Prioritize your wellbeing. Your health and happiness come first. Research is hard, and it’s okay to go through hard patches, but it’s not okay to constantly feel stressed or overworked. If you are struggling, tell someone (feel free to tell Evgeny!). The lab looks out for the wellbeing of all its members. We are here to help.
Do awesome research. Research is hard, but it is also fun. Work on what you are passionate about, work hard at it, and be so proud of it that you have to suppress bragging. Prioritize research: remember that we’re here to do science (and get degrees along the way). Don’t let other commitments (such as coursework, teaching, or service) consume too much of your mental and physical energy.
Be careful. Don’t rush your work. Think about it, implement it, double and triple check it. Incorporate sanity checks. Ask others to look at your data or code if you need help or something looks off. It’s okay to make mistakes, but mistakes shouldn’t be because of carelessness or rushed work. If you do make a mistake, tell your collaborators right away (especially if they have already seen the data, or started writing up a paper). We admit mistakes, correct them, and move on.
Own your projects and tasks. When you are working on something, be responsible for your timeline and output. If you anticipate a delay, if something isn’t going as planned, if you are stuck or confused, tell us about it as soon as you become aware of the problem. Tell your colleagues, your project manager, and feel free to tell Evgeny. Together, we can figure out solutions to the most difficult problems.
Like other labs, we will follow the APA guidelines with respect to authorship:
Authorship credit should reflect the individual’s contribution to the study. An author is considered anyone involved with initial research design, data collection and analysis, manuscript drafting, and final approval. However, the following do not necessarily qualify for authorship: providing funding or resources, mentorship, or contributing research but not helping with the publication itself. The primary author assumes responsibility for the publication, making sure that the data are accurate, that all deserving authors have been credited, that all authors have given their approval to the final draft; and handles responses to inquiries after the manuscript is published.
At the start of a new project, the lab member (student or post-doc) taking on the lead role can expect to be first author (talk to Evgeny about it if you aren’t sure). Evgeny will typically be the last author in publications where students take the lead role. Lab members who help over the course of the project may be added to the author list depending on their contribution, and their placement will be discussed with all parties involved in the paper. In publications with external collaborators, the order of authors may be different. All of these issues will be discussed openly, and you should feel free to bring them up if you are not sure of your authorship status or want to challenge it.
The lab, and the university, is an environment that must be free of harassment and discrimination. All lab members are expected to abide by the Iowa State University policies on discrimination and harassment.
The lab is committed to ensuring a safe, friendly, and accepting environment for everybody. We will not tolerate any verbal or physical harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, age, race, or religion. We will not tolerate intimidation, stalking, following, unwanted photography or video recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. Finally, it should go without saying that lewd language and behavior have no place in the lab, including any lab outings.
If you notice someone being harassed, or are harassed yourself, tell Evgeny immediately. If Evgeny is the cause of your concern, then reach out to the department chair or another trusted faculty member in the department.
Following guidance from the University Registrar, we cannot disclose information regarding assistantship status and funding sources to fellow lab members without securing prior student consent. Every student working in the lab retains the choice to grant or withdraw this consent at their discretion, without repercussions on their role within the lab. Whether you decide to provide, withhold, or retract consent for sharing information about your lab employment, it will not impact your position in any manner. Should you have questions regarding the FERPA Release process, please feel free to reach out to Evgeny for assistance.
Portions of this policy have been inspired by and adapted from the Aly Lab Manual