Category / REF Subjects

Collaborative midwifery paper cited 40 times

international, Women's Academic Network, writing

Two days ago ResearchGate informed us that that the paper ‘Midwifery-led antenatal care models: mapping a systematic review to an evidence-based quality framework to identify key components and characteristics of care‘ has reached 40 citations.  This paper, co-authored by Bournemouth University’s Professors Vanora Hundley and Edwin van Teijlingen, was originally published in 2016 in BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth [1]. Both Vanora and Edwin are based in the Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH) in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences.

The same team wrote a separate paper the following year on ‘Antenatal care trial interventions: a systematic scoping review and taxonomy development of care models’ [2].  Interestingly, ResearchGate tells us this paper has been read fewer times and cited ‘only’ 21 times to date.

 

 

 

 

 

Reference:

  1. Symon, A., Pringle, J, Cheyne, H, Downe, S., Hundley, V, Lee, E, Lynn, F., McFadden, A, McNeill, J., Renfrew, M., Ross-Davie, M., van Teijlingen, E., Whitford, H, Alderdice, F. (2016) Midwifery-led antenatal care models: Mapping a systematic review to evidence-based quality framework to identify key components & characteristics of care, BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth 16:168 http://rdcu.be/uifu
  2. Symon, A., Pringle, J., Downe, S, Hundley, V., Lee, E., Lynn, F, McFadden, A, McNeill, J, Renfrew, M., Ross-Davie, M., van Teijlingen, E., Whitford, H., Alderdice, F. (2017) Antenatal care trial interventions: a systematic scoping review & taxonomy development of care models BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth 17:8 http://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-016-1186-3

Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory academics – Would you like to get more involved in preparing our next REF submission?

REF Subjects, Research assessment

We are currently recruiting for an Output Champion to help support preparation for our next REF Submission to Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory. The deadline for expressions of interest is 1 March 2024. 

This role is recruited through an open and transparent process, which gives all academic staff the opportunity to put themselves forward. Applications from underrepresented groups (e.g. minority ethnic, declared disability) are particularly welcome.

We are currently preparing submissions to thirteen units (otherwise known as UOAs). Each unit has a leadership team with at least one leader, an output and impact champion. The leadership team are supported by a panel of reviewers who assess the research from the unit. This includes research outputs (journal articles, book chapters, digital artefacts and conference proceedings) and impact case studies.

We currently have vacancies in the following roles:

Output Champion – 32 – Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory

All roles require a level of commitment which is recognised accordingly with time to review, attend meetings, and take responsibility for tasks.

Undertaking a UOA role can be enjoyable and rewarding as two of our current champions testify:

“As UOA Outputs Champion you develop a detailed knowledge of all the great work that colleagues are doing related to the subject, and the different outlets used for disseminating their work.  As an outputs committee member, you also get to know what research is going on across BU, and it’s interesting to see the differences between disciplines.  It’s a good way develop your knowledge of the bigger picture of BU’s research, and also to understand the importance of REF and how it works in practice.  You do spend quite a bit of time chasing colleagues to put their outputs on BRIAN for REF compliance but hopefully they forgive you!”

Professor Adele Ladkin – UOA 24 Output Champion

“As a UoA 17 impact champion, I work closely with the UoA 17 impact team to encourage the development of a culture of impact across BUBS. I try to pop into Department / research group meetings when I can to discuss impact, and I’ve enjoyed meeting people with a whole range of research interests. Sometimes it can be tough to engage people with impact – understandably; everyone is busy – so it’s important to be enthusiastic about the need for our BU research to reach the public. Overall, the role is about planting the seeds to get researchers thinking about the impact their work might have in the future (as well as the impact they have already had, sometimes without realising!)”

Dr Rafaelle Nicholson – UOA 17 Impact Champion

How to apply

All those interested should put forward a short case (suggested length of one paragraph) as to why they are interested in the role and what they think they could bring to it. These should be clearly marked with the relevant role and unit and emailed to ref@bournemouth.ac.uk by 5pm on 1 March 2024

Further detail on the role and the process of recruitment and selection criteria can be found here:

Role descriptor

Process and criteria for selection

For further information please contact ref@bournemouth.ac.uk, a member of the current UOA Team or your Deputy Dean Research and Professional Practice with queries.

REF Impact Subcommittee Chair: deadline extended to submit Expression of Interest

REF Subjects, Research assessment

Would you like to play a key role in supporting preparations for the Engagement & Impact element of BU’s REF2029 submission?

The REF Impact Subcommittee (RISC) has a vacancy for a Chair, which is open to all members of the Professoriate. You are invited to submit an Expression of Interest by 5pm Monday 5th February.

RISC reports on progress in the development of impact case studies to the REF Committee, making recommendations on impact resourcing and ensuring evidence of impact is robustly recorded.

