Category Archives: Events
Upcoming workshop: Developing a research track record on a shoestring
On February 8th 2017 we are welcoming back researcher & educator, Hugh Kearns, who will be running a workshop for academic staff and researchers “Developing a research track record on a shoestring”. Hugh is recognised internationally and regularly lectures at universities across the world, including Oxford, Harvard, Stanford and, now for the fourth time, Northampton.
Academics and researchers are constantly being told to increase their research outputs if they want to get promoted or funded, but it becomes a catch 22 when you can’t do much research because you have no money, but no one will give you money because you haven’t done enough research. Despite this situation there are ways to build a research track record that require less money and can give you the start you need to build a decent track record (or even just to keep your head above water!). Read the rest of this entry
Research seminar – Conservation ecology of West Africa’s montane forest habitats – seed dispersers and their substitutes.
You are cordially invited to a research seminar on Friday 13th January at 1300 in NW205.
Dr Hazel Chapman, Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury (UC) New Zealand, will be visiting the University of Northampton to talk about the Nigerian Montane Forest Project (NMFP), introducing the NMFP and presenting research aimed at understanding how seed dispersal processes are changing in response to forest fragmentation and hunting. Read the rest of this entry
British Sociological Association Annual Conference – funded places
BSA Annual Conference 2017: Funded Places
Have you been a concessionary member of the BSA for more than 12 months? Could you be eligible for a BSA Support Funded Place to the BSA Annual Conference 2017? Read the rest of this entry
Predatory Journals
The problem
Hundreds of new open access journals are being set up by reputable publishers, scholarly societies and universities each year. Unfortunately, alongside these reputable journals, an increasing number of pay-to-publish “vanity” journals continue to appear. Such journals are referred to as ‘predatory’ or ‘bogus’ journals. Some