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BU articles on academic writing & publishing

Centre for Excellence in Learning, Guidance, open access, Publishing, REF Subjects, Training, writing

Last Friday ResearchGate informed us that ‘Writing an Abstract for a Scientific Conference’ [1] published by three Bournemouth University (BU) scholars (Prof. Vanora Hundley, Dr. Bibha Sinkhada and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen and a BU Visiting Professor (Prof. Padam Simkhada) had reached 2,500 reads. This paper is one of a series of articles BU academics have published on several aspects of academic writing and scientific publishing.  The range of publications includes issue such as: predatory publishers, authors earning from copyright; finding the best title for your paper, and issues of authorship [2-13].  These are great resources for budding academic writers, especially as nearly are Open Access publications and hence freely available across the world.

Other useful BU resources include the work by Dr. Kip Jones, such as his blogs on Organising & Writing a PhD thesis or his advice on Writing Blogs.   Another great BU resource is the online publication by Dr. Miguel Moital, who wrote the e-book Writing Dissertations & Theses: What you should know but no one tells you, where he shares valuable practical information about the process of writing academic work, notably dissertations. The book starts with explaining the six criteria, expressed in the form of 6 ‘C’s, required to produce high quality dissertations: Confined, Corroborated, Critical, Coherent, Concise and Captivating. The e-book then goes on to share a range of ‘tips and tools’ which contribute to fulfilling the 6 Cs. 

Moreover, it is also worth pointing out that there are some great web resources on writing and publishing produced by BU Library staff, for example on plagiarism;  academic writing; or how to cite references.

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwife

References

  1. Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen E., Hundley, V., Simkhada, BD. (2013) Writing an Abstract for a Scientific Conference, Kathmandu Univ Med J 11(3): 262-65. http://www.kumj.com.np/issue/43/262-265.pdf
  2. van Teijlingen, E, Hundley, V. (2002) Getting your paper to the right journal: a case study of an academic paper, J Advanced Nurs 37(6): 506-11.
  3. Pitchforth, E, Porter M, Teijlingen van E, Keenan Forrest, K. (2005) Writing up & presenting qualitative research in family planning & reproductive health care, J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 31(2): 132-135.
  4. Kretschmer, M., Hardwick, P. (2007) Authors’ earnings from copyright and non-copyright sources: A survey of 25,000 British and German writers, Bournemouth: Bournemouth University,  Centre for Intellectual Property Policy & Management.
  5. van Teijlingen, E, Simkhada, PP, Rizyal A (2012) Submitting a paper to an academic peer-reviewed journal, where to start? (Guest Editorial) Health Renaissance 10(1): 1-4.
  6. van Teijlingen, E, Simkhada. PP, Simkhada, B, Ireland J. (2012) The long & winding road to publication, Nepal J Epidemiol 2(4): 213-215 http://nepjol.info/index.php/NJE/article/view/7093/6388
  7. Hundley, V, van Teijlingen, E, Simkhada, P (2013) Academic authorship: who, why and in what order? Health Renaissance 11(2):98-101 www.healthrenaissance.org.np/uploads/Download/vol-11-2/Page_99_101_Editorial.pdf
  8. Simkhada P, van Teijlingen E, Hundley V. (2013) Writing an academic paper for publication, Health Renaissance 11(1):1-5. www.healthrenaissance.org.np/uploads/Pp_1_5_Guest_Editorial.pdf
  9. van Teijlingen, E., Ireland, J., Hundley, V., Simkhada, P., Sathian, B. (2014) Finding the right title for your article: Advice for academic authors, Nepal J Epidemiol 4(1): 344-347.
  10. van Teijlingen E., Hundley, V., Bick, D. (2014) Who should be an author on your academic paper? Midwifery 30: 385-386.
  11. Hall, J., Hundley, V., van Teijlingen, E. (2015) The journal editor: friend or foe? Women & Birth 28(2): e26-e29.
  12. Sathian, B., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Roy, B, Banerjee, I. (2016) Grant writing for innovative medical research: Time to rethink. Med Sci 4(3):332-33.
  13. Pradhan, AK, van Teijlingen, ER. (2017) Predatory publishing: a great concern for authors, Med Sci 5(4): 43.