 Key responsibilities include:

  1. Chairing the quarterly RISC meetings.
  2. Ensuring discussion is fair, open and supportive.
  3. Providing guidance in determining where greatest resourcing and support may be required, according to progress updates from impact champions.
  4. Acting as champion for raising awareness across BU of the importance of REF impact case studies in relation to QR funding for the institution as a whole.

Application process:

Please submit a short case (one page max.) to impact@bournemouth.ac.uk, outlining why you are interested in this important role, and the knowledge, skills and experience you think you could bring to it. Applications from underrepresented groups (e.g. women, minority ethnic, declared disability) are particularly welcome. The deadline is: 5pm, Monday 5th February.

EoIs are reviewed against the selection criteria detailed below by a gender-balanced selection panel comprising:

  • Chair of the REF Steering Group
  • Chair of the REF Committee
  • RDS representative

In the event of there being just one EoI received for a particular panel member role, the panel will still review it using the selection criteria to ensure the applicant is suitable for the role.

Further details on the role and selection criteria are here:

Chair REF Impact Subcommittee role descriptor

Process and criteria for RISC Chair recruitment

Selection criteria

The panel will give each EoI a score out of 15, based on how well they score against the criteria outlined below. These are equally weighted, with each criterion carrying a total possible score of 5. The panel will offer the role to the applicants with the highest ranked EoIs. A member of the panel will provide feedback to all applicants.

  • Knowledge and experience of REF and research impact (scored out of 5): The Chair/Deputy Chair are expected to have a thorough knowledge of the REF process, preparations and timeline and the requirements relating to the impact submission for REF2029. Ideally, they will have been involved in preparations for previous REF exercises or submitted an impact case study. It is expected that they will be practising researchers and will have a breadth of understanding of research across BU.
  • Experience of chairing meetings and reaching consensus to ensure sound decision-making (scored out of 5): The Chair/Deputy Chair will need to be able to chair meetings effectively and ensure prioritisation decisions are made in alignment with the requirements of the impact element of BU’s REF submission.
  • Plans for leading the impact agenda across the University (scored out of 5): The Chair/Deputy Chair are responsible for motivating the impact champions of each Unit of Assessment, as well as the wider research community, to optimise BU’s performance in the Engagement and Impact element of REF2029. They should have ideas for how they will do this.

Questions

Any queries regarding the process should be directed to impact@bournemouth.ac.uk. Specific questions about the Chair role should be directed to REF Committee Chair Professor Einar Thorson

REF2029 update on People, Culture and Environment

REF Subjects, Research assessment

The REF team have announced an update on the People, Culture and Environment (PCE) element of the REF2029 exercise.

A project has been commissioned to co-develop, with the research community, indicators to be used for the assessment of PCE. These indicators will be used to evidence and support institutions’ PCE submissions as part of a structured questionnaire for REF2029 submissions.

A pilot exercise to enable in-depth testing of the PCE indicators will run alongside the project. This will involve the drafting of example PCE submissions by a sample of HEIs for assessment by pilot panels, in a selected subset of Units of Assessment (UoA).

More details can be found on the REF2029 website, along with information on how HEIs can get involved in the pilot.

The team have also released an updated timetable for the REF2029 exercise.

Cross-university Multidisciplinary Research

conferences

In December, I had the pleasure of participating in an expert panel addressing AI testing at the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence at Peterhouse College, at the University of Cambridge. You might be wondering what brought a cybersecurity researcher to an AI-centric event. I had the same scepticism when my multi-university research group decided we conduct AI-related research; what would my contribution be?

Our work has focused on defining meta-data for AI provenance, contributing to advancements in various facets of AI, including testing and auditability. Specifically, my focus lies on evaluating the dimensions of risk and trust within this context. Given the widespread impact of AI across diverse domains, there is a compelling opportunity for multidisciplinary research, consecutively, our group, has diverse expertise ranging from machine learning to psychology.

An initial publication on our work can be found here.

Author Dr Andrew M’manga

Health Promotion article is being read

international, open access, Publishing, writing

Our article ‘Understanding health education, health promotion & public health’ [1] is getting read according to ResearchGate.  This conceptual/ theoretical paper was published open access in late 2021 in the Journal of Health Promotion and it reached 4,500 reads yesterday. Whilst the web side of the journal suggests today that the PDF of the paper has been downloaded 8,511 times.

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)

 

 

Reference:

  1. van Teijlingen, K. R., Devkota, B., Douglas, F., Simkhada, P.,  van Teijlingen, E. R. (2021). Understanding health education, health promotion and public health. Journal of Health Promotion, 9(1): 1–7. https://doi.org/10.3126/jhp.v9i01.40957

Appreciative Inquiry Special Interest Group

Appreciative Inquiry is a creative, collaborative and energising research methodology which focuses on what works and what can be. The BU Appreciative Inquiry Special Interest group would like to share some resources for those who are interested in finding out more.

