Wie sieht also eine Karriere in der Wissenschaft an der MLU aus? Die Promotion ist oft der Anfang einer Wissenschaftskarriere hin zu einer Professur. Und dennoch, die Promotion eröffnet viele weitere berufliche Möglichkeiten, sowohl an der MLU als auch in vielen anderen Institutionen.
Do you have a research question that you would like to investigate? Would you like to do that in the context of a doctorate? Are you planning to present your idea to your preferred professor to apply as a candidate for supervision? It’s time to write your exposé!
The exposé provides an overview of your planned research work. It links your research question with a plan for its investigation. You provide a clearly understandable, coherently reasoned explanation of
what you want to investigate,
why you’re investigating it and
how you want to investigate it.
Figure: A convincing exposé makes the components Why?, What?, and How? interlock like gears and form a comprehensive result.
A well-written synopsis not only convinces scholarship providers or potential supervisors of your research idea. It also helps you as the author to structure your own project, to critically question it and to recognize potential challenges early on. Think of the exposé as a very first draft of your dissertation. This type of preparation can save valuable time, energy and resources later on.
Form and structure of an exposé
A clear structure is the necessary framework for convincingly communicating the core of your idea – the research question. You explain how you derived it and how you want to investigate it. There is not one strict form that an exposé must follow. However, certain key elements should be present in a logical order to achieve a comprehensible result.
The relationship between doctoral researchers and their supervisors influences the pathway and success of a doctoral project and is a crucial factor for the start of an academic career (Ives & Rowley 2007). It is thus all the more important that both parties deal with the perspective, expectations and needs of the other side.
With the project “What supervisors want” InGrA sheds some light on the relationship between supervisors and their doctoral students. The project was carried out in 2023.
To provide information and guidance for doctoral students we have approached supervisors in four departments at MLU. In semi-structured interviews we asked them about their perspective and experiences in the supervision of doctoral students. This was preceded by an online survey in which doctoral researchers had the opportunity to ask their questions and thus helped to shape the interview guidelines. Enjoy the reading. Hopefully, we can broaden your perspective on doctoral supervision and What supervisors want.
InGrA has released a series of guides Guides4docs@MLU recently. With the following topics you can get a good overview of options and requirements during your future or current doctorate at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.
Research at MLU: Some research prospects for early career scientists in Halle (research4docs@MLU)
Die VBL (Versorgungsanstalt des Bundes und der Länder) ist Deutschlands größte Zusatzversorgungskasse zur betrieblichen Altersversorgung für Beschäftigte des öffentlichen Dienstes. Somit auch ein mögliches Thema für wissenschaftlich Beschäftigte (Promovierende und PostDocs) der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg. Doch es gibt einige Besonderheiten, die es zu beachten gilt.
In a free-to-access Focus on Peer Review course, a panel of experienced researchers and Nature Research journal editors teach the foundations of good peer review.
The online courses are taught by Nature Portfolio journal editors, and academic and professional experts. Nature Masterclasses has been developed by Nature Research to provide professional development training for researchers. Nature Research is part of Springer Nature.
Die dritte komplett überarbeitete Ausgabe des ZEIT CAMPUS Ratgeber Promotion ist erschienen.
Der ZEIT CAMPUS Ratgeber Promotion ist der Begleiter für (angehende) Promovierende auf allen Stationen der Promotion: von der Entscheidung über die Planung und Durchführung der Arbeit bis zu den letzten Nachtschichten vor der Abgabe. (von Zeit Campus)
““Press releases” are one of the main vehicles used by a communication office to inform the world about scientific advances. Naturally the results themselves should make a press release, but a few simple guidelines can help to make the release a success. Although the main target group for press releases is the press, press releases do reach further. Press releases communicate important information to decision-makers, other mediators, scientists and even to the public. It is critically important always to tailor the style, level and content of a press release to suit the needs of the press and not the secondary target groups mentioned.” (from ESA)
