One of the best ways to develop the potential of young Principal Investigators is to foster their relationship with an established and respected senior investigator. Such a mentor/trainee relationship can be very rewarding to both parties. However, communication is a key ingredient to a successful mentor/trainee relationship. Both parties need to have a clear understanding and expectations regarding the arrangement.
This material is primarily summarized from the Office of Research Integrity publication, "Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research". Myriads of books, papers and websites are available on mentoring. The material presented here gleans from many sources and highlights some of the important aspects to consider in developing a mentoring relationship in the academic setting. The main topics to be covered include: