Building Research
Networks
Postgraduate Research Day Conference
Saturday 8 September 2012
Dr Shafquat Towheed
English Department, The Open University
Director, The Book History Research Group
Where is my research network?
Subject/field: English
Literature; Creative
Writing; Literatures in
English; History of the
Book; etc
Theme/period: Romantic
period poetry; 19th Century
novel; Renaissance drama;
Modernism; contemporary
historical fiction etc
Methodology/approach
: postcolonial theory;
feminism; book &
publishing history;
reception history; social
network analysis; etc
Maximize effectiveness: think strategically
about research networks and ask what is…
•
•
•
•
•
•
the most important conference to attend?
the most relevant scholarly organisation to join?
the most esteemed journal in my subject area?
the most active research group/cluster in my field?
the most valuable online discussion list to read/join?
the best physical place (workshops/seminar series/regular
research events) to meet peers/experts informally?
• the best online space (blog/website/social media/twitter etc)
to discuss ideas with peers/experts informally?
You can’t do everything at once – but you
can try the following
• set some time aside each week to keep up to speed with
new research, events and developments in your specialism
(list serve, newsletter or blog might work well)
• maintain research networks through regular attendance at
selected annual ‘fixed point’ events through the year:
conferences, seminar series, public lectures, prize
announcements etc
• develop your sense of belonging to a subject/field specific
research community by joining scholarly bodies, contributing
to discussions, blogging, reviewing for journals etc
• think globally – someone working on a topic relevant to you
might be on the other side of the world
Possible pitfalls and things to remember
• Milton’s maxim: ‘fit audience find, though few’. ‘Fitness’
more important that just numbers – you need to target the
people most likely to be interested in your work
• networks can be self-selecting: if no one is interested and it
doesn’t feel right, it’s not the right network for you
• promiscuity pays decreasing dividends: don’t join everything
under the sun, be selective and maintain your interest and
commitment for the long run
• be proactive: there are resources available to support
membership of existing networks and fund new ones –
make it work for you, and if you want, you can always
create your own
Building Research
Networks
Postgraduate Research Day Conference
Saturday 8 September 2012
Dr Shafquat Towheed
English Department, The Open University
Director, The Book History Research Group