Peer review is one of the cornerstones of academic progress, and it's vital that papers are reviewed by a knowledgeable party before they are published, in order to maintain quality. You see lots of advice for authors of papers, but rather less for peer reviewers. If you've been asked to review a paper, here are some tips on how to do a great job and to provide a review which is helpful to the editors and authors.

There are lots of technological tools available to help support professors in their teaching, research, and administration. But these tools aren't just for your home computer – there are lots of apps for mobile devices which can be useful in university life too. We've covered top apps for students before, and today we're listing some of the best mobile apps for professors.

If you are planning to study in the UK, bear in mind that you will need to provide proof of your English language proficiency to get a visa. For this, you can choose one of the tests approved by UK Visas and Immigration.

If you want to learn about a new topic, to brush up on your skills, or to meet more people in your field, then summer schools are an ideal opportunity. Generally aimed at undergraduates, masters students, PhD students, researchers and professionals, these short courses involve teaching, discussion, and group projects.

Summer schools are ideal locations for not just learning new skills and ideas, but also for networking with your peers and senior figures in your field. Plus they can be a lot of fun! If you have the time over the summer break, spending a week or two at a summer school can be an helpful step along your career path.

Do you want to brush up on your academic skills, to meet more students in your field, and to have fun visiting a new place over the summer holidays? Then you should consider attending a summer school! Usually such schools last between one and three weeks, and involve travelling to a new city and attending lectures, workshops, and group activities related to a specialist academic field.

As a business or management student, you'll know the importance of acquiring specialist skills, and of building your network. Summer schools can help with both of these goals, giving you chances to learn about new topics and to get to know other students, researchers, and professors in your field.

It's early to start planning for the summer – but if you want to make the most of your time as a student, you need to look ahead! If you have time off between semesters in your undergraduate or masters degree, you can use that time to attend a summer school. These residential courses typically run from between one week and three weeks, and involve teaching on specialist topics, and group workshops too. Plus, they are are great opportunity to network with fellow students and researchers in your field.

When you're working on interdisciplinary topics, it's extremely helpful to have contact with other students and researchers in related fields. Getting to know people who are working in different academic disciplines to you gives you new perspectives on your research, as well as improving your communication skills and broadening your knowledge. So interdisciplinary summer schools are the ideal chance to interact with other students and get in practise at presenting your work to an interdisciplinary audience.

As a human resources or student recruitment officer you are probably well aware of the power that networking offers for your professional life and your organization. Trade shows and conferences provide an ideal space for you to develop the activities of your institution, whether to build beneficial research-focused relationships, to gather ideas for new recruitment strategies, to find new partners for your institution, or actually to recruit students, academics and professionals.

When you're presenting your work to an academic audience, you want to make sure that your talk is as exciting and engaging as possible. One way to do this is to work on your slides; using something more interesting and original than standard PowerPoint. Today we're recommending some of the best alternatives to PowerPoint to make your presentation truly unique.

If you're an academic looking to extend your career and find the right next position for you, many opportunities are available in Northern America. For postdocs and junior lecturers especially, it's important to be able to relocate to the best lab or department that you can for your work. For many disciplines, some of the world-leading institutions and researchers are based in the US, so many academics choose to spend some time working there in order to gain the best experience possible.

An internship can be a great opportunity for you to get experience in the working world and to learn the skills you'll need in order to find a job once you graduate. But with so many students looking for internship opportunities, there can be fierce competition for the best internships and it can be hard to find the right setting for you. You want to make sure that the internship you choose gives you useful real-world training and the chance to get to know people working in your field and to network with prospective employers. A good internship can go a long way to selling your CV to employers once you have graduated and started job hunting. Internships are clearly important, but how can you find the one which is right for you? Today we're discussing how to find the internship you want for 2016.

The UK government has recently announced its plans to change the way in which postgraduate study is funded. The new system, which will come into effect in the 2016-2017 academic year, involves a system of loans for those wanting to take a taught masters degree. There is a separate proposed scheme for students embarking on a research masters or PhD, which we are covering in another post. Here, we'll describe the new scheme for the funding of taught masters degrees and how it will effect students who are planning to study at a postgraduate level in the future.

This week, the UK government has introduced its new scheme for funding postgraduate study, through a loans program for PhDs and research-based masters degrees. The government hopes that this new system will simplify and streamline the process of applying for, receiving, and paying back loans which are taken out in order to fund postgraduate research. This will have major changes on that finances of postgraduate students in the UK, from the time at which the new system is introduced in the 2018-2019 academic year. Here we will review the changes and how they will affect students who are hoping to study at a postgraduate level. There is also another scheme for the funding of taught masters programs which will be covering separately.

When you're looking to learn a new language, there are all sorts of websites which can help support your learning. Some have lists of vocabulary, interactive games, or practise scenarios which you can work on. Others can use your computer's speakers and microphone to help you with your listening and speaking. Below we're listing some of the most useful websites for learning a language.

Technology is changing the way we work, especially for students who are learning in an increasingly technology-rich environment. There are a ton of smartphone apps which can help make your life easier as a student, so here we're recommending some of the best.

Australia is growing a reputation as a centre of academic excellence, with increasingly prominent universities both teaching and contributing to international research.

Starting this month, customers posting jobs, courses, conferences, programs or scholarships on INOMICS can now edit and correct their Announcements any time after publication. Whether to correct a typo, update a date, or adjust a link, you can now easily access and update your INOMICS posts.

With the summer behind us (at least for those in the northern hemisphere), now is the best time to start planning your academic calendar for the coming year. However, the number of conferences and workshops taking place in the next twelve months is enormous and may be overwhelming when it comes to choosing the best one(s) for you. In order to help you with this endeavour, we have put together a selection of conferences and workshops organized by national and international organizations, covering a wide range of topics in social sciences.