#Hackademics: Hacks toward success in academia

Objective: The Sausage of Science is a podcast for the Human Biology Association and the American Journal of Human Biology through which we introduced a special series called #Hackademics. The podcast was initially used to highlight the scholarship and humanity of fellow human biologists through interviews about “how the sausage is made” in research—that is, the nuts and bolts that go into our publications. However, we soon realized there is much more a weekly podcast can do to help colleagues in our interrelated fields. Methods: Here we introduce the different contributions to this #Hackdemics special issue. Through #Hackademics, we address under-discussed topics in academia such as work-life integration, hostile academic environments, decolonization of research and teaching, and science communication, among others. Results: The feedback received from listeners for the #Hackademics series reinforced a need for more tools for navigating the academic side of our disciplines. Furthermore, there was a need to decentralize what is often termed “institutional knowledge” by sharing it in a more authoritative medium—a special issue of peer-reviewed articles in our Association's esteemed journal. This special issue's contributions also elevate diverse voices with multiple authors at different career stages. Conclusions: Using the institutional credibility of peer-review to legitimize these topics, this issue's articles can be a resource for those looking to initiate conversations or change within their departments or institutions with the hope of creating a kinder, more respectful, collaborative, equitable, and accessible academic environment.