Smart Academics
Blog

Practical guidance for researchers who feel stuck, overloaded, uncertain, or delayed with writing, publishing, PhD work, supervision, or academic career decisions.

The articles below help you move from confusion to clarity — with structured, experience-based support rather than productivity pressure.

Explore practical tools, frameworks, diagnostics, and real academic writing guidance used by researchers across disciplines.

Not sure where to start?

Choose the situation that best matches where you are right now. Each short tool helps you clarify the problem, reduce uncertainty, and identify a practical next step.

Starting or structuring a paper

Define your paper focus, create a working structure, and identify your next writing step.

Use the Research Paper Starter Kit →

Deciding whether to submit

Decide whether your manuscript is ready to submit — or what still needs work.

Use the Submission Readiness Diagnostic →

Feeling stuck in your PhD

Identify whether your current support system is helping your PhD progress or holding it back.

Use the PhD Supervision Diagnostic →

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May 7, 2019Publish

#9: What reviewers of your paper first look at

Always wanted to know where reviewers first look at when reviewing a journal paper?  In our courses, we have been asked this question many times. Here we will dive into the issue to shed some light on it and help you on your first...

April 30, 2019Efficiency, PhD

#8: Deadline disaster: Seven easy steps to avoid

Are your deadlines staring you down like a lion waiting to pounce? Deadline dread is an all too real problem for many researchers, with all real consequences. If you’re tired of the last minute panic, sleepless nights and missed...

April 16, 2019Present

#7: Why your next presentation matters!

A conference presentation, like any other event where you present, is a great possibility to showcase who you are and what you do. However, it sometimes looks like not all presenters recognise the opportunity, assuming a presentation...

April 1, 2019Publish

#5: How to get started with writing papers?

Do you also have “get started with my paper!” regularly on your to-do list? And do you continually find it not done at the end of the day, and postpone it to tomorrow’s tasks? Getting started with a paper is a tough task for many of...

March 25, 2019Efficiency, PhD

#4: How to find time for research?

Do you frequently leave your office in the evening after a long and hard working day feeling  dissatisfied with what you’ve achieved and how you’ve spent your time? Your days often go by filled with doing a lot of ‘stuff’, but you...

Stage fright
March 19, 2019Present

#3: How to cope with stage fright?

Are you scared of presenting your fine research in front of an audience of your scientific colleagues? Read our 10 strategies to learn how we can help you to be less nervous when delivering an oral presentation at a scientific...

March 11, 2019PhD

#2: So you want to finish your PhD on time?

Do you sometimes daydream about the day your PhD is done? The very moment you proudly turn in your dissertation to the faculty and realise you are finished? Your PhD is completed! Such an elevating, happy and memorable moment! But then...

March 11, 2019Publish

#1: How to write a paper abstract?

Are you struggeling with writing the abstract of your research paper? Let us show you in 10 steps how to write a really good paper abstract that will help you get published and likely generate a bigger audience for your work....