Placement Development Advisor Vianna Renaud invited to Freie Universität Berlin for the 2019 Erasmus Plus International Staff Training Week

It was with great honour that I attended the Erasmus Plus International Training Week at the Freie Universität Berlin for the week of 17th June 2019 after a competitive selection process.

The theme was ‘Career Service: Internships and Employment competencies – Developing an international framework for student work-based learning’. I was interested in attending based on current discussions taking place on campus, particularly with BU2025 and the institutional aims for employability and placement learning , and the general discourse regarding standardisation of placement learning outcomes within the overall higher education sector in the UK.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience as we not only explored the current trends within the EU countries, but also had presentations delivered by delegates covering a wide scope of Best Practice topics and initiatives from across the globe. With approximately 30 representatives from over 10 countries, the scope of discussions was truly incredible. I was particularly proud to be one of six delegates representing UK institutions; Queen Mary, UCL, Oxford, Bath Spa, Edinburgh and Bournemouth.

For me, it was very interesting learning that colleagues across the EU have encountered similar issues, such as low student engagement, placement opportunities, the measurement of learning gain whilst on work based or placement experiences, and the general reduction of staff resourcing with an increase of students and those with additional complexities. Building up links with academics, more streamlined working, relevant and current support of students, impact of social media and more about what students want, impact of league tables and institutional reputation, amongst other key areas were also explored.

In conclusion, I think that greater collaboration and communication with our European colleagues is necessary to ensure that we in the UK can best prepare our students for an international career. However, this is only if the institutional aims on our campuses are going to place an emphasis on having internationally mobile and adaptable graduates. Whilst everyone who attended the Careers Section of the International Week were unanimously concerned about the future of HE in the UK, we can only wait and see if and how this will impact our work with students.

Science Direct – changes – creating account for personalisation

Elsevier have been making changes to the ScienceDirect database.

It looks like you need to create an account using your e-mail address. This is only required if a user wishes to make use of the personalisation features on ScienceDirect.

Please  follow BU Library links on our web pages and/or in MySearch. This will get a user through the authentication process.

 

If you require help with accessing library resources, please contact your library team.

José López Blanco, HSS Faculty Librarian

ECR representative needed to join the REF Circumstances Board

REF Subjects, Research assessment

The BU REF Circumstances Board has been established to oversee the individual staff circumstances process for REF 2021. This includes:

  • determining whether individual staff circumstances submitted by BU academics meet the REF eligibility requirements;
  • verifying the evidence provided;
  • calculating the reduction in outputs using the methodology set out in the REF guidance documentation and the Advance HE case studies;
  • contributing to BU’s culture of equality, diversity and inclusivity.

The Board is chaired by a HR Manager with support from the Equality and Diversity Adviser and a member of Research Development & Support. These post-holders will be selected based on their prior knowledge and expertise in individual staff circumstances and equality and diversity issues. Membership will also include two academics and an early career researcher (ECR).

We are now seeking expressions of interest from academics who are interested in joining the Circs Board. Successful applicants will be required to attend meetings of the BU REF Circumstances Board (schedule tbc, but likely to be one or two meetings per year), ensure they are aware of the REF guidance and regulations, undertake equality and diversity training, and promote a positive culture of equality and diversity at BU. We therefore ask for your commitment, active contribution and, most importantly, confidentiality due to the sensitive work of the Board. In return you will be involved in an important cross-University committee, gain an insight into the REF and equality and diversity (both highly topical issues in the sector), and be engaged in academic citizenship.

Nomination procedure:

The vacant roles on the BU REF Circumstances Board are:

  • 2 x academic representatives
  • 1 x early career researcher (ECR) representative

Anyone interested should submit an expression of interest stating your interest in equality and diversity, why you think equality and diversity is important for the REF and why your involvement would strengthen the BU REF Circumstances Board (max 300 words). You must also state whether you are applying to be an academic member or an ECR. Your nomination should state your name, job title and Faculty.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Friday 20th September. Nominations should be emailed to ref@bournemouth.ac.uk. Note – There is training and development scheduled on the 26th September which it is hoped successful members will be able to attend.

