Category / BU research

Research Professional – First Round-Table Discussion on: “Successful Strategies for Deploying Research Professional”

BU research, Funding opportunities, Guidance

BU subscribes to Research Professional (RPro), which is a funding opportunities search engine and higher education sector news compiler.

RPro ran its first Round-Table Discussion in London for its client universities on 12 September 2017 on the topic of “Successful Strategies for Deploying Research Professional”.

The aims of this Discussion meeting were to:

  • Share experiences of use of RPro by each university’s academic cohort;
  • Pick and discuss different ideas of implementation;
  • Network with staff of other research support offices;
  • Gauge various institutional approaches for academic engagement with RPro.

To spark discussion around the table, an officer from the Grants & Funding Unit in the University of Central Lancashire was invited to present the strategies they have implemented to roll-out the use of RPro and the monitoring/evaluation they have conducted on RPro usage. Tom Walters from RPro facilitated the discussion.

The presentation slides can be found here.

RKEO at BU has been and is continuing to deploy most of these strategies, with varying levels of success in academic engagement over time.

The first tension is to increase academic access and use of RPro – many methods have been used to deliver this such as RPro training for new academics, webinars, references in academic inductions, monthly Blog posts and so on.

The second tension is to increase effectiveness of use by the academic at each point of access – ie. that he/she will find a relevant hit and submit an application to that call.

Effectiveness of use is difficult to measure and is reflective of the use of RPro for different reasons by its users – in general:

  1. Senior level academics may use the ‘precision’ strategy to do focused, targeted searches which hone in on the specific; whilst
  2. Early career academics may use the ‘recall’ strategy which is to acquire as many hits with funding opportunities as possible to see what is out there.

Tom Walters’ concluding question to the Round-Table for reflection was “What does success look like?” in relation to research activity in our universities. The general agreement on what success looked like was:

  • Measuring increase in submissions rather than awards;
  • Spreading out applications over a wide range of funders, rather than targeting a few;
  • Empowering academics to do their own funding opportunities searches; and
  • Widening the number of academics engaging with / using RPro.

Discussion continued to what universities typically requested their RPro consultant to do during their (usually) annual ‘consultation’ visit to their client university and some ideas were shared. BU will be arranging a RPro consultation day in 2018, keep an eye on this space!

RKEO is always working to ensure that the RPro service is suitable for the purposes of each academic at BU. Regardless of whether you are a RPro newbie or in need of refresher training or may need more help on advanced functionality, please contact the RKEO Funding Development Team and we’d be happy to help you.

Research from Bournemouth University animation lecturers forms part of Paisley’s 2021 City of Culture bid

BU research, Research communication, Research news

A new digital artwork created by two animation lecturers from Bournemouth University, Paul Smith and Vicky Isley, has been featured as part of Paisley’s 2021 City of Culture bid. The project linked together Paisley’s history, cultural and natural environment through the creation of a digital Paisley Pearl for each resident of the town. The project was commissioned by the University of the West of Scotland, as one of a number of cultural activities taking place in Paisley during its application for the City of Culture 2021.

The duo, known as boredomresearch, developed an art project which created a new Paisley form for each resident of the town via a digital loom. The loom and creative software have the potential to create a Paisley Pearl for each of the 7.4 billion people on earth at the time of the artwork’s launch. The unique forms were based on both the Paisley pattern and the freshwater pearl mussel, once indigenous to the area.

Paisley Pearls Print

“We wanted to produce an art project which reflected Paisley’s industrial past, natural biodiversity and show how creativity can make a difference to its future,” explains Paul, “Paisley is famous for its connections with the textile industry, but its natural history is much less well known. The White Cart River was once a thriving habitat for the freshwater pearl mussel, which is now extinct in the area, partly because of the success of the local textile industry damaging its natural habitats.”

A key part of the project for Vicky and Paul was this link between science and art. By working with researchers from the University of Glasgow, they developed a better understanding of the ecological importance of the fresh water pearl mussel, which they reflected in their art.

“Over half of the world’s fresh water pearl mussels are found in Scotland’s waters, so it’s an important location for a now critically endangered species,” says Vicky, “We worked with researchers who are trying to better understand the species and local staff from Pearls in Peril a conservation project who are trying to protect the mussel’s river habitat. The mussel’s pearls inspired our Paisley Pearl exhibition and the community workshops we delivered as part of the project.”

