"Not that long ago there were fairly clear divisions between researchers at different stages throughout their career, starting with doctoral students then progressing to postdoctoral workers and finishing with academic staff. However, more recently the term Early Career Researcher (ECR) has been introduced partly as a response to their growing importance which has been reflected by their increased respect and status shown by national, international and funding bodies. There are several common features of an ECR's job including the need to establish a professional identity and develop into an independent researcher, competing for grants and increasing one's output of research publications; this book offers proven practical advice to help ECRs kick-start a successful academic career"-- Provided by publisher.