We shared the sad news last week that our colleague Dr Matt Simpson, senior lecturer within the Department of social sciences and social work and Programme Lead for the Post-Graduate Diploma in Advanced Mental Health Practice, died after a short illness. Matt was a key member of the Appreciative Inquiry Special Interest group and had supported everyone within it at some point to develop their understanding of appreciative inquiry and to apply it in different settings. We met as a group this week to acknowledge what we had lost and to explore how we can maintain Matt’s legacy. One way is to extend the reach of his work using appreciative inquiry methodology. You will find links here to his latest paper applying appreciative inquiry to his mental health research. For anyone interested in learning more about Appreciative Inquiry methodology, we highly recommend chapter 4 of his thesis.

  • Simpson, M., 2024. Changing gears and buying time: A study exploring AMHP practice following referral for a Mental Health Act assessment in England and Wales. The British Journal of Social Work.
  • Simpson, M., 2022. An Appreciative Inquiry into Approved Mental Health Professional decision- making at the point of referral for a Mental Health Act assessment. PhD Thesis. Bournemouth University, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences.

New book about EDI in health and biomed research careers is out!

open access, Publishing, Research assessment, Women's Academic Network

Dr Ola Thomson of BUBS, People and Organisations, is pleased to announce her new book: “Nurturing equality, diversity and inclusion: Support for research careers in health and biomedicine”. The book is available as open access which means you can read it free of charge via Bristol University Press (Policy Press) – link here: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/nurturing-equality-diversity-and-inclusion.

You can also order a hard copy of the book with 50% off until 21 January using code JAN50 at the checkout.

The book is co-authored with Prof. Rachael Gooberman-Hill of the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research at the University of Bristol. The volume provides an overview of the state of EDI in research careers in health and biomedicine in the UK, and offers innovative organisational and individual strategies to nurture diversity in research institutions.

Today’s academic and research institutions recognise the importance of diverse research teams in health and biomedical science, in terms of the business case, social justice and the common good. This ‘go-to’ book familiarises readers with the key equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) issues in relation to research careers and researcher development. Bringing together the challenges and solutions to EDI matters with an evidence-based approach in one volume, the book offers practical strategies and interventions for academic and research settings. This is an essential guide for equality planning team members, researchers, HRM officers and managers across academia and research.

REF Impact Subcommittee Chair: call for EoIs

REF Subjects, Research assessment

Help guide the university’s impact submission

The Chair of the REF Impact Subcommittee (RISC) has an important role to play in supporting preparations for the Engagement and Impact element of Bournemouth University’s (BU) REF2029 submission.

RISC reports on progress in the development of impact case studies and against impact strategies to the REF Committee, sharing intelligence from across BU and the wider HE sector, making recommendations on impact resourcing and ensuring evidence of impact is robustly recorded.

The Chair, who should be a member of the Professoriate, needs an institution-wide perspective on the development of impact case studies and the new impact narratives, and to ensure the subcommittee is effective in reviewing progress.

 Key responsibilities include:

  1. Chairing the quarterly RISC meetings.
  2. Ensuring discussion is fair, open and supportive.
  3. Providing guidance in determining where greatest resourcing and support may be required, according to progress updates from impact champions.
  4. Acting as champion for raising awareness across BU of the importance of REF impact case studies in relation to QR funding for the institution as a whole.

Application process:

Research Development and Support (RDS) runs an expression of interest (EoI) call, inviting all those who are interested to put forward a short case (one page maximum) outlining why they are interested and the knowledge, skills and experience they think they could bring to the role. Applications from underrepresented groups (e.g. women, minority ethnic, declared disability) are particularly welcome. The deadline is: 5pm, Monday 29th January.

EoIs are submitted to RDS (impact@bournemouth.ac.uk) and reviewed against the selection criteria detailed below by a gender-balanced selection panel comprising:

  • Chair of the REF Steering Group
  • Chair of the REF Committee
  • RDS representative

In the event of there being just one EoI received for a particular panel member role, the panel will still review it using the selection criteria to ensure the applicant is suitable for the role.

Further details on the role and selection criteria are here:

Chair REF Impact Subcommittee role descriptor

Process and criteria for RISC Chair recruitment

Selection criteria

The panel will give each EoI a score out of 15, based on how well they score against the criteria outlined below. These are equally weighted, with each criterion carrying a total possible score of 5. The panel will offer the role to the applicants with the highest ranked EoIs. A member of the panel will provide feedback to all applicants.