As part of their digital art commission, Paul and Vicky led three workshops in the local area, with very different groups of people. The first saw undergraduate animation and game students from the University of the West of Scotland dissecting common mussels to learn more about the shapes and textures that could be used to form part of the new Paisley inspired forms.

Mussel workshop with students from the University of the West of Scotland

“The session took them very much outside of their comfort zone,” says Paul, “Dissection doesn’t often take place in animation classes! We felt it was an important session to do, as it highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of our research and gave our students a much better understanding of the kinds of shapes and textures they could work with.”

“Once they’d dissected the mussels, we asked them to take digital images of the different parts and textures that they’d discovered. These fed into the kinds of shapes and patterns that we later used to form our unique Paisley Pearls.”

Two further workshops saw the team teaching programming to local secondary school children at Johnstone High School and working with Roar: Connections for Life (a community group of retired residents) to explore the lifecycle of the freshwater pearl mussel, in relation to their own lives.

Workshop with members of ‘Roar: Connections for Life’

“The group of retired residents, learnt how environmental changes are recorded in the growth rings of the mussel shell,” says Vicky, “These can tell you something about the age of the mussel and their environment; whether it was nutrient rich or not. We ask participants to map their own life experiences, marking out significant events on their own growth ring drawings. This helped us to facilitate in-depth conversations about the ecological significance of the mussel.”

“It was important for us to work with the local community as part of our commission,” continues Vicky, “Through the process of creating our final artwork, we wanted to work with local people to link Paisley’s past with its future.”

The decision about which city will become the 2021 City of Culture is expected in December.

For more information about Vicky Isley and Paul Smith’s research, visit their website or watch a short video on their Paisley project.

Health and social care project available!

BU research, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team

Are you or your students looking for health and social care projects? The following project is available in the Student Project Bank:

SPB038: Benefits of Assistance Dogs for Children with Autism and Down’s Syndrome

Research and document the benefits an assistance dog can provide to a child with Autism/Down’s Syndrome and provide theories as to why the benefits occur, financial benefits for the NHS, Education Authorities and Social Services. The objectives of the project are to increase understanding of why benefits occur, to document benefits achieved through the provision of an assistance dog, potential financial benefits for local communities and promoting greater understanding and inclusion of Autism and Down’s Syndrome.

Apply now:

Projects are available to all undergraduate and postgraduate students at BU and can be used for dissertations, assignments, unit, or group work. Send us an email to request a project brief and application form.

BU Academic’s success at Chartered Body for the Project Profession Awards Night

BU research, Research news

Karen Thompson,  Lecturer in the Faculty of Management, recently attended the annual Awards Ceremony of the Chartered Body for the Project Profession, the Association for Project Management.   TV icon and renowned editor John Pienaar was our host for the evening.  The venue was Old Billingsgate, a lovely old building that was formerly the London fish market.

Karen was delighted to receive the Herbert Walton Award for her research.  This award, “awarded at the discretion of the judges, recognises an excellent PhD dissertation submitted during the year at Doctorate level”, and the criteria reflect relevance to the practice of the profession.

Karen would like to pay tribute here to her two supervisors Profesor Brian Hollocks and Dr Paul Freedman for their tireless support and encouragement that led to this success.

In the photo with Karen is Russel Jamieson, co-chair of the APM People SIG and past Chairman of the Wessex Branch, who has been pivotal to collaboration between BU and the APM. Long may the fusion of project management professional practice, education and research continue!

#TalkBU presents… Still no freedom: From North Korea to being ignored

BU research, Events, Featured

#TalkBU is a monthly lunchtime seminar on Talbot Campus, open to all students and staff at Bournemouth University and free to attend. Come along to learn, discuss and engage in a 20-30 minute presentation by an academic or guest speaker talking about their research and findings, with a Q&A to finish. 

North Korean women are routinely subject to systemic sexual violation. But for the many who successfully escape their country to also overcome hunger, the search for freedom is just as tough, as they are frequently abducted, sold and exploited by traffickers.

Dr Hyun-Joo Lim will be discussing her research on North Korean female defectors living in the UK and the systemic human rights abuse they experienced both inside and outside their homeland.

When: Tuesday 5 December at 1 – 2pm

Where: Room FG04, Fusion Building

Register here to attend

Click here to find out more about our future and previous #TalkBU events.

