Becoming a Researcher:

Secret identities, Superpowers &

Comics? Dr Katy Vigurs

Staffordshire University@drkatyvigurs

TALK10

MinsShow & Tell

15 Mins

TALK10

Mins

TALK10

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YOU

YOU

YOU

15 minutes Q&A at the

end

60

minutes

Let’s start with time travel: Dr Who?

2001 2002

Present day

IsolationStop-start

study What does the literature say about common experiences of part-time doctoral study?

At a distance

Outsideof research

cultures

Juggling job & study

Balancing family life

Nervous writers

• Participation in social practices is a necessary condition for learning. (Lave & Wenger, 1991)

• Part-time PGR students at risk of remaining on periphery of research communities.

The doctoral shadow.Pay attention to it.

What does yours look like?

Thesis

Everything behind the thesis

Shaping your doctoral shadow: Let’s turn our

thoughts to the development of research

superpowers.

SUPERPOWER #1Turning your doctoral

experience (thus far) into a haiku. Yes… a haiku.

A haiku is a 3 line poem.5 – 7 – 5

Syllables per line.

By monitor glowA conference paper dueThe grad student naps

Jorge Cham ‘A PhD Haiku’

Superhero Metaphor in Research

What superpowers

do researchers need?

List some!

Superhero Researcher Quiz1. What is your main purpose? What are

you trying to achieve?2. What are your superpowers/abilities?3. Are you using any specialist

gadgets/technology?4. Where did your superpowers stem

from?5. Do you have a secret identity or alter

ego?6. Do you work alone?

KV’s Superhero Responses1. What is my main purpose? What

am I trying to achieve?2. What superpowers/abilities

have I since developed?3. Any specialist

gadgets/technology?4. Do I still have an alter ego?5. Do I work alone?

Alter Egos & New Identities

How do you create scholarly social ties?

Networked Scholarship: A sort of

‘academic web-slinging’?

“Community development processes set out to create the context within which meaningful relationships can be formed and through which people have the space to grow and change and fulfill their potential.” (Flecknoe & McLellan, 1994: 7)

“The creation of networks is significant for knowledge acquisition, knowledge generation, knowledge transfer and professional development.” (Pataraia et al., 2015)

‘Connexity’ in learning is where a culture of community is promoted through activities which enable individuals and groups to join together in social networks. These create occasions and spaces for informal learning.(Chauhan, 2009)

Networks are the webs of informal relationships in & around formal structures.

“I lack the confidence to write my own tweets.”

“I’m concerned how others might respond.”

“I don’t want to appear foolish or stupid. What if

I’m ridiculed?”

SUPERPOWER #2Turning the subject matter of

your doctoral thesis into a single tweet.

A tweet is a sentence of up to 140 characters

(includes spaces & punctuation)

Check out the #TweetMyThesis hashtag on

Twitter.

Want to know more? This just out.Research paper published June 2016Using Twitter to Tackle Peripherality? Scan QR code to access paper

Learn more about using Twitter in university research, teaching & impact activities

User-friendly guide published by Mollet, Moran and Dunleavy

Scan QR code to access paper

Things to reflect on…Diverse methods for communicating your

research(creative is good)

Audiences

Networks & scholarly conversations

Achieving your doctorate is not only about completing

your thesis.

Think about the ‘research superpowers’ that you have developed (or will

develop).

Don’t be afraid to show your examiners your researcher alter-ego!

(Cape and mask optional)

Ten research blogs I STRONGLY recommend subscribing to:• Dr Naomi Barnes https://courtingtheacademy.wordpress.com/ • Prof Pat Thomson (Patter) https://patthomson.net/ • Dr Inger Mewburn https://thesiswhisperer.com/ • The Research Whisperer https://theresearchwhisperer.wordpress.com/ • Dr Helen Kara (independent researcher) https://helenkara.com/blog/

• BERA Blog https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog • Dr Rachael Cayley https://explorationsofstyle.com/ • Dr Nathan Ryder http://viva-survivors.com/ • Dr Nick Hopwood https://nickhop.wordpress.com/• Doctoral Writing https://doctoralwriting.wordpress.com/

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These blogs can become part of your

scholarly networks

So what have comics got to do with research?