Expressions of interest will be reviewed by a panel of reviewers who are responsible for agreeing on which applicants to invite to serve on the BU REF Circumstances Board.

Eligibility:

Applications are invited from any BU staff member on an academic contract, however, you must be independent from REF preparations (for example, applicants cannot be UOA Leaders, impact champions or output champions).

ECRs in this context are defined as members of staff who started their careers as independent researchers on or after 1 August 2016. In line with the REF guidance, an individual is deemed to have started their career as an independent researcher from the point at which:

  1. They held a contract of employment (0.2 FTE or higher) which included a primary employment function of undertaking ‘research’ or ‘teaching and research’, with any HEI or other organisation, whether in the UK or overseas, and
  2. They undertook independent research, for example, leading or acting as principal investigator or equivalent on a research grant or significant piece of research work.

If you have any queries, please speak with Shelly Anne Stringer in the first instance.

Courage PGR Wellbeing Festival

Chloe Casey is a PhD student from the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences who is researching postgraduate researchers’ (PGR) mental health and wellbeing. She was invited along with PGRs and academic staff from around the UK to attend the Courage Festival hosted by the University of East Anglia’s (UEA) on 11 September 2019.

The Courage Wellbeing Project is researching and piloting approaches to support the mental health and wellbeing of PGRs at the UEA, Norwich. The project is running many initiatives from a PGR blog facilitated by PhD candidate Bryony Porter, ‘PGRunners’ running club, ‘Walk and Talk’ PGR walking group, ‘PhDiggers’ gardening club and a bullet journaling group to name a few. Attendees had opportunities to trial all of these experiences (and yoga!) and attend practical workshops discussing (debating) the current issues underpinning wellbeing in PGRs.

Some highlights of the day included an engaging workshop from Dr Ben Marshall, UEA Student Support: Psychological Responses to Perceived Failure. The workshop included an overview of the psychological biases involved in how we process failure and provided practical ways to reframe our thinking (including a guided mindfulness meditation session). “PGR students tend to be highly self-critical and possess perfectionist traits” Dr Marshall explained, so receiving critical feedback (situation-based failure) can lead them to incorrectly think that they are a failure (person-based failure). Dr Marshall teaches how to de-personalise failure and to contextualise it as a normal part of academic life reminding us that these feelings of failure are time-bound: will this matter in a months’ time? Probably not!

Another memorable workshop was delivered by a UEA PGR, Laura Haag, named #IamRemarkable. Laura facilitated this initiative that was designed by Google to address the challenges in the perception of self-promotion, designed to empower women and underrepresented groups to promote themselves in their careers. The initiative can be applied to any workplace but has worked well for PGRs, encouraging them to share what makes them remarkable personally and professionally. Sharing their successes with a room full of people felt uncomfortable to most but the attendees left with the tools to practise this skill and feeling more confident disseminating their successes. (For more information or to become a facilitator visit: https://iamremarkable.withgoogle.com/)

The concepts and ideas discussed throughout the day were then visually captured and communicated by the amazing Debbie Roberts from Engage Visually (@engagevisualart). This provided a great summary of a thought-provoking, energetic and positive event.

Thank you to UEA student’s union (@ueasu_pg), Bryony Porter (@BryonySPorter) and Dr John Turnpenny, Courage Project Lead for their hospitality and for sharing your research and initiatives. It is great to see so many are passionate about leading change in promoting mental health and wellbeing for PGRs.

Successful Introduction to Research Day at BU

Industry collaboration, Knowledge Exchange, NHS

Yesterday Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust held an away day for its clinical staff to learn more about health research.  The event was hosted by the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences on its Lansdowne Campus.  The organiser, Dr. Ciarán Newell, a Consultant Nurse Eating Disorders as well as Dorset Healthcare’s Facilitator for Research and Development organised the event to increase research collaborations between Dorset Healthcare and Bournemouth University. 

Our guests were offered a very varied programme with many FHSS staff (as well as one of our Psychology colleagues) presenting their own research or research-related services available at the university.  We hope this event will lead to further fruitful collaborations between the NHS and the university in the near future.