Young Life Scientists’ symposium: Frontiers in Musculoskeletal Health, Ageing and Disease

BU research, Coffee Morning, conferences, Uncategorized

The past Saturday I was given the opportunity to present my pilot study titled “The influence of inspiratory muscle training on balance and functional mobility in healthy older adults” at the Young Life Scientists Symposium (YLS) held in Derby (see related poster).

 

Purpose of the pilot was to gain an understanding of the effect of 8 weeks inspiratory muscle training upon balance and functional mobility outcomes (including Five-Sit-To-Stand, Time Up and Go, Mini-Best test and others) in older adults (65 and over). The results have led to a double-blind random control trial which will be completed by the beginning of 2018.

The YLS is organised by PhD students and Post-Doc’s for other PhD students and early career researchers it aims to give the opportunity to network and discuss research matters via poster and oral communication in a positive and constructive environment.
This year symposium was focusing on three major sections: nutrition, exercises for ageing and metabolic disease in ageing. Speakers from all the UK discussed their works, and I had the chance to collect feedbacks explaining my methods and methodology.

I would like to thank Bournemouth University and my supervisors who helped me to achieve this opportunity.

Thank you for reading.
Francesco.

 

Focus on an Inclusive Research Environment

BU research, Doctoral College, Vitae

Focus on: an inclusive research environment

Vitae have launched their latest ‘Focus on’ theme: ‘an inclusive research environment’. With useful resources and reading covering:

  • Women in research
  • Part-time/flexible working
  • Supporting disabled researchers
  • Preparing for your professional development conversations around equality and diversity

The vitae blog during this ‘Focus on’ theme will explore issues relating to supporting the wellbeing and mental health of researchers as well as the challenges of juggling caring responsibilities with research commitments.

Concordat community consultation

As part of the current ‘Focus on’ topic Vitae would like to invite you to take part in the Concordat community consultation. The consultation has been commissioned by the Concordat Expert Review Panel who are conducting the ten-year review of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. In order to develop the pipeline of research talent globally, the well-being of researchers is clearly of paramount importance so take part and let them know your views. To take part in the consultation click here.

The survey will close on Friday 1st December.

 

 

 

Sciences project available!

BU research, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team

Are you or your students looking for projects in the sciences? The following project is available in the Student Project Bank:

SPB037: Evaluate the effects of companion planting of Brassicas with Mint and/or Nasturtium

Set up and monitor a field trial exploring the effectiveness of companion planting of Brassica species with a mixed regime of Brassica and Mint and/or Nasturtium in reducing pest-related crop damage. Produce a report on your findings.

Apply now:

Projects are available to all undergraduate and postgraduate students at BU and can be used for dissertations, assignments, unit, or group work. Send us an email to request a project brief and application form.

Wellcome Trust – on schemes, remits, developing competitive applications & the application review process

BU research, humanities

RKEO was invited to a Humanities and Social Science (HSS hereafter) Research Offices Afternoon, organised by the Wellcome Trust, with a view of establishing relationships and improving the strength and diversity of research they receive and fund.

We were briefed on the HSS funding remit and available funding schemes; on developing competitive applications; the application review process, etc.

Some of the highlights include the following:

ᴥ Wellcome trust funds health, social, cultural and economic research.

ᴥ Theme-based seed awards help researchers to develop compelling and innovative ideas that will go on to form part of larger applications.

ᴥ When applying for funding, it’s important to state:

  1. Your experience & contribution
  2. What you want to achieve
  3. How your planned activities link to achieve the overall aims
  4. Who – partners, stakeholders, etc
  5. Your budget

ᴥ When developing your funding proposal, it’s important to work Wellcome Trust key messages and strategies into it.

ᴥ Funding decisions and recommendations are decided by multi-disciplinary committees. It is therefore important to ensure that your proposal can be understood outside of your field/ discipline.

ᴥ It is highly recommended for proposals to have pre-submission input from colleagues within and beyond your own field.

ᴥ Small grants, seed awards and studentships go through a one-stage application process.

ᴥ Research fellowships and research awards for health professionals go through a three-stage application process:

Expression of interest → Triage → Full application

ᴥ There is currently no requirement for the pathways to impact statement/ document on grant applications.

ᴥ Non-academic impact is viewed positively on applications.

