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Call for abstracts 2021

Inclusive research cultures: How do we develop them?

Researcher Education and Development Scholarship (REDS) Conference: Online 14th October 2021 (10:00 - 16:00 GMT+1)

|The 2021 call is now closed|

Call for Abstracts

 ‘Research culture encompasses the behaviours, values, expectations, attitudes and norms of our research communities. It influences researchers’ career paths and determines the way that research is conducted and communicated’. – The Royal Society[1]

The 2021 Research Education and Development Scholarship Conference asks:

  • How can personal and professional development for researchers impact upon change in research culture?
  • How do we develop and support agents and drivers of change across all the stages of a research career?
  • What role is played in change, by those working in the professional development of researchers? How do we provide strategic support for the development of ‘behaviours, values, expectations, attitudes and norms’ for researchers?
  • What lessons can be learnt from online working? Which approaches help to create more inclusive environments?

We welcome original research that contributes to change in research culture through the personal and professional development of researchers. We also welcome evidenced based opinion pieces examining routes to change, again centred around the development of researchers.

Context

The Royal Society1 has had a programme of work looking at how to ‘promote the cultural conditions that will best enable excellent research and researchers [ ] to flourish in the future’. We want to help build a better research culture – one that is creative, inclusive and honest. We can all help to reimagine how research is conducted. We must have both work supporting positive, inclusive, research cultures and work addressing the significant issues that have been raised in respect of research culture. From those just starting out on a career in research in higher education, through to the experienced academic, research culture is consistently highlighted as having multifaceted problems including, a lack of diversity and inclusion in research, high workloads, intense competition, increasing stress and anxiety and impact upon well-being in general. Will today’s researchers perpetuate the existing research culture, or can there be change, including through personal and professional development practice for researchers?

References for context:

AdvanceHE [2020] 2020 postgraduate research experience survey  https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/postgraduate-research-experience-survey-2020 (accessed 4th January 2021)

Buitendijk, S. (2020) Stepping off the hamster wheel: how a limited perspective can obscure the essential https://medium.com/university-of-leeds/stepping-off-the-hamster-wheel-how-a-limited-perspective-can-obscure-the-essential-61475183a6f7

The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/sep/28/academics-uk-universities-accused-bullying-students-colleagues (accessed 13th January 2021)

Wellcome [2020], What researchers think about the culture they work in  https://wellcome.org/reports/what-researchers-think-about-research-culture (accessed 4th January 2021)

[1] https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/research-culture/  (accessed 12th January 2021)