The LetRelay Blog
Practical guides for research labs and small teams: supervising PhD students, grants, lab operations, and running a calm internal help desk.
Data Management Plan Requirements: NSF, NIH, UKRI, Tri-Agency
What the major funders require in a data management plan: NSF's two pages, NIH's 2026 format, UKRI's new policy from April 2027, and Canada's Tri-Agency policy. A side-by-side table, the overlap, and how to write one plan you can adapt.
Lab Authorship Policy: A Template Built on ICMJE and CRediT
How to write a lab authorship policy that prevents disputes: the four ICMJE criteria, what does not earn authorship, the 14 CRediT roles, how to decide author order, what to do when someone leaves, and a copyable template.
PhD Student Vacation Policy: How Many Days, With a Lab Template
Do PhD students get paid vacation? What NIH training awards and UKRI studentships actually say about annual, sick and parental leave, who sets the floor, and a leave policy template a PI can put in the lab's expectations document.
NIH RPPR Instructions: A Year-Round Checklist for PIs
NIH RPPR instructions in plain language: when the progress report is due for SNAP and non-SNAP awards, what each section needs, the mistakes NIH staff say they see, and what to log all year so the report takes an afternoon.
Individual Development Plan for PhD Students: Template and Guide
What an individual development plan is, which funders expect one (NSF requires it, NIH asks how you use it), a copyable IDP template for PhD students and postdocs, and how a PI can run the annual review in thirty minutes.
NSF Postdoc Mentoring Plan: What to Write, With a Template
What NSF's one-page mentoring plan has to cover, who it applies to, how reviewers read it under Broader Impacts, how it differs from an individual development plan, and a fill-in template you can adapt.
Lab Notebook Policy: What to Include (Template for PIs)
What a lab notebook policy should say about entries, corrections, raw data, review, ownership and leaving the lab, with a copyable template built on the NIH record-keeping guidelines.
Lab Meeting Agenda Template: How to Run a Lab Meeting
A copyable lab meeting agenda for 30 and 60 minutes, the three roles that keep it on time, a meeting-notes template with owners and dates, and a rotating monthly format.
LetRelay vs Notion, Asana, LabTab and More for Research Labs
A plain comparison of LetRelay with Notion, Asana, Trello, ClickUp, monday.com, LabTab, Quartzy and Benchling for running a research group: what each does, what it costs for ten people, how reports work, and where LetRelay is the wrong choice.
How to Write a PhD Thesis in 6 Months: Week-by-Week Plan
A realistic 26-week plan to write up a PhD thesis in 6 months, scaled for 3 and 12 months, with words per day, which chapter to write first and a free Excel planner.
PhD Progress Report: Format, Sample and Free Template
How to write a PhD progress report: the sections to include, how often to submit it, a filled-in sample, a free Word template and what to say when progress is slow.
Grant Budget Tracking: Burn Rate Formula and Template
Burn rate formulas for PIs, a grant tracking spreadsheet with commitments and a run-out date, what high and low burn rates mean, and a monthly review.
PhD Committee Meeting: How to Prepare, Agenda and Slides
A six-week preparation plan for PhD committee meetings, the written report, a slide outline and agenda, what to do afterwards, and how supervisors should help.
New PI Checklist: Setting Up Your Lab in Year One
A phase-by-phase checklist for new faculty: the offer letter, before you arrive, the first month, the first term and year one, plus the systems to set up early.
PhD Supervision Meeting Agenda: 1:1 Template and Questions
A 1:1 agenda for PhD supervision meetings, questions for your first meeting with a supervisor, a notes template, and how supervisors make meetings count.
Lab Equipment Booking System: Fair Rules and Free Options
Booking rules that keep shared microscopes, instruments and GPU nodes fair, a copyable policy, and an honest comparison of free and paid lab booking systems.
PhD Timeline Template: Year-by-Year Plan and Gantt Chart
Year-by-year PhD timelines for US and UK-style programs, a Gantt chart you can build in Excel or Sheets in ten minutes, and how supervisors keep it on track.
NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan: 2026 Format Guide
The seven elements of NIH's 2026 DMS Plan format, how to answer each one, the 300 and 100 word limits, budgeting, and what the lab has to do after the award.
Lab Inventory Management: Spreadsheet Template and Tools
The columns a lab inventory spreadsheet needs, how to set reorder levels, a simple ordering workflow, and when to move to free or paid inventory software.
Journal Club Presentation: Template, Example and Tips
A slide-by-slide journal club presentation template, the critique questions that start a real discussion, a one-page handout, and how to run a journal club.
Lab Expectations Document: What to Include (Template)
What a lab expectations document covers, a copyable template for PIs, real examples from published lab manuals, and how students and lab managers use it.
Choosing a PhD Advisor: Questions to Ask and Red Flags
The questions to ask a potential PhD advisor and their students, the red flags that matter, what the data says about supervision, and how to change advisor.
How to Write a Recommendation Letter for a Graduate Student
A paragraph-by-paragraph structure, an example letter, the phrases that quietly weaken a letter, and a workflow for PIs writing dozens each season.