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In The Productive Researcher, Mark Reed shows researchers how they can become more productive in a fraction of their current working day. He draws on interviews with some of the world's highest performing researchers, the literature and his own experience to identify a small number of important insights that can transform how researchers work. The book is based on an unparalleled breadth of interdisciplinary evidence that speaks directly to researchers of all disciplines and career stages. The lessons in this book will make you more productive, more satisfied with what you produce, and enable you to be happy working less, and being more.
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In The Productive Researcher, Mark Reed shows researchers
how they can become more productive in a fraction of their current working day. He draws on interviews with some of the world’s highest performing researchers, the literature and his own experience to identify a small number of important insights that can transform how researchers work. The book is based on an unparalleled breadth of interdisciplinary evidence that speaks directly to researchers of all disciplines and career stages. The lessons in this book will make you more productive, more satisfied with what you produce, and enable you to be happy working less, and being more.
Mark Reed is Professor of Socio-Technical Innovation at Newcastle University and Visiting Professor at Birmingham City University and the University of Leeds. He has over 140 publications that have been cited more than 10,000 times. He is author of The Research Impact Handbook, which he has used to train over 4000 researchers from more than 200 institutions in 55 countries.
The Productive Researcher Mark S. Reed
First published 2017 by Fast Track Impact www.fasttrackimpact.com St Johns Well, Kinnoir, Huntly, Aberdeenshire AB54 7XT
© 2017 Mark S. Reed and Fast Track Impact Ltd
The right of Mark S. Reed to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
This book should be cited as: Reed, M.S. (2017). The Productive Researcher. Fast Track Impact.
ISBN: 978-0-9935482-2-2 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-9935482-3-9 (ebk)
Design by: Anna Sutherland
To Hanifa, for your calm belief in wild possibilities
Contents 1 Introduction Part 1: Principles 2 Smart-grid your motivation 3 Retell your story 4 Single-mindedly prioritize 5 Find goals that inspire you: the new SMART Part 2: Making it happen 6 Plans that work 7 Say “yes” to say “no” 8 How to write a literature review in a week 9 Do less to do more 10 How to spend less time on emails and meetings 11 How to spend less time online 12 Conclusion
Acknowledgements Appendix 1: Ten of the most productive researchers in the world Appendix 2: Power questionnaire Endnotes
Chapter 1 Introduction
The one thing we want as researchers is time; time to write up our latest work, and time to feel like we have a life. Surely, that’s not asking too much?
Fortunately for me, it appears that time is on my side. Somet