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With working hours full of interruptions, early mornings offer the best chance to pursue labours of love. But how to get going â€“ especially if you are not a morning person? Three scholars debate the virtues of online versus in-person meetings, companionship versus solitude, and coffee versus pipe tobacco

Academia is often depicted as a calling, but for those who heed it, the joy of doing something they love is often crushed by heavy teaching and admin loads and an unceasing pressure to make a ‘success’ of their research. Here, six scholars reflect on how they make music out of the daily grind

All academics have had that anxiety dream about standing up to give a lecture, only to realise they have forgotten to prepare anything – or to put on any clothes. But real teaching failures are rarely so disastrous – and many are teachable moments. Seven academics tell us their hard-earned lessons

Bullies and snakes can only wreak havoc via the support â€“ conscious or otherwise â€“ of those around them, says Irina Dumitrescu

Until the pandemic forced teaching to go online almost overnight, universities were widely considered impervious to major change. But if one age-old practice can be flipped on its head, why not others? We ask six academics where they would direct their efforts first 

A willingness to lie and manipulate beyond what most people can imagine can do wonders for a career, notes Irina Dumitrescu

Mary Beard’s recent admission that she is a ‘mug’ who works 100 hours a week caused a Twitter storm. But how hard is it reasonable for academics to work? Who should decide? And should the mugs be obliged to keep quiet? Seven academics have their say