TIME SESSION FACILITATOR
9.30am Welcome Dr. Ciarán Newell
9.40am What research means to me: Patient Research Ambassador (PRA) Anna Glanville-Hearson
10.10am Health & Social Care Research at BU: overview

·        Strategic Investment Areas

·        Departments / Research Centres

 Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
10.30am Research at Dorset HealthCare University NHS Trust: an overview Dr Paul Walters   Clinical Lead, R&D
10.50am Research Design Service & BU Research Support Prof. Peter Thomas
11.00am COFFEE BREAK
11.15am Mixed-methods & qualitative research Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
11.30am What Bournemouth University Library can offer Caspian Dugdale
11.50am Postgraduate Studies at BU Dr. Sharon Docherty
12.20am Research into health of BAME communities Dr. Bibha Simkhada
12.30pm LUNCH
1.30pm Trust Research & Development team: how can we help you with your research? Dr. Ciarán Newell, Facilitator, R&D

Irene Bishton, Lead Research Nurse
2.15pm

2.25pm

2.35pm

 Research into: Nutrition/Dementia/Ageing

Pain research

Smoking cessation & baby dolls

 Prof. Jane Murphy

Dr. Carol Clark

Dr. Humaira Hussain
2.45pm TEA BREAK
3.00pm Clinical Academic Support (links to Wessex) Prof Vanora Hundley
3.15pm Academic Writing & Publishing Prof Edwin van Teijlingen
4.15pm Psychology: Mental health research Dr. Andy Mayers
4.30pm Close – Questions & Answers Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen / All

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH)

British Academy Visit to BU – great success!

Funding opportunities

We were delighted to welcome visitors from the British Academy on Tuesday, 10th September 2019.

With over 40 in attendance, BU academics heard updates on all the British Academy funding opportunities and guidance on how to increase their potential for success. Our visitors also met with 10 academics for one to one discussions of their funding aspirations. All found their meetings invaluable and colleagues in  Research Development and Support (RDS) look forward to supporting them with their future applications to a variety of British Academy funding schemes.

Presentations were given by five British Academy award holders at Bournemouth University:

  • Jayne Caudwell : Safe Swim: Supporting physical activity and wellbeing for transgender young people.
  • Janice Denegri-Knott : Digital Possessions in the Family.
  • Daisy Fan : Towards a Better Quality of Life: Value Co-Creation in Leisure with the Active Elderly.
  • Xun He : Judging overall mood of a crowd: how does the brain rapidly perceive an average emotion from multiple faces?
  • John Oliver : Investigating the culture of chronically under performing firms: past, present and future.

The slides from the visit are available to BU staff within the Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework (RKEDF) area on Brightspace.

If you would like to discuss an application to the British Academy, or any other funder, please contact your faculty’s RDS team.

There are many more RKEDF events planned for the coming year – find out more!

Expressions of Interest invited from academics to join the BU REF Circumstances Board

Research assessment

The BU REF Circumstances Board has been established to oversee the individual staff circumstances process for REF 2021. This includes:

  • determining whether individual staff circumstances submitted by BU academics meet the REF eligibility requirements;
  • verifying the evidence provided;
  • calculating the reduction in outputs using the methodology set out in the REF guidance documentation and the Advance HE case studies;
  • contributing to BU’s culture of equality, diversity and inclusivity.

The Board is chaired by a HR Manager with support from the Equality and Diversity Adviser and a member of Research Development & Support. These post-holders will be selected based on their prior knowledge and expertise in individual staff circumstances and equality and diversity issues. Membership will also include two academics and an early career researcher (ECR).

We are now seeking expressions of interest from academics who are interested in joining the Circs Board. Successful applicants will be required to attend meetings of the BU REF Circumstances Board (schedule tbc, but likely to be one or two meetings per year), ensure they are aware of the REF guidance and regulations, undertake equality and diversity training, and promote a positive culture of equality and diversity at BU. We therefore ask for your commitment, active contribution and, most importantly, confidentiality due to the sensitive work of the Board. In return you will be involved in an important cross-University committee, gain an insight into the REF and equality and diversity (both highly topical issues in the sector), and be engaged in academic citizenship.

