How to enhance your research : 100 practical tips for academics / Don J. Webber.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Webber, Don, author.

Contributor:

Edward Elgar Publishing, publisher.

Series:

How to Guides

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Research--Methodology.

Research.

Academic achievement--Awards.

Academic achievement.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (268 pages)

Place of Publication:

London, England : Edward Elgar Publishing, [2021]

Summary:

Accessible in its style, yet comprehensive in content, this groundbreaking book provides a wealth of advice on how academics can enhance their research practices. It also highlights the fundamental role of research leaders and how their support can prove invaluable to academics in improving their research methodology.

Contents:

Front Matter

Copyright

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction: how can we enhance research?

PART I The essentials

1. Read a lot!

2. Write something every day

3. Drop projects

4. Talk, discuss and debate

5. Keep presenting

6. Trial and error

7. Do something that really interests you

8. Taking and giving advice

9. Make time for your research

10. Know your readership/audience

PART II You find inspiration when you least expect it

11. Good research is episodic

12. Research regularly, but don't work yourself into the ground

13. Take frequent breaks (every 45 mins) while doing research

14. Exercise

15. Know your own strengths in collaborative research

16. Asking unusual questions permits us to detect unusual things

17. Read, write, reread and rewrite

18. Thrive on lots of different experiences

19. Polishing papers properly takes a long time

20. Learn to have time away from research

PART III Broaden your methodological toolbox

21. Econometrics

22. Statistics

23. Questionnaires

24. Interviews

25. Focus groups

26. Give students your ideas for projects

27. Anthropology

28. Open your eyes!

29. Relax assumptions

30. Talk to Joe Public and try to understand their views

PART IV Extra training expands minds

31. Econometric and other quantitative methods training

32. Qualitative methods training

33. Offer training to expand others' minds

34. Teacher training

35. Conference attendance is also training

36. Conduct PhD/Masters' examinations

37. Undertake adventurous research

38. Attend talks and presentations on very different topics

39. Inter- and multidisciplinary engagements

40. Learn to eliminate distractions

PART V Colleagues and collaborations

41. Different people bring different things to a research team.

42. Work with people who you can learn from

43. Work with people who you can teach

44. Work with people who you enjoy working with

45. Ask people to read your work

46. Read and debate each other's work

47. Keep up with current affairs

48. Participate actively in staff seminars

49. Organise your department's staff seminar series

50. Organise workshops

PART VI Conferences

51. Planning conference attendance

52. Listen properly to questions from the audience

53. Attend as many conference sessions as you can

54. The importance of attending social events

55. Be yourself and enjoy conferences

56. Get known for something

57. Display your contribution fully, but don't over-egg it

58. Offer to present papers in other staff seminar series

59. Being a sounding board strengthens network connections

60. Offer to contribute to organising relevant conferences

PART VII A journal loop: reviewing and submitting papers

61. Rarely decline offers

62. Be critical and demanding when reviewing, but also courteous

63. Have the cheek to ask difficult questions

64. Decline offers to review a paper if you would be a poor reviewer

65. Learn from the papers that you review

66. Become known to the editorial team of a relevant journal

67. Appreciate that each journal focuses on something distinct

68. Recognise the importance of the flow in arguments

69. Try to review your own papers in the same critical way

70. Submit your papers to the right journal

PART VIII Teaching

71. Teach a topic related to your research

72. Teach something that would be useful for you

73. Recognise the breadth of content in similar modules elsewhere

74. Read around the topic

75. Question underlying assumptions

76. Try to teach in a pluralist way.

77. Ensure you teach the whys (and not simply the whats)

78. Teach in a team with a colleague from whom you can learn something

79. Understand criticisms of the usual topics

80. Engage the students and they will engage you

PART IX Academic research is related to externally funded work

81. Recognise that externally funded work takes time away from academic research

82. Is it the right time in your career to undertake the work

83. Constrain funded activities to those that could result in an academic publication

84. Work with others on externally funded projects

85. Identify what a contractor wants

86. Facts, explanations and political rhetoric

87. Prepare to present information to non-academics

88. Build links with an organisation that you wish to help

89. Why would funders contact you specifically?

90. Can you afford not to undertake externally funded research?

PART X Impact

91. Connect to the real world

92. External engagement and knowledge exchange

93. Research practical and useful issues

94. Be conscious of what your research could be used for

95. Volunteer without payments/pay-offs

96. Prove that you have instigated a change in others' behaviour

97. Team up with non-academics/policymakers

98. The relevance and impact of your research will evolve, grow and shrink

99. Publicise your findings

100. Engage with the media

Conclusions.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Webber, Don J. How to Enhance Your Research

ISBN:

9781788978095