ᴥ Wellcome funds ambitious, innovative and high quality research. Innovative and ambitious means:

  1. The use of interdisciplinary methods
  2. Genuine interdisciplinary research

ᴥ At the preliminary stage, it’s important that applications/proposals be treated as a summary of the full application, with careful considerations for research ethics and data management (avoid depending on generic text)

ᴥ The use of generic text is strongly advised against – the letter of support from the Uni should be personalised to better fit the context of the proposed research

ᴥ What makes a successful application from a reviewer’s point of view?

  1. Innovative
  2. Unusual project
  3. Methodologically rigorous
  4. Sound
  5. The right person doing the right project at the right place
  6. A project fails when jargons and key terms are not explained successfully
  7. Must detail = why this is an important project; why they are the right people to do it; why the location
  8. Research ethics carefully considered; timetable is realistic; costing not outlandish

Computer animation and visual effects projects available!

BU research, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team

Are you or your students looking for computer animation and visual effects projects? The following projects are available in the Student Project Bank:

SPB048: Animation to raise awareness of the support available to adult children of alcoholics

Create a 2-3 minute animation that highlights the key characteristics of adult children of alcoholics (ACOA) and conveys a message that they aren’t alone and that change is possible.

SPB063: Shelley’s Heart: Digital Research Animator

Shelley’s Heart will be a downloadable app is set in St. Peter’s churchyard in Bournemouth town centre and features modern alter egos of Mary Shelley and the Romantic poets. As a Digital Research Animator you will be responsible for researching, designing, and developing 16 animated gifs (2-5 seconds in duration) to enhance the audio narrative. These are based on Photoshop illustrations that have been mocked up for the design document/script. Given the desired interactive element, you will be encouraged to research novel animation technologies including snapchat animations, augmented reality, and geo-location tracking. A design document will be provided however, you will have a role in refining the animation design.

SPB082: Life in My Shoes animation

Produce a series of 2 minute animated films, each one based on the audio recording of a person’s story who has struggled with being HIV+. Each person will be from a different part of the world (Delhi, Boston, Pretoria etc.) for the Life In My Shoes (LIMS) international project. The people in these stories can’t show their faces because of the devastating stigma that still surrounds HIV. We are looking for an animator to realise the story in a creative and innovative ways, either by creating a character than doesn’t look like the interviewee, or finding some other creative way to tell the story.

Apply now:

Projects are available to all undergraduate and postgraduate students at BU and can be used for dissertations, assignments, unit, or group work. Send us an email to request a project brief and application form.

NIHR Fellowships Event 21st March 2018 – SAVE THE DATE

BU research, Events, RKE development framework

 

As part of the Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework, RKEO are holding a session on NIHR Fellowships.

The NIHR Fellowship Event will provide information about NIHR’s Fellowship schemes, and offer some hints and tips for a successful application. We are pleased to welcome the following speakers:

  • Dr Gordon Taylor, Research Design Service South West, NIHR Doctoral Panel Member & Reader in Medical Statistics, University of Bath
  • NIHR Trainees Coordinating Centre (TBC)
  • Clare Gordon, BU NIHR Fellow

Date: Wednesday 21st March 2018

Time: 12:00-13:00

Venue: Lansdowne Campus

The session is open to all academics, researchers and clinicians who have an interest in applying for NIHR Fellowships.

Please book your space through Eventbrite.

About the NIHR Fellowship Programme: The NIHR is the UK’s major funder of applied health research. All of the research it funds works towards improving the health and wealth of the nation. The NIHR develops and supports the people who conduct and contribute to health research and equally supports the training of the next generation of health researchers. NIHR training programmes provide a unique opportunity for all professionals to improve the health of patients in their care through research. Training and career development awards from the NIHR range from undergraduate level through to opportunities for established investigators and research leaders. They are open to a wide range of professions and designed to suit different working arrangements and career pathways.

BU Humanising Special Interest Group meeting 7th December 2017

BU research, Events, Research communication

We are a group of scholars and practitioners who have an interest in what makes us Feel Human and how this is linked to Health, Wellbeing, Dignity and Compassion. As part of the Centre for Qualitative Research CQR we use Lifeworld approaches and subjective experience as the basis for our understanding. For more information please click here

At meetings we discuss issues following two presentations, and share our on-going work into humanising practice in education, practice and research.

