Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Getting up to speed & staying up to date with a scientific field

Getting caught up
* Find very recent review articles to get a sense where the field currently stands, then go and read the primary literature cited in the reviews.
* Search for primers.
* Figure out the key researchers/labs in the field, track down their most recent work, & set up alerts for them.
* Ask people in the field for suggestions of key papers and/or jot down any they mention in passing.

Staying in the know
* Set up alerts for key terms/topics/authors, etc.
* Bookmark & regularly check new articles listed on websites of key journals in your field.
* Check where papers you read have been cited to see any "updates" (e.g., using a tool like scite or PubMed).

More here: thebumblingbiochemist.com/365-days-of-science/papernotes

And: thebumblingbiochemist.com/365-days-of-science/reference-management

And: thebumblingbiochemist.com/365-days-of-science/strategicreading

More on the hidden curriculum of academic science: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUWsCDtjESrH10HorjPfP_AreNCf6S4rL & thebumblingbiochemist.com/hiddencurriculum

More random practical advice: bit.ly/practicalposts

more trainee-related content: bit.ly/gradpostdocetc & YouTube playlists: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUWsCDtjESrE5by6kK_GsGNPQtmdaVynz

more about all sorts of things: #365DaysOfScience All (with topics listed) 👉 bit.ly/2OllAB0 or search blog: thebumblingbiochemist.com        

#scicomm #biochemistry #molecularbiology #biology #sciencelife #science #realtimechem