Clarify roles and responsibilities.

• Clarify in advance whether you are seeking a limited time commitment for a specific piece of advice or an ongoing relationship. A busy mentor may be willing to help you with a single situation but would otherwise not have time for an ongoing relationship.
• Clarify the specific need or question for which you are seeking advice at initial contact. This helps both the mentor and the mentee determine the possibility of a mutual relationship.
• Evaluate as soon as possible whether the fit will be good: how hard/easy it was to meet the mentor, the value of the mentor's feedback, and the ease of interaction.
• Mentors should be realistic about what they can do for their mentees and should help the mentees understand what kinds of assistance they can expect.
•  Mentors should explore what mentees need and help them develop a productive balance between seeking help and taking on more responsibility as they move toward independence.
• Clarify expectations regarding papers and other scholarly work.  Determine authorship on key papers up front.

Set realistic goals and develop a plan.

Mentors can help mentees develop a set of realistic goals and plans. You may want to consider creating a contract. 

• Work together to develop an academic plan that includes short-term goals, long-term goals, and a time frame for reaching these goals.
• Agree on a time to update progress.
• Meet regularly to formally discuss the mentee's progress as well as any additional training and experiences needed to achieve the defined goals.
• Agree to modify the academic plan if necessary.