Our next meeting is

On December 7th 2017,  From 2pm to 4.30 pm,  At R303, Royal London House, Lansdowne Campus

The two presentations are

  • Comparing market and civil society thinking from the standpoint of humanising health and social care Dr Jim Cowan – independent researcher with 40 years’ experience as a community development practitioner
  •  Symmetrical and/or asymmetrical interacting: A grounded theory explaining the process of being a relative during their family member’s hospital admission in adult, medical areas of care. Sue Melling, Lecturer in Adult Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Bournemouth University If you are not already a member of the Humanising SIG e-mail list and would like to be, please contact Caroline Ellis-Hill
  • For further details of the topics and speakers  please click here
  • All staff, students and visitors are welcome

BU researcher meets BBC presenter, Saba Douglas-Hamilton

BU research, PG research

Research Associate Katie Thompson was honoured to meet the BBC wildlife presenter and lifelong conservationist Saba Douglas-Hamilton at her talk ‘Life with Elephants’ last week. It was a fantastic opportunity to meet fellow conservationists, and Saba herself to talk about the incredible research work they lead across the African continent. Her father founded the renowned NGO, ‘Save the Elephants’ where Katie visited their research station in April 2017 in Kenya. Further research developments have lead Katie to liaise with directors from ‘Elephants Alive’, their partner charity in South Africa. She continues to develop close links with these NGOs and the Life and Environmental Sciences Department at Bournemouth University, with research focusing on elephant conservation and their impact on the ecosystem.

Migration research at BU: New migrant workers’ paper published

BU research, humanities, international, open access, PG research, Publishing, Research communication, Research news, student research, Uncategorized, writing

Two days ago saw the publication of the latest paper on migration research here at Bournemouth University. The journal Health Prospect published ‘Risky work: Accidents among Nepalese migrant workers in Malaysia, Qatar and Saudi’ [1]. This new paper is based on the PhD research project conducted by Dr. Pratik Adhikary. Health Prospect is a peer-reviewed Open Access journal, part of Nepal Journals Online (NepJOL) which offers free access to research on and/or from Nepal. The paper is co-authored by former FHSS staff Dr. Zoe Sheppard and Dr. Steve Keen as well as Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen of the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH).

Previous academic papers by BU scholars included, amongst others, work on migrant workers from Nepal [2-6], relatives of migrant workers [7], migrant health workers [8-9], migration and tourism [10-11], migrant workers from Eastern Europe [11-13], migration and the media [14] as well as migration in the past [15]. The various strands of work link very well to BU’s application for Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships.

 

References:

  1. Adhikary, P., Sheppard, Z., Keen, S., van Teijlingen, E. (2017) Risky work: Accidents among Nepalese migrant workers in Malaysia, Qatar and Saudi, Health Prospect 16(2): 3-10.
  2. Adhikary, P., Simkhada, P.P., van Teijlingen E., Raja, AE. (2008) Health & Lifestyle of Nepalese Migrants in the UK BMC International Health & Human Rights 8(6). Web address: www.biomedcentral.com/1472-698X/8/6.
  3. van Teijlingen E, Simkhada, P., Adhikary, P. (2009) Alcohol use among the Nepalese in the UK BMJ Rapid Response: www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/339/oct20_1/b4028#223451
  4. Adhikary P., Keen S., van Teijlingen, E. (2011) Health Issues among Nepalese migrant workers in Middle East. Health Science Journal 5: 169-175. www.hsj.gr/volume5/issue3/532.pdf
  5. Aryal, N., Regmi, PR., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Adhikary, P., Bhatta, YKD., Mann, S. (2016) Injury and Mortality in Young Nepalese Migrant Workers: A Call for Public Health Action. Asian-Pacific Journal of Public Health 28(8): 703-705.
  6. Simkhada, PP., Regmi, PR., van Teijlingen, E., Aryal, N. (2017) Identifying the gaps in Nepalese migrant workers’ health & well-being: A review of the literature, Journal of Travel Medicine 24 (4): 1-9.
  7. Aryal, N., Regmi, PR., van Teijlingen, E., Dhungel, D., Ghale, G., Bhatta, GK. (2016) Knowing is not enough: Migrant workers’ spouses vulnerability to HIV SAARC Journal of Tuberculosis, Lung Diseases & HIV/AIDS 8(1):9-15.
  8. Scammell, J., 2016. Nurse migration and the EU: how are UK nurses prepared? British Journal of Nursing, 25 (13), p. 764.
  9. Sapkota, T., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2014) Nepalese health workers’ migration to United Kingdom: A qualitative study. Health Science Journal 8(1):57-74.
  10. Dwyer, L., Seetaram, N., Forsyth, P., Brian, K. (2014) Is the Migration-Tourism Relationship only about VFR? Annals of Tourism Research, 46: 130-143.
  11. Filimonau, V., Mika, M. (2017) Return labour migration: an exploratory study of Polish migrant workers from the UK hospitality industry. Current Issues in Tourism, 1-22.
  12. Janta, H., Ladkin, A., Brown, L., Lugosi, P., 2011. Employment experiences of Polish migrant workers in the UK hospitality sector. Tourism Management, 32 (5): 1006-1019.
  13. Mai, N., Schwandner-Sievers, S. (2003) Albanian migration and new transnationalisms, Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies 29(6): 939-948.
  14. Marino, S., Dawes, S., 2016. Fortress Europe: Media, Migration and Borders. Networking Knowledge, 9 (4).
  15. Parker Pearson, M., Richards, C., Allen, M., Payne, A. & Welham, K. (2004) The Stonehenge Riverside project Research design and initial results Journal of Nordic Archaeological Science 14: 45–60

