# Notes on effective-altruism-related research, writing, testing fit, learning, and the EA Forum

[*Cross-posted from the EA Forum*](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/J7PsetipHFoj2Mv7R/notes-on-ea-related-research-writing-testing-fit-learning)*. I'm not sure how many people on LessWrong will find this useful, but I imagine some will.*

I've had calls with >30 people who are interested in things like testing their fit for [EA](https://www.effectivealtruism.org/)-aligned research careers, writing on [the EA Forum](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/fd3iQRkmCKCCL289u/new-start-here-useful-links), "getting up to speed" on areas of effective altruism, etc. (This is usually during EA conferences.) 

I gradually collected a set of links and notes that I felt that many such people would benefit from seeing, then turned that into a Google Doc. Many people told me they found that doc useful, so I'm now (a) sharing it as a public post, and (b) still entertaining the hypothesis that those people were all just vicious liars and sycophants, of course. 

Disclaimers
===========

*   Not all of these links/notes will be relevant to any given person
*   These links/notes are most relevant to people interested in (1) research roles, (2) roles at explicitly EA organisations, and/or (3) [longtermism](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/qZyshHCNkjs3TvSem/longtermism)
    *   But this just because that’s what I know best
        *   **There are of course many important roles that aren’t about research or** [**aren’t at EA orgs**](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/tag/working-at-ea-vs-non-ea-orgs)**!**
        *   And I'm happy with many EAs prioritising cause areas other than longtermism
    *   But, in any case, some of the links/notes will also be relevant to other people and pathways
*   This doc mentions some orgs I work for or have worked for previously, but the opinions expressed here are my own, and I wrote the post (and the doc it evolved from) in a personal capacity

Regarding writing, the Forum, etc.
==================================

*   [Why you (yes, you) should post on the EA Forum](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdrTMUQdBSg) (a talk by Aaron Gertler)
*   [How you can make an impact on the EA Forum](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_q_PGSe_Yc) (another talk by Aaron Gertler)
*   [Feedback available for EA Forum drafts](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/ZeXqBEvABvrdyvMzf/feedback-available-for-ea-forum-drafts) (a post by that Aaron Gertler guy I've been hearing so much about lately)
*   [Effective Altruism Editing and Review](https://www.facebook.com/groups/458111434360997/)
*   [Reasoning Transparency](https://www.openphilanthropy.org/reasoning-transparency)
    *   This has great writing tips that definitely apply on the Forum, and ideally would apply everywhere, but unfortunately they don’t perfectly align with the norms in some areas/fields
*   [Suggestion: EAs should post more summaries and collections](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/6trt8mTsKfqJJbfJa/post-more-summaries-and-collections)
*   I also encourage you to consider reading, commenting, and posting on LessWrong
    *   See [Welcome to LessWrong!](https://www.lesswrong.com/about#fnref-n3FnBizsLQog59FSv-3) for a great introduction to that site
*   Sometimes people worry that a post idea might be missing some obvious, core insight, or just replicating some other writing you haven't come across. I think this is mainly a problem only inasmuch as it could've been more efficient for you to learn things than slowly craft a post.
    *   So if you can write (a rough version of) the post quickly, you could just do that.
    *   Or you could ask around or make a quick [Question post](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/about#Writing_content) to outline the basic idea and ask if anyone knows of relevant things you should read.

Research ideas
==============

*   [Research questions that could have a big social impact, organised by discipline](https://80000hours.org/articles/research-questions-by-discipline/)
*   [A central directory for open research questions](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/MsNpJBzv5YhdfNHc9/a-central-directory-for-open-research-questions)
*   [Crucial questions for longtermists](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/wicAtfihz2JmPRgez/crucial-questions-for-longtermists)
*   [Some history topics it might be very valuable to investigate](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/psKZNMzCyXybcoEZR/some-history-topics-it-might-be-very-valuable-to-investigate)
    *   This is somewhat less noteworthy than the other links

Programs, approaches, or tips for testing fit for (longtermism-related) research
================================================================================

*Not all of these things are necessarily "open" right now. *

Here are things I would describe as [Research Training Programs](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/tag/research-training-programs) (in alphabetical order to avoid picking favourites):

