Mentorship in the research setting

The research mentorship programme isunique in that it is a planned journey undertaken bythe mentor and mentee, preferably with well-definedmilestones along the journey. During the journey,familiar landmarks will be pointed out by the mentor.In path-finding situations the experience and wisdom ofthe mentor and the critical appraisal of both mentor andmentee will contribute to learning from the encounter.In most mentor-mentee partnerships, a formalacceptance to the relationship, well-defined landmarksmeasuring progress in the journey, regular appraisal ofthe skills developed and acquired, and phased, judiciousmodification in the individual roles of that relationshipwill be required. Although there is no consensus onthe elements of mentorship, there are some strategieswhich can contribute to the success of the relationship.Critical success factors include convergence of theresearch area within the broad expertise of the researchmentor. The research mentor should have a provenresearch track record and is committed to serve in thatofficial capacity. The research mentoring process isdynamic and characteristics of both mentor and menteecontribute to the robustness of that relationship. Thementee would have identified some attributes of thementor that are desirable and is willing to work hard toachieve, build on, and improve upon. In the researchsetting endpoint measurements of success will be basedon recognition of the research standing of the mentee,measurable outcomes such as number of papers intop tier journals, citation indices, etc. consultanciesattracted as well as invitations to deliver plenaries inscientific conferences, patents filed and research findingstranslated and applied, and other measures of researchproductivity. In the pursuit of research excellence thementee would have imbibed values of professionalismand ethics in research and would have constantly keptin mind that to be successful, the mentee would be ableto excel beyond his mentor and that the next generationof researchers will seek mentorship from him.