Nomination procedure:

The vacant roles on the BU REF Circumstances Board are:

  • 2 x academic representatives
  • 1 x early career researcher (ECR) representative

Anyone interested should submit an expression of interest stating your interest in equality and diversity, why you think equality and diversity is important for the REF and why your involvement would strengthen the BU REF Circumstances Board (max 300 words). You must also state whether you are applying to be an academic member or an ECR. Your nomination should state your name, job title and Faculty.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Friday 20th September. Nominations should be emailed to ref@bournemouth.ac.uk. Note – There is training and development scheduled on the 26th September which it is hoped successful members will be able to attend.

Expressions of interest will be reviewed by a panel of reviewers who are responsible for agreeing on which applicants to invite to serve on the BU REF Circumstances Board.

Eligibility:

Applications are invited from any BU staff member on an academic contract, however, you must be independent from REF preparations (for example, applicants cannot be UOA Leaders, impact champions or output champions).

ECRs in this context are defined as members of staff who started their careers as independent researchers on or after 1 August 2016. In line with the REF guidance, an individual is deemed to have started their career as an independent researcher from the point at which:

  1. They held a contract of employment (0.2 FTE or higher) which included a primary employment function of undertaking ‘research’ or ‘teaching and research’, with any HEI or other organisation, whether in the UK or overseas, and
  2. They undertook independent research, for example, leading or acting as principal investigator or equivalent on a research grant or significant piece of research work.

If you have any queries, please speak with Shelly Anne Stringer in the first instance.

GCRF Best Practice workshop- This event has now been postponed to October- date to be confirmed.

Please note that this workshop has been postponed and will be rescheduled in October- date to be confirmed shortly. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Panel invites academics involved, or wishing to be involved, in Official Development Assistance (ODA) related research projects to a one–day workshop on Thursday 12th September 2019 from 09:30 – 16:30 on the Talbot Campus.

You must book by 16:00 on Monday, 9th September to secure your place. Please book via this link.

The workshop will review best practice, identify future synergies and will highlight common issues and challenges confronting GCRF projects at the University.

At present, BU staff are leading and/or contributing to a wide range of GCRF eligible projects at various stages of development. Since there are many notable issues and challenges associated with acquiring and delivering the distinctive nature of GCRF related projects, the proposed workshop will bring together existing GCRF participants at the University to share conceptual designs, best practice, common implementation issues and solutions as well as notable work arounds. The workshops will thus enable participants:

  • To discuss the challenges in designing effective GCRF related projects that must maintain Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and GCRF eligibility;
  • To explore possibilities for existing and future synergies between GCRF projects at the University;
  • To identify common implementation challenges presented in transforming a GCRF project into reality;
  • To share best practice in dealing with local and/or international partners and/or partnerships;
  • To discuss issues relating to maximising deliverables and impact;
  • To inform existing and future monitoring and reporting processes of the projects and the University in relation to the GCRF;
  • To provide insights into effective ways that the University can further enhance effective support for GCRF related projects;
  • To identify potential future ‘quick wins’ and ‘take away’ that can inform and improve ongoing GCRF projects;
  • To provide a foundation for future activities of the GCRF panel including a future workshop looking at future bidding for projects beyond the GCRF.

Digital technologies are transforming African businesses, but obstacles remain

Digital technology is being used to improve rice processing in Nigeria.
Shutterstock

Elvira Bolat, Bournemouth University and Nasiru Taura, Bournemouth University

Digital technology has created new opportunities for businesses in sub-Saharan Africa to compete on a more equal footing. However, these businesses have yet to enjoy the full benefits because of a difficult operating environment.

Our recently published book, ‘Digital Entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects’, details case studies of economic sectors where digital technologies are making a positive impact.

In Ghana, digital technologies have had an impact on the agriculture sector. Agri-tech firms like Farmable, Farmerline and Esoko have successfully pursued the creation of new business ventures and renewal of existing, matured corporate business models. These agri-tech firms support farmers with pricing data, crowdfunding and communication activities. They are also connecting farmers with buyers as well as helping them work out what differentiates them from competitors.

