Nature's guide for mentors

Having a good mentor early in your career can mean the difference between success and failure in any field. Adrian Lee, Carina Dennis and Philip Campbell look at what makes a good mentor. Now in their third year, the Nature awards for mentoring in science recognize outstanding achievement in scientific mentoring and the fostering of scientific creativity. Nominations for 2007 — for high-achieving mentors in South Africa — are now closed. But in this issue we publish “Nature's guide for mentors”. Drawing from the rich resource provided by the applications for the 2006 awards, the guide is intended for young scientists embarking on a career as a mentor either of their graduate students or of staff in their research team.