Early Career Researchers Must Tell Stories About Their Work

Research isn’t all elegant study designs, accurate data collection, and sophisticated equations. Researchers must also communicate their ideas and findings with scholarly audiences and do so effectively. These audiences are no different from those found at your local theater. That is, they understand each paper you write or talk you deliver insofar as it tells a compelling story. Yet, your storytelling doesn’t stop with a single paper or talk. Scholarly records span years and multiple pieces of work. Successful researchers learn to synthesize their records to tell a larger story—a research program. This chapter conveys the book’s thesis, namely that narrative tools commonly used in film help researchers build programs of research. This chapter also details how the book is tailored to the lives of early career researchers and articulates how narrative tools reveal keen insights into working with mentors, navigating peer review, and nailing the job talk that launches your career.