Fake conferences are not fake news: beware predatory conferences

BU research, conferences, international, open access, PG research, Publishing, REF Subjects, Research assessment, Research communication, Research Ethics, Research Integritiy, Research themes, Research Training, Uncategorized, writing

Introduction

Academic have been warned for a decade about predatory Open Access publishers (van Teijlingen 2014). These are commercial organisations charging academics a publication fee on submission of their manuscripts with a promise to publish their work quickly online. The problem is twofold: first, these commercial organisations don’t offer proper peer-review and editorial quality assurance; and secondly, academic are being tricked into believing the journal is a legitimate scientific publication.  The second author receives on average six to eight invitations a week to publish in this kind of predatory journals – see below for examples. The first author, who despite having not worked in an academic institution for over three years, still receives such invitations to publish in ‘Journal X’.

Predatory conferences

A similar phenomenon to predatory journals is the predatory conference (Moital 2014; Nobes 2017; Grove 2017). These are pretend academic conferences of questionable value, established first and foremost to make money, not for the greater good of the academic discipline.

Both authors have received bogus and legitimate invitations to attend conferences. A predicament with such an invitation, which 99% of time arrives by email, is that it is not easy to distinguish between fake and real offers. For example, the first author recently received an offer (at short notice), to attend a conference in Miami in November 2017 (see below). This was on the back of an editorial he had published couple of months earlier. For a career researcher going from contract to contract, the appeal of being invited to present a keynote at a conference can be flattering, far less an honour and a boost for one’s career. Therefore, while the idea that if it seems too good to be true, is a prudent one to hold; there is also a temptation to follow through.

The author replied to the request quizzing the reason for the invite out of the blue. The answer was less than convincing, and a swift email by the author saying “Don’t tell me… You are offering me a keynote with travel and accommodation… Lol!!” called their bluff and ended correspondence.

But digging a little deeper he found there was a webpage dedicated to taking payments to attend the conference. In the digital world, a fool can be easily and quickly separated from his or her money.

Of course, it may have been a real conference at a real venue, and they really wanted him to speak. But discerning this is not easy at first…

Some of the warning signs/What to look out for

  • The conference email invitation looks very convincing (if not don’t even read it!).
  • The venue is good location as Nobes (2017) highlighted, “the organizers are more interested in marketing the tourist destination rather than the academic value of the conference”.
  • The conference covers too many different aspects or topics, as if the advert is designed to catch the eye of many people as possible who are vaguely connected to the discipline.
  • Mentions on associated predatory journals and ‘important’ organisations in the discipline.
  • Email and bank accounts that don’t look professional/ official.
  • Little mention of attendance fees, but after acceptance emails demanding a high conference fee and other charges.
  • Conference organisers are not academics, or unknown names.
  • Conference does not peer-review submission/ not provide proper editorial control over presentations
  • Signs of copying of names of existing academic conferences or scientific organisation and even copying of their webpages
  • Even more advertising than normal at a scientific conference.

Furthermore, Andy Nobes (2017) offered some helpful advice on quality of the conference websites in the list below. Andy is based at AuthorAID, a global network providing support, mentoring, resources and training for researchers in developing countries.

Who is at risk of falling for predatory conferences?

