Dr. Shirey holding an Atala butterfly. Photo by Kristen Grace.
Our lab maintains this document as a reflection of our values and standard operating procedures. Below you may find specific guidelines regarding engaging with one another, expectations, and authorship guidelines. This is a living document and may be updated per group consensus.
As a lab, we are invested in practicing “slow science” or a more thoughtful, sustainable approach to the scientific enterprise that emphasizes quality, integrity, and the social value of our scientific work. The core principles of slow science are:
Time for Reflection
Quality over Quantity
Collaborative Spirit
You may find our lab’s other guiding principles below:
Expectations of the PI
My primary responsibility is to support you in achieving your desired professional goals. I will do so by meeting with you regularly (typically bi-weekly for postdocs and graduate students), by introducing you to potential collaborators, and by helping you troubleshoot technical or other issues that might arise during your research.
My job requires me to issue constructive criticism of your work. While direct at times, my interest is in ensuring that you are producing the best quality work during your time in the lab.
Expectations of Postdoctoral Researchers
Postdoctoral researchers occupy the unique role of being both mentors and mentees in the lab. My expectation of postdoctoral researchers is that you are producing high-quality and impactful research outputs that set you up to land a permanent position in the career of your choosing. At this career stage, you should feel comfortable leading independent work and coordinating research objectives in a timely manner.
Expectations of Graduate Students
Graduate students are the lifeblood of the research enterprise. I expect graduate students in my lab to come prepared to meetings, to demonstrate independence, and to ask for help when needed. My job is to guide you through the research process from start to finish and to provide a safety net for when things don’t go as planned. In general, I expect you to work towards making the collection and our lab a welcoming and collaborative environment as well as completing the academic and research requirements set forth by your particular program.
Expectations of Undergraduate Students and Volunteers
Undergraduate students and volunteers are crucial in filling key roles in the research and museum curation process. Given the variety of different schedules and backgrounds for students and volunteers, expectations are tailored to individual interests and abilities.
Authorship Guidelines
We recognize that lab members make unique and valuable contributions to the scientific research enterprise based on both skill and capacity. Our Lab’s authorship policy is opt-out, meaning that individuals who have made significant contributions to the work have the option to remove themselves from authorship at any point in time. Those who have made significant contributions to the work are automatically included in the co-authorship line.
Significant contributions can include any of the following:
Significant curatorial or digitization work directly supporting the project.
Wet lab or field work directly supporting the project.
Development of analytical or data processing pipelines and workflows.
Drafting, writing, and providing constructive feedback on manuscripts or other end products.
Author order is typically decided by having an open conversation about effort spent on individual projects. Typically, the first author is the person who took the initiative to write the majority of the manuscript. The senior (last) author is typically the PI, although this need not always be the case. For example, postdocs or senior graduate students who spend time mentoring may be elevated to the senior authorship role. The PI maintains the authority to adjust author order as needed.
All lab members are expected to adhere to collections use guidelines and policies set forth by the curators and collection managers. Please remember that many people and animals died in the pursuit of creating this resource for us to use for our science and that respectful engagement with the collection material is paramount.
Any internal destructive sampling requests or requests that necessitate material being removed from the main collection rooms for over 24 hours must be pre-registered with McGuire curators and collection managers and properly treated prior to reintegration into the main collection.
While I expect you to dedicate the majority of your time to lab-focused research projects, I do not impose any limitations on outside collaborations or work so long as they do not impact your primary research objectives.
I appreciate advance notice of side projects; however, I do not anticipate being an author on all work that you produce. My decision to ask for authorship will solely be based on my own contribution to the project and is not a reflection of the quality of your outside work.
