Tools and Resources

This section gathers practical tools and thoughtful reflections designed to support your academic journey. You will find accessible guides on academic writing, proposal strategy, career planning, and other aspects of scholarly practice, alongside reflections that speak to the art and craft of research itself. These materials aim to share hard-earned insight, spark reflection, and help both emerging and established scholars navigate the challenges of academic life.

Academic Survival Handbook

Navigating the tumultuous waters of academia presents significant challenges. During my time at KU Leuven, I have had the privilege of teaching (and continue to teach) a bold course tailored to equip promising young philosophers with the tools they need for their journey toward becoming professional philosophers. In line with the belief that “knowledge not shared is a privilege,” I have chosen to make some of the course materials available to the public. The idea is to write a ‘strategic handbook’ addressing various challenging aspects of academic life, particularly for young scholars. The handbook will delve into the intricacies of the publishing world, the competitive job market, and the art of crafting proposals for European funding schemes. I am currently working on it but do not know when I will be done. For the time being, you can find here some guides focused on how to write different kinds of academic texts (articles, abstracts, etc.). More are on the way.

How to write an abstract

Titles, abstracts, and keywords often bear the brunt of neglect in academic writing, an oversight that ranks among the most foolish missteps in one’s career. Although an article, as well as a research proposal, commences with a title, an abstract, and typically five keywords, the attention to these three components usually comes only after completing the entire text. In fact, Titles, Abstracts, and Keywords (TAK) are the final elements addressed in your article and research proposal. However, when preparing for a talk, be it a proposal or a request from organizers, TAK becomes the initial focus. read more

How to write a journal article

Articles serve as the fundamental building blocks of academic writing, forming the basis for various publications. A well-crafted monograph often organizes its content into chapters that mirror the structure of an article, and book chapters and sections similarly adhere to this foundational structure. The essential framework of an article serves as the starting point for developing a compelling research proposal.  read more

How to submit a journal article

You want to write a research article and submit it to a journal. To do so, you need a plan. Naturally, you decide to write an article when you have found something interesting and valuable to discuss: a problem, theory, new interpretation, and so on. Let’s assume that you do. You now have to reflect on this topic and elaborate on your research question: what is the point of your article? Why is that important? When your research question is clear, you have to decide how you want to engage with it, i.e., the strategy you are going to adopt.  read more

How to strategise your career

If you aspire to build a career in academia and ultimately secure tenure as a philosophy professor someday, you will need a career strategy. This strategy involves pondering and resolving individual choices related to research problems, dissemination of outputs, job applications, international networking, and personal branding. Keep in mind that all strategies are individual and unique, but having some form of strategy is a common aspect of approaching an academic career.  read more

How to navigate proposals

In your academic life, you will have to dedicate a huge amount of time proposal writing. There are two main types of research proposals: formative proposals (doctoral and postdoctoral) and grant proposals. A crucial distinction exists within formative proposals, as doctoral and postdoctoral proposals differ significantly. Their objectives vary depending on the stage of research they aim to fund. .  read more

How to design proposals

Learn how to craft compelling research proposals by tailoring your writing to different audiences – administrators, experts, and evaluators – and aligning your content with key assessment criteria: excellence, impact, and implementation. This guide offers practical strategies for structuring your proposal, enhancing clarity, and improving your chances of success.  read more

Reflecting on our practices

I have been taught that good teachers (and by extension, good researchers) are always reflective practitioners. I could not agree more on this point. The only way by which we can improve what we do (whatever that may be) is by constantly reflecting on how we do our work and striving for doing it better. You can find below some reflections on academia that I felt I should share.