  • Knowledge and experience of REF and research impact (scored out of 5): The Chair/Deputy Chair are expected to have a thorough knowledge of the REF process, preparations and timeline and the requirements relating to the impact submission for REF2029. Ideally, they will have been involved in preparations for previous REF exercises or submitted an impact case study. It is expected that they will be practising researchers and will have a breadth of understanding of research across BU.
  • Experience of chairing meetings and reaching consensus to ensure sound decision-making (scored out of 5): The Chair/Deputy Chair will need to be able to chair meetings effectively and ensure prioritisation decisions are made in alignment with the requirements of the impact element of BU’s REF submission.
  • Plans for leading the impact agenda across the University (scored out of 5): The Chair/Deputy Chair are responsible for motivating the impact champions of each Unit of Assessment, as well as the wider research community, to optimise BU’s performance in the Engagement and Impact element of REF2029. They should have ideas for how they will do this.

Questions

Any queries regarding the process should be directed to impact@bournemouth.ac.uk. Specific questions about the Chair role should be directed to REF Committee Chair Professor Einar Thorson.

Call for EoIs: REF Institutional Statement Lead to drive REF 2029 preparations

REF Subjects, Research assessment

Bournemouth University (BU) is preparing submissions for future REF exercises. An Institutional Level Statement was introduced as part of the submission for REF2021 and will form part of the formally assessed component for REF2029. BU has created an Institutional Statement Lead role. This will be recruited via an open and transparent process. All academic staff at Grade10+ have the opportunity to put themselves forward.

The Institutional Statement Lead is a significant commitment and will be recognised with a 0.2FT workload allocation (or job-share), and commensurate buyout return for the host department. The role is permanent, to be reviewed on an annual basis, and role holders can choose to step down at any time. Potential applicants should discuss their workload balance with their Head of Department before applying.

The Institutional Statement Lead undertakes a vital role in driving and delivering BU’s REF submission, influencing the University’s preparations, shaping an optimal submission, and ultimately having a significant effect on BU’s REF results.

Key responsibilities of the Institutional Statement Lead role include:

  1. Having an institutional outlook for the REF, i.e. aiming to optimise BU’s overall REF performance.
  2. Leading production of the Institutional Statement, bringing together content on People, Culture and Environment.
  3. Working with Academic and Professional Service Leads to optimise the Institutional Statement by working to mitigate weaknesses and to highlight strengths across all aspects of the submission.
  4. Working with UOA leaders to explore and understand the interrelationship of discipline-specific and Institutional level statements.
  5. Ensuring that the Institutional Statement undergoes rigorous review, in order to assess quality and areas of development prior to inclusion for REF.
  6. Working closely with RDS, who are managing the central REF preparation and submission process.
  7. Attend the REF Committee meetings.
  8. Working closely with RDS to respond audit queries.
  9. To undertake any other duties as requested by UET and RSG

Application process:

To apply, please submit a short statement (suggested length 300 words), explaining your interest in the role and what you could bring to it. Applications from underrepresented groups (e.g., minority ethnic, declared disability, women) are particularly welcome.

EoIs should be submitted to RDS (ref@bournemouth.ac.uk) by 5pm 26th January 2024.

EoIs will be reviewed against the selection criteria detailed in this document by a gender-balanced selection panel comprising the:

  • Associate Pro-VC Research and Knowledge Exchange
  • Chair of the REF Steering Group
  • RDS representative

The panel will invite those meeting the criteria to an interview. This process is applied consistently as per the process for UOA Leaders. In the event of there being just one EoI received for a role, the panel will still review it using the selection criteria to ensure the applicant is suitable for the role.

Selection criteria

The selection criteria are outlined below. The same criteria will be used at both EoI and interview stage. These are equally weighted, with each criterion carrying a total possible score of 10. The role will be offered to the highest scoring applicant. A member of the panel will provide feedback to all applicants.

  • Commitment, motivation and enthusiasm (scored out of 10): The REF Institutional Statement Lead is a significant commitment. The role holder needs to be willing and able to make this commitment. They need to be enthusiastic about the REF and boosting research performance.
  • Skills and knowledge (scored out of 10): The REF Institutional Statement Lead should bring with them skills and knowledge to optimise BU’s REF preparations and submission (e.g. knowledge of the REF process, expertise in research metrics, leadership experience, REF Panel membership experience, etc). It is expected that they will be practising researchers and will have a breadth of understanding of research across BU.
  • Plans for preparing the Institutional Statement and awareness of the potential challenges and opportunities (scored out of 10): The REF Institutional Statement Lead is responsible for driving and delivering the Institutional Statement, maintaining an institutional outlook to optimise BU’s overall REF performance. They should have ideas for how they will do this and the potential challenges and opportunities of this.

Further detail on the roles and selection criteria can be found here:

Role Descriptor

Process and criteria for selection

Questions

Questions regarding the process should be directed to RDS, ref@bournemouth.ac.uk. The REF Institutional Statement Lead specific questions should be directed to the Chair of RSG Professor Kate Welham.