Digital technologies are playing a role in Nigeria’s agricultural sector too.
Prime Wave , an engineering company that supplies equipment to rice processing firms, and Al-Wabel Trading Company Ltd, a rice miller, have been working together to invent new technological solutions. These are aimed at improving the performance of rice processing. The innovative solutions the company came up with for rice processing can be applied more widely across the agricultural sector. However, these firms have had to overcome regulatory and institutional challenges in the sector.

Crossing boundaries

Digital technologies have also become a part of arts, media and entertainment, in particular in Kenya and Nigeria.

Case studies from Nigeria show how small and medium-sized new media players benefit from embracing a culture of experimentation, partnership and continuous learning. These businesses have adopted a “mobile first” mindset. They do this by using mobile technology as a resourceful, quick and flexible solution to do business, connect and promote their content.

The advertising, game development and media companies that took part in the research had all invested substantially in establishing their own systems for sharing data. These firms also embrace the Passion economy which centres around social causes and high access to mobile technology “as driving forces of the business”.

Nigeria’s movie industry, too, has benefited from digitisation. The technology has improved production time and quality. It has also helped extend the reach of movies to wider audiences. Foreign investors are taking greater interest in this fast growing business.

A potential drawback of digital technology in the arts is that cultural artefacts created digitally can also appear in many places at once. So, instead of gaining visibility it is actually lost in the digital crowd. But Kenyan artists have managed to use social media networks to build their own “cultural capital” and gain access to physical galleries.

Innovation hubs

There’s also been an increase in the number of digital hubs across the sub continent. But do they really help business to start up and survive?

The number of innovation hubs in Africa has grown sharply. There’s BusyInternet and SMSGH Solutions in Ghana; Erik Hersman’s iHub and Safaricom’s M-PESA in Kenya; and Nigeria’s Yaba, a suburb of Lagos labelled the country’s Silicon Valley.

A chapter in our book discusses the social complexity of engaging these hubs. In Accra, the Ghanaian capital, hubs could not provide support that is relevant to local digital entrepreneurs’ circumstances. Entrepreneurs in Harare thought that hubs “wasted precious resources”. Most hubs on the subcontinent also appear to make little contribution to the creation of new businesses.

Perhaps “impact-oriented” investors who are passionate about the region should assist digital hubs to make the necessary changes to how they operate.

Local conditions and culture can shape the “ecosystems” in which businesses operate. Some of these conditions, such as corruption, are hostile to business efficiency. The challenges are most pronounced in the communications, transport, and energy networks. Much of the region’s infrastructure is inefficient, and more than three-quarters of the population remains offline.

Take Nigeria’s movie industry. It needs more than investment. It also needs government to make regulatory changes to protect the creative sector. Government should also prioritise the development of movie industry skills. The same can be said about the music industry.

Afrocentric digital solutions

Overall, the book highlights that in a region with multiple social, environmental, economic and political challenges there is a need for more interrogation into how both incumbent and new players in sub-Saharan Africa are shaping the landscape with a view to meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Digital technologies, as some of our case studies show, can play an important role in transforming African economies. However, digital technology solutions must not just be mere adaptations of dominant Western services and products. They must be aimed at meeting the sub-continent’s needs. In this regard, there’s a lot to learn from Japan.

Demand for technology after the Second World War resulted in the development of a plethora of advanced solutions which secured Japan’s status as an innovator.
There are promising new ventures such as Google’s Artificial Intelligence lab in Ghana – the company’s first in Africa. This is a centre of research into digital solutions to Africa’s problems.The Conversation

Elvira Bolat, Principal Academic in Marketing, Bournemouth University and Nasiru Taura, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Bournemouth University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Public databases related to EU funding

international

The European Commission maintains a large number of publicly available databases with details about Horizon 2020 and other EU projects. The UK Research Office (UKRO) have recently prepared a summary of sources where data related to both submitted and funded EU projects may be found; these may be useful for academics considering applying for EU funding and searching for experienced partners for future applications.