*   [ALLFED volunteering](https://allfed.info/joinourteam/)
*   [Center for Reducing Suffering - "Get involved"](https://centerforreducingsuffering.org/get-involved/)
*   [CLR Summer Research Fellowship](https://longtermrisk.org/work-with-us/)
*   [Fellowship – Legal Priorities Project](https://www.legalpriorities.org/fellowship.html)
*   [FHI Summer Research Fellowship](https://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/summer-research-fellowship/)
*   [GCRI call for collaborators/advisees](http://gcrinstitute.org/call-for-advisees-and-collaborators/)
*   [Governance of AI Fellowship - Future of Humanity Institute](https://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/governance-of-ai-fellowship/)
*   [GPI Early Career Conference Program & Forethought Global Priorities Fellowship](https://www.forethought.org/fellowship-2021-apply-now)
*   [Nonlinear Fund](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/fX8JsabQyRSd7zWiD/introducing-the-nonlinear-fund-ai-safety-research-incubation)
*   [SERI (Stanford Existential Risk Initiative) Summer 2021 Research Fellowship](https://airtable.com/shrz8wrX2lwOshRwa)
*   [Rethink Priorities - Research Internship](https://www.rethinkpriorities.org/jobs/research-internship)

*Note: I know less about what the opportunities at the Center for Reducing Suffering and the Nonlinear Fund would be like than I know about what the other opportunities would be like, so I'm not necessarily able to personally endorse those two opportunities. *

Here are some other things:

*   [Effective Thesis](https://effectivethesis.org/)
*   Offer to be a remote RA for someone doing great work?
    *   See [Matthew Van Der Merwe’s thoughts on RA roles](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/iCmpgGuBEbxYoFFAp/has-anyone-gone-into-the-high-impact-pa-path?commentId=fBTmQDgsnQQA6zBCJ)
*   [Annotated List of Project Ideas & Volunteering Resources - EA Forum](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/4mWxEixs5RZ8DfCKe/annotated-list-of-project-ideas-and-volunteering-resources)
*   Grants
    *   [LTFF](https://app.effectivealtruism.org/funds/far-future)
    *   [CLR](https://longtermrisk.org/grantmaking/)
    *   [SAF](http://survivalandflourishing.org/)
*   [Undergraduate thesis prize — Forethought Foundation](https://www.forethought.org/undergraduate-thesis-prize)
*   [Readings and notes on how to do high-impact research](https://docs.google.com/document/d/18H4UeoxuJyJZza-7R46oEZ_3zcsICE3mmFL7WG9lhY4/edit?usp=sharing)

Getting “up to speed” on EA, longtermism, x-risks, etc.
=======================================================

*   *The Precipice*
*   [Crucial questions for longtermists](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/wicAtfihz2JmPRgez/crucial-questions-for-longtermists)
*   [A ranked list of all EA-relevant (audio)books I've read](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/zCJDF6iNSJHnJ6Aq6/a-ranked-list-of-all-ea-relevant-audio-books-i-ve-read)
*   [A list of EA-related podcasts](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/B68gjjhZccGtWDuDh/a-list-of-ea-related-podcasts)
*   [Where to find EA-related videos](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/jNye4h2wmsxfmWcKE/where-to-find-ea-related-videos)
*   [What are some good online courses relevant to EA?](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/u2DM4Xfbj2CwhWcC5/what-are-some-good-online-courses-relevant-to-ea)
*   [How I personally “got up to speed”](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/2eEn8BHW69StPgtCi/how-have-you-become-more-or-less-engaged-with-ea-in-the-last?commentId=v5jwtvF29XoQyHzTw)
*   You can search [the EA Forum tags page](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/tags/all) for relevant tags, and use them as directories to useful posts, authors to talk to, etc.
*   [I now make and use Anki cards](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/zCJDF6iNSJHnJ6Aq6/a-ranked-list-of-all-ea-relevant-audio-books-i-ve-read#Suggestion__Make_Anki_cards__share_them_as_posts__and_share_key_updates), and would encourage other people to consider doing so too

Other
=====

*   [Career planning: An in-depth process & template](https://80000hours.org/career-planning/) (80,000 Hours)
    *   One key piece of career advice I want to highlight is that people often apply to too few things, don't make enough ambitious applications, and/or don't make enough "safe applications"
        *   I think it's generally good to apply to a *lot* of things, including both ambitious and safe options
        *   (But of course, any piece of general career advice will have some exceptions)
*   [Get Involved](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/tag/get-involved)
*   [Research Methods](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/tag/research-methods)
*   I've drafted a sequence of 5 posts on [Unlocking EA-aligned research and researchers (more, better, and more efficiently)](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yo73wsFQHNs7Vq78mm387PGdXuV1qmizGB_s_lrS_ME/edit#)
    *   Comments and suggestions on that would be welcome (I plan to start posting them around April 4)
    *   You may wish to just read each post's summary to decide whether to read more

*I'd welcome comments suggesting other relevant links, or just sharing people's own thoughts on any of the topics addressed above!*