imc.leeds.ac.uk/

If anyone is interested in Laura's book, you can learn more here: https://boydellandbrewer.com/book/the-queenship-of-mathilda-of-flanders-c-1031-1083/

Following on from last time, when we discussed teaching in schools as a post-academic career option, this week, Charlie and Stephanie meet to discuss teaching opportunities for early career researchers in universities (spoiler alert: Rachael never made it!)

Stephanie (recently appointed as a BBC New Generation Thinker: hooray!) is studying to be elected as a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (links below) and so we thought it was a good time to talk about:

- What teaching opportunities exist for ECRs in Humanities.

- Some advice on what to agree to, and what you might want to avoid.

- Some advice on how to get started, and how to maximise the fun parts of teaching as an ECR.

We hope you like it! Please leave us comments or a review as you like.

Links mentioned in the show:

New Generation Thinkers: https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2025/new-generation-thinkers-selected-bbc-radio-4

Advance HE (UK Higher Education Academy): https://www.advance-he.ac.uk

Old Bailey Online: https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoinghistoryinpublic.org%2F2025%2F06%2F19%2Fcourtroom-to-classroom-teaching-with-old-bailey-online%2F&data=05%7C02%7CC.Rozier%40uea.ac.uk%7C4c4d7f824f1843f7aabf08ddafc8abeb%7Cc65f8795ba3d43518a070865e5d8f090%7C0%7C0%7C638859998607650528%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fKfi7wIqR0iomT%2F54hanLuRYR2wdWhsAZSEFw8NpWwk%3D&reserved=0

Medieval Murder Maps: https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsocialhistory.org.uk%2Fshs_exchange%2Fengaging-students-with-the-medieval-murder-map%2F&data=05%7C02%7CC.Rozier%40uea.ac.uk%7C4c4d7f824f1843f7aabf08ddafc8abeb%7Cc65f8795ba3d43518a070865e5d8f090%7C0%7C0%7C638859998607664087%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=tgttYrFdQSPlSccDPGHqopP81ZZhL20dgGHx5DKNQOU%3D&reserved=0

In this episode, Charlie and Rosie are joined by a very special guest, Catherine, as we talk about career paths in school teaching. This is a career path that for some, leads on quite naturally from academia, and which allows some academics to fulfil some of their biggest career ambitions.

But what does school teaching actually entail, what is it like, and what are the good (and bad) reasons for choosing to pursue this career option? After (and indeed during) her career as a Classics researcher, our guest, Catherine, gained a variety of roles teaching in state-funded high schools and post-16 sixth form colleges. She explains her academic journey from PhD student to real-life teacher, and gives us insights into the nature and character of the job, the demands that it can place on teachers, the joys that it brings, and gives some advice on how to make up your mind about whether or not you would enjoy and and be good at school teaching. We also talk about possible routes into teaching, including qualifications and job opportunities in the UK system, without needing to study for an extra qualification before you begin.

If you like the episode, please give us feedback and support us by following our show!

Links mentioned in the episode:

https://classicsforall.org.uk/

https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/teacher-training-adviser/sign_up/identity?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22434217582&gbraid=0AAAAAD_WOvqmdrc3rkXShx38Vh9i2L4ZE&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmK_CBhCEARIsAMKwcD5M8NFpmzQemWzA3XhTgPopf3ZzXKWvWVbXUoftS1GhtEF4Pp0nwy4aAnz3EALw_wcB

In this episode, Charlie and Rosie are joined by our long-time friend of the show Ana, as we discuss one of the most nerve-wracking challenges in academia: how to do your best in academic job interviews. We discuss the likely format of interviews (online, in person, presentation elements, panel Q+A etc.), talk about some of the likely questions that are often asked of the candidates, and we recount our experiences of how you can best negotiate the nerves, try to stay calm, and show your interviewers all of your best qualities!

If you enjoy the episode, please give us a 'like', and subscribe to get notifications of our future episodes. You can follow us on BlueSky @ecrpodcasters and you can get in touch by emailing [email protected]

Resources discussed in the show include:

Jobs.ac.uk page on advice for job interviews: https://career-advice.jobs.ac.uk/jobseeking-and-interview-tips/academic-interview/

LSE website on possible job interview questions: https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/careers/Assets/Documents/PhD/InterviewQuestions.pdf