Horizon 2020 Dashboard – This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date of all databases provided by the Commission. It is very interactive and allows users to modify and export the relevant data in various formats. Since its launch on November 2017, the database has grown immensely.

UKRO maintains a dedicated website with information on how to best utilise available data (BU is UKRO subscriber – our academics have access to subscribers’ part of this website).

EU Open Data Portal (ODP) – In a way, the EUODP is the Dashboard’s predecessor and allows users to download various datasets in .xls and .csv formats. While it initially only included details of projects and organisations participating in H2020, it has been expanded in recent years and now includes details such as project deliverables, PIs in ERC projects and researchers in H2020 MSCA projects, which cannot be found on the H2020 Dashboard. Information about FP7 projects is also available.

CORDIS – This database has been the main repository for EU research results since 1990s and includes information about projects funded under the current and past EU Framework Programmes (FP6, FP5, etc.). Apart from basic project data, it also includes information about project deliverables and summary reports, as well as project-related events.

European Research Council’s (ERC) Funded Projects – This basic database provides generic information about ERC projects (including the PIs’ names) and allows searching by scheme (Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant, Advanced Grant, etc.), year and country of the host institution, which is also possible in other databases.

For more details, you may read full article on UKRO portal (login details required). If you have difficulties in accessing information on UKRO portal, feel free to contact Research Facilitator – International Ainar Blaudums.

Making TRACS to improve nurse retention: Partnership presentation at the NET2019 conference

Janet Scammell and Sarah Collard from Bournemouth University and clinical nurses Amy McLeod and Hannah Kennedy from Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (RBCH) recently presented at NET2019, the leading annual international conference for networking in healthcare education.

Their presentation (Support4Nurses: NHS Acute Hospital and Local University Partnership to Improve the Retention of Registered Nurses) discussed the benefits and challenges of partnership working when undertaking healthcare research and concluded that communication, commitment and compromise are key elements for a successful collaboration. Amy and Hannah were able to share their own experiences and personal learning of their time as members of the steering committee for the research project Making TRACS to improve nurse retention and Janet and Sarah reflected on how the collaboration successfully grounded the research in the realities of clinical practice.  The presentation was received very positively, generating many questions. It was wonderful to share our experiences with NET2019 participants concerning the new initiatives that have resulted within RBCH through this collaborative project, not least our web portal http://support4nurses.uk/

Re-Orientation Events For Current PGRs

PG research

These re-orientation events are your opportunity to receive Faculty and Doctoral College updates for the forthcoming academic year. You’ll also hear about the updates to the 2019-20 Researcher Development Programme and a reminder of support services available to you throughout BU. You’ll be asked to consider research ethics during and towards the end of your research degree and there will be a bite-size effective researcher session appropriate to each re-orientation stage.

Pre-Major Review Re-Orientation

Tuesday 8 October – 9.30 – 1pm – Lansdowne

This re-orientation will also include a preparation session for the Major Review.

Register here.

Post-Major Review (Transfer) Re-Orientation

Tuesday 15 October – 10.00 -1.30pm – Lansdowne

This re-orientation will also include a preparation session for the Viva Voce examination.

Register here.

I look forward to seeing you at one of these bespoke sessions.

Natalie
(Reasearch Skills & Development Officer)
pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

Photo of the week: ‘Interpreting Person and Place’

Telling a story of research through photography

The ‘photo of the week’ is a weekly series featuring photographs taken by BU academics and students for our Research Photography Competition which took place earlier this year.

These provide a snapshot into some of the incredible research taking place across the BU community. 

This week’s photo of the week was taken by Dr Kip Jones from BU’s Faculty of Health & Social Sciences and is titled;

‘Interpreting Person and Place’

Quoc Bao Duong, creatively writes a story based only on a single image of a specific person in a specific place. No other information is given. A photograph can capture a moment just after something has happened, or just before something is about to happen. The exercise is to create that story.

If you have any questions about the Photo of the Week series or the Research Photography Competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Introduction to Good Clinical Practice – Thursday 10th October

NHS, Research Ethics, Training

Are you interested in running your own research project within the NHS? Good Clinical Practice, or ‘GCP’, is a requirement for those wishing to work on clinical research projects in a healthcare setting.