Academics need to be aware of money-making conferences and meetings without a true commitment to science. But some academics might be more at risk than others. Young researchers, PhD students and fledgling academics, living from contract to contract may feel any conference attendance is a potential career boost. Thus, such an invitation might seem flattering and an opportunity to good to miss. A way to show that he or she is a capable and independent academic.

Final thoughts

Most academics go to conferences for a combination of presenting their work to get critical feedback, making new contacts, sharing ideas and to be inspired. With such broad combination of motivating factors, the exact purpose of conferences is difficult to ascertain because there is no a priori agreed role and value of conferences (Nicolson, 2017a). However, there is evidence that academic conferences function to facilitate commodity transactions, be that knowledge, tools, skills, reputations, or connections, which reflects the neoliberal ethos in the modern academy (Nicolson 2017b). The predatory conference can be viewed in this light, where academia is more and more focused on generating revenue. It is at best scurrilous, and worst, criminal, for organisations to make money using such a confidence trick.  Always check which conferences are organised and advertised by recognised scholarly organisations in your own discipline. If uncertain ask a more experienced academic, a senior colleague or mentor.

 

 

Donald J. Nicolson

(Health Services Researcher, NHS Fife, and Independent Scholar; twitter @_mopster )

Edwin R. van Teijlingen

(Centre Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health)

 

References:

Moital, M. (2014) Ten Signs of a Bogus/Fake Conference.

Grove, J. (2017) Predatory conferences ‘now outnumber official scholarly events’  (26th Oct.)

Nicolson, D.J. (2017a) Do conference presentations impact beyond the conference venue? Journal of Research in Nursing. 22(5), pp.422-425.

Nicolson, D.J. (2017b) Academic Conferences as Neoliberal Commodities, Palgrave Macmillan

Nobes, A. (2017) What are ‘predatory’ conferences and how can I avoid them?

van Teijlingen, E. (2014) Beware of rogue journals.

 

Computing and information technology projects available!

BU research, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team

Are you or your students looking for computing and information technology projects? The following projects are available in the Student Project Bank:

SPB047: Social media platform prototype development for Help-in

Help connect millions of people to the help they need when they need it and allow millions to offer their help to those less fortunate or in need. Help-in is a charity that aims to create a new social media platform designed to increase volunteering both hands on and virtually. Work with Help-in to develop the above social media platform. All aspects must be scalable to cope with additions to details, projects, tick boxes and ultimately users. The Platform will be global, so there is a need to search for companies or project types in any part of the world.

SPB073: Mapping of signing up user journey for financial products

Harmoney is a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to help people to manage their money better, particularly so that it doesn’t cause worry, stress, or mental distress. Their initial service is providing advice on welfare benefits and debt problems. This project involved mapping the signing up user journeys of existing online current account and budgeting products, particularly those built for smartphones (like Monzo) and new innovative services (like Squirrel). You will be looking for similarities between the maps and assessing what works well and what doesn’t. These findings will be used to make recommendations for our product.

SPB074: Mapping of user journey of financial products

Harmoney is a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to help people to manage their money better, particularly so that it doesn’t cause worry, stress, or mental distress. Their initial service is providing advice on welfare benefits and debt problems. This purpose of this project is to map the user journeys of existing online current account and budgeting products, to undertake tasks such as setting up regular payments, making transfers, checking balance. You will be looking for similarities between the maps and assessing what works well and what doesn’t. These findings will be used to make recommendations for our product.

SPB075: Harmoney cyber security

Harmoney is a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to help people to manage their money better, particularly so that it doesn’t cause worry, stress, or mental distress. Their initial service is providing advice on welfare benefits and debt problems. Map out security methods used by existing services of online current account products. What are the options? What direction might these tools be going in in relation to security? Are costs considered? What is the user preference? These findings will be used to make recommendations for our product.

SPB081: Cherry Tree Nursery Website Revamp

Cherry Tree Nursery is part of the Sheltered Work Opportunities project, a registered charity based in Bournemouth serving the local Community. We were set up to address the great need for meaningful occupation, in a supportive and pressure free environment, for adults with severe and enduring mental illness. Cherry Tree Nursery’s website is out dated and needs a revamp to bring it in line with modern website design and to attract new visitors to the charity.

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Projects are available to all undergraduate and postgraduate students at BU and can be used for dissertations, assignments, unit, or group work. Send us an email to request a project brief and application form.