No matter the profession, almost no one will be good at their job if they don’t go home at the end of the day feeling fulfilled by the work and feeling like they’ve contributed to something bigger than themselves. If you love science and exploration, you are already one big step closer to becoming a good scientist, as it is always better to be yourself and do work within a niche that you enjoy and find fascinating.

Often big discoveries come from noticing an inconsistency or oddity and then troubleshooting to figure out what caused it. Avoid focusing on developing “genius” by approaching experiments the way you think they should be done and be willing to pursue the unusual or a new approach to a problem. Maximize your exposure to chance occurrences and events, and don’t ignore little inconsistencies in your work. Instead, consider them and pursue them further to see where the unexpected might lead.

It’s important to also notice tiny observations and record them promptly. Categorizing and analyzing data is a huge part of being a scientist, so ensure you can do this efficiently and correctly.

A good scientist will have good ethics and will not give false results or shade an experiment to fulfill the expected outcome. They should be open to the solutions made by others in their field, even when they conflict with their own theories. If you’re caught giving false results, it will be announced publicly by the Office of Research Integrity and any grant money could be forfeited. [4] X Research source

In today’s scientific world of limited scientific funding and competition for tenure-track jobs or a secure income, young scientists will likely be rejected more than accepted in the early stages of their career. It’s important to be prepared for failed experiments and time spent on research that does not get funding or lead to a definite theory. Time that is seemingly wasted on a theory that goes nowhere may later prove to be time well spent. Through failure, you can build a strong work ethic, develop a creative approach to scientific study and be prepared for the moment when you succeed, rather than fail.

Don’t be passive or shy about your ideas. As a scientist in a competitive field, you need to create your own opportunities by owning your ideas and working hard to develop them further.

Prioritize your goals by ranking them in order of importance. Though you may be tempted to go off on a tangent or deviate from your list of goals (which is also part of the exploratory nature of scientific discovery), try to home in on experiments that will get you closer to completing your goals. As with any work, there are only so many hours in a day, so make smart decisions about how you spend your time achieving your scientific goals. This helps you develop your time management skills and use your time efficiently and effectively. [8] X Research source

In the scientific world, you will be expected to be able to work well independently and as part of a team, so having good participation and communication skills will only help you further your career and be successful. [10] X Research source Examine your projects for areas where you don’t have the time or expertise to push them forward, and be willing to partner with someone to develop your project. For example, you may contact a statistician to help analyze your data for a publication. [11] X Research source Not only will building strong partnerships with other colleagues, peers, and professionals be mutually beneficial, it will also keep you humble and help you put your project or idea into perspective by sharing it with someone else. [12] X Research source

It’s important to also read up on the work being done in your field of study, whether it’s a more specific publication like Astronomical Journal or a more general one like Science Today. Stay informed on the current topics in science and consider how you can build on the work of others in your field.

One technique is to start by discussing the reasons why you are doing scientific work, then lead into details about your failures and false starts, and then end with a dramatic conclusion that will leave the audience thinking about a theory or field of study in a new way. Try using the “assertion-evidence paradigm,” where you title your slide with your main idea and then you use a picture, graph, or figure to support it. [14] X Research source A good scientist should be capable of explaining scientific ideas to a person who is not a scientist. [15] X Research source So always consider your audience and try to demonstrate your enthusiasm for your field of study without being overly complicated or hard to understand.

It may be tempting to spend 20 hours a day in the lab, developing your ideas, but sometimes the best thoughts come when the mind is at rest, or engaged in other activities that challenge your brain in a different way. Making time for a hobby or activity outside of scientific work will allow you to de-stress and perhaps also lead to a fresh perspective on a theory or thought you have been working on or struggling to solve. [17] X Research source