GCP is the international ethical, scientific and practical standard to which all clinical research is conducted. By undertaking GCP, you’re able to demonstrate the rights, safety and wellbeing of your research participants are protected, and that the data collected are reliable.

The next GCP full day session is scheduled for Thursday 10th October, at Dorset County Hospital, Dorchester –9:00am – 4:30pm.

The day will comprise of the following sessions:

  • Introduction to research and the GCP standards;
  • Preparing to deliver your study;
  • Identifying and recruiting participants – eligibility and informed consent;
  • Data collection and ongoing study delivery;
  • Safety reporting;
  • Study closure.

If you’re interested in booking a place, please contact Research Ethics.

Remember that support is on offer at BU if you are thinking of introducing your research ideas into the NHS – email the Research Ethics mailbox, and take a look at the Clinical Governance blog.

The ACORN Fund is now open for applications!

Funding opportunities

The ACORN Fund (Acceleration Of Research & Networking) for Early Career Researchers is now open for applications.

This  closing date is Wednesday, 30th October 2019 and all applications must be submitted to the email account: acorn@bournemouth.ac.uk.

This scheme will provide c. five awards, of up to £5,000 each, to support BU’s ECRs, with the most promising talent, to gain experience of managing and leading their own pilot research projects. These award support BU’s commitment to the Concordat to Support to Career Development of Researchers and is made possible by BU’s QR (Quality Research) allocation.

There is a strong link to BU’s ECR Network and the forthcoming  ECR Showcase event. In this way, those who do not benefit directly from the ACORN Fund scheme by receiving funding, will benefit indirectly though interaction with those ECRs who receive support via the scheme.

For eligibility, you must be able to comply with these:

  • All applicants must have completed their PhD
  • All applicants must have a post at BU (established or fixed term) for the full duration of the award and the post-award commitments or longer
  • All applicants should have held a 0.2 or above research contract from no more than six years in total, excluding periods where the applicant was involved in non-research employment or not at work (e.g. caring responsibilities)
  • ACORN award holders cannot hold more than one award concurrently

Within the Research > Pre-award area on the staff intranet, you can find out more by reading the updated ACORN Fund Policy and apply using the Application Form for this round. In addition, to assist with the budget section, please refer to the RKE Internal Funding Sample Costs . As this does not require Full Economic Costing, you should not contact your faculty’s Funding Development Officer to complete the costing for you. Please address any queries as below.

The closing date for applications is 30th October 2019. As these require faculty support, please start your application and obtain faculty approval as soon as possible. Applicants are responsible for obtaining faculty sign-off and for submitting the application to the email below.

Help and Support: There will be a one hour information session on 25th September 2019 and a two hour pre-application workshop on 21st October 2019. You must reserve your place by emailing acorn@bournemouth.ac.uk and specify which sessions you wish to attend. You are welcome to attend both but places are limited.

Please address any queries to Emily Cieciura, Research Development & Support lead for this scheme, via acorn@bournemouth.ac.uk

Putting the ACORN Fund into strategic context, under BU2025, the following funding panels operate to prioritise applications for funding and make recommendations to the Research Performance and Management Committee (RPMC).

There are eight funding panels:

  1. HEIF Funding Panel
  2. GCRF Funding Panel
  3. Research Impact Funding Panel
  4. Doctoral Studentship Funding Panel
  5. ACORN Funding Panel
  6. Research Fellowships Funding Panel
  7. Charity Support Funding Panel
  8. SIA Funding panel

Please see separate announcements regarding each initiative.

These panels align with the BU2025 focus on research, including BU’s Research Principles. Specifically, but not exclusively, regarding the ACORN Fund, please refer to:

  • Principle 5 – which sets of the context for such funding panels
  • Principle 6 and Outcome 9 – which recognises the need for interdisciplinarity and the importance of social science and humanities (SSH)
  • Outcomes 4 and 5 – where ECRs are provided with the mechanisms for support such as mentors and, through schemes including the ACORN fund, gain budgetary responsibility experience