Our advice for an impactful research career

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Research has greatly improved the world, and further research is needed to solve the many pressing problems in the world today. If you want to improve the world as much as possible with your research career, beginning with your thesis or dissertation, our advice can help.

What you explore during your thesis or dissertation could affect what you work on for the rest of your career and how successful you are, so if you want to change the world with your research, it makes sense to reflect carefully on what research topic you choose.

Read our advice below to learn about how you can use your thesis to pursue a more impactful research career. If you want this advice delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Future Researchers Journey.

If you want inspiration on what topics to work on, visit our topics page or sign up for the Topic Discovery Digest.

Explore our advice

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Undergraduate
Masters
PhD

Navigating Your Undergrad or Masters Topic Choice

Are you writing an undergraduate or masters thesis? Start with our guide on choosing a topic that will have a positive impact on the world, then explore the rest of our advice after if you want to learn more.

Navigating Your PhD Topic Choice

Are you studying or considering a PhD? Start with our guide on choosing a PhD topic that will have a positive impact on the world, then explore the rest of our advice after if you want to learn more.

Your research career can change the world

Doing well-targeted, excellent research can not only result in you having a successful research career, but save lives and positively shape the future.

Finding an impactful research direction

Learn why we think some research directions are likely to have a much greater positive impact on the world than others.

How we write our profiles and advice

Learn how we identify the research directions we think are particularly likely to improve the world.

Choosing a research direction to suit you

Not all impactful research directions will make the best use of your skills. Here are our ideas on how to find the right one for you.

Creating a theory of change

A theory of change is a step by step plan of how you’ll achieve impact with your research project. We think building a theory of change is one of the most important things you can do to increase the value of your research.

Sharing your research findings beyond academia

Could your research findings inform the decisions of stakeholders outside of academia? In this post we cover who you could reach out to and how to make your research more accessible.

Reasoning transparency

Reasoning transparency is one of the most useful research skills you can develop if you want your research to benefit others.

Tips on doing impactful research

Our tips on building the skills and habits to become a highly successful researcher.

Mental health and wellbeing

Being a student can be challenging. Here are some suggestions for looking after your mental health.

Sharing your finished thesis or dissertation

Where can you publish your thesis or dissertation? In this post we cover publishing in academic journals, on forums, and other ideas for getting your research out there.