Collaborating

Invest extra effort in professional networking and collaborating. It can significantly boost your research projects and career:

• Research projects become more and more complex over time. Couple hundred years ago individual researchers could start a whole new field and advance it on their own. These days most project require collecting/processing huge amounts of data and expertise in different areas. Finding a collaborator with required data or expertise might not only be a more convenient but also the only way to move forward
• To a large extent, research is about coming up with and testing new ideas. Different people have differing experiences and view angles at the same problem and, therefore, can generate a wider, richer set of ideas
• Connections with other researchers will come in handy when you will graduate and be looking for jobs
• Research is not just about hypotheses and articles. Having good friends among colleagues can make your life much happier

Get to know researchers around you and their interests. Don't hesitate to ask for help and help others when asked. Propose collaborations: most people will like that!