National Postdoctoral Association

Policies

• NSF Mentoring Policy for Postdoctoral Scholars
  
  
• NIH Policy for Mentoring Postdocs Supported on Research Grants
  
  
• AAMC GREAT Group Compact
  The American Association of Medical Colleges has developed a compact for postdocs and their supervisors and lays out their relative roles and responsibilities. Some institutions have implemented the compact as a (non-binding) contract to be signed upon beginning the postdoctoral appointment.
  
  
• UC San Francisco Mentoring Guidelines
  The University of California, San Francisco, has developed mentoring guidelines for its faculty.
  
  

Articles

• Mentoring for the Postdoctoral Fellow by Jonathan Wiest
  
  
• Producing Results: Effective Management and Mentoring in Academic Labs
  An article by Grace Gray from AWIS Magazine 29 (no. 1 Winter 2000): 14-18. Available to AWIS members only.
  
  
• Does Adviser Mentoring Add Value?
  An article by Paglis, Green, and Bauer published in Research in Higher Education 47 (no. 6, June 2006). Available by subscription or paid order.
  
  
• On the Right Track: A Manual for Research Mentors
  Available for purchase from the Council of Graduate Schools.
  
  
• Nature’s Guide for Mentors
  A guide on mentoring from Nature: Lee, A., Dennis, C., and Campbell, P. (2007) "Nature’s guide for mentors." Nature 447: 791-797.
  
  
• Mentoring Scientists: An Ethical Dilemma
  An article from ScienceCareers examining a case study on the ethics of mentoring, such as how to choose a mentor and who is the most appropriate person.
  
  
• Mentoring Minority Science Students: Can a White Male Really be an Effective Mentor?
  Article from the American Indian Graduate Center on a challenging topic in mentoring.
  
  
• ScienceCareers has multiple resources on mentoring, including this article on Enduring Qualities in Mentoring
  

Handbooks and Manuals

• Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering
  The 1997 National Academies handbook on mentoring
  
  
• Entering Mentoring: A Seminar to Train a New Generation of Scientists, HHMI-sponsored handbook by Jo Handelsman, Christine Pfund, Sarah Miller Lauffer, and Christine Maidl Pribbenow; it outlines a seminar on how to be a mentor
  
  
• How to Get the Mentoring You Want: A Guide for Graduate Students at a Diverse University
  How to Mentor Graduate Students: A Guide for Faculty in a Diverse University
  Some useful handbooks on mentoring for both the mentor and the mentee from the University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School
  
  
• "Mentoring and Being Mentored"
  Chapter 5 from Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2006) Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty, Second Edition
  
  
• Mentoring International Postdocs: Working to Advance Science & Careers
  An online module available from the federal Office of Research Integrity, developed by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, an NPA member institution.
  
  
• On the Right Track: A Manual for Research Mentors (2003) is available for a fee from the Council of Graduate Schools. This manual discusses the individual and corporate responsibilities of graduate faculty in producing competent scholars capable of conducting independent, original and ethically sound research.

Other Resources

• UC San Francisco Pilot Mentoring Program
  The NPA offered a workshop on this topic at its 3rd Annual Meeting.
  
  
• Individual Development Plan for Postdoctoral Fellows
  Developed by FASEB, a Friend of the NPA. The process of developing a work plan and long-term strategy with postdocs for their postdoctoral training is also a great tool for mentoring.
  
  
• MentorNet is an internet based mentoring resource that connects individuals seeking mentors with those willing to serve as mentors through e-mail exchanges.
  
  
• The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) has a number of resources focused on mentoring.