A survey of early-career researchers in Australia

Abstract

Early-career researchers (ECRs) make up a large portion of the academic workforce and their experiences often reflect the wider culture of the research system. Here we surveyed 658 ECRs working in Australia to better understand the needs and challenges faced by this community. Although most respondents indicated a ‘love of science’, many also expressed an intention to leave their research position. The responses highlight how job insecurity, workplace culture, mentorship and ‘questionable research practices’ are impacting the job satisfaction of ECRs and potentially compromising science in Australia. We also make recommendations for addressing some of these concerns.

The need for sustainable leadership in academia

“…In order to combat the so‐called “Peter Principle” according to which “members of an organization where promotion is based on achievement, success, and merit will eventually be promoted beyond their level of ability” (Peter & Hull, 1969 ), researchers should be trained in leadership skills as these are key to successfully navigate the new challenges and responsibilities that come with a leading position (Bryman, 2007 ). This would not only benefit research at the individual level but also academia as a whole: A recent survey of early‐career researchers in Australia reports lack of mentorship, hostile workplace environment, and questionable research practices as major causes why young scientists leave academia (Christian et al , 2021 ). At the same time, growing evidence suggests that the leadership style of academic supervisors can dramatically affect the mental health and performance of academic employees, especially of PhD students (Christian et al , 2021 ).…”

“…This would not only benefit research at the individual level but also academia as a whole: A recent survey of early‐career researchers in Australia reports lack of mentorship, hostile workplace environment, and questionable research practices as major causes why young scientists leave academia (Christian et al , 2021 ). At the same time, growing evidence suggests that the leadership style of academic supervisors can dramatically affect the mental health and performance of academic employees, especially of PhD students (Christian et al , 2021 ). Moreover, managing students with mental health issues can also pose enormous challenges on untrained supervisors, creating an unsustainable circle of insecurity and overstress owing to lack of leadership skills (Loissel, 2019 ).…”

“I know it's bad but I have been pressured into it”: Questionable research practices among psychology students in Canada

“…As such, a positive outcome to emerge from the "replication crisis" is that there has been increased awareness of the use of QRPs in psychology research, as well as an increased implementation of more open and replicable science practices, designed to increase transparency, reduce undisclosed analytical flexibility, and mitigate publication bias (Chambers et al, 2015;Nosek et al, 2018). Even with this shift, there appears to be a deeply ingrained culture within academia that allows for the use QRPs to persist, and thus trainees may feel tempted or pressured to engage in QRPs in their own research (Christian et al, 2021).…”

Establishing CREATE: Lessons learned in setting up a training environment for early-career researchers in respiratory medicine

“…These small grants offered funding for travel or consumables or other initial project costs to break down these barriers and aid in the establishment of investigatorled research for ECRs only. Research funding in Australia is extremely competitive; short-term contracts and the ever-present need to apply for grants leads to uncertain futures for ECRs in research and high job insecurity (6,15). In most research funding schemes, ECRs must compete with more senior researchers in funding schemes with a low success rate, so it is vital for them to build a strong track record as soon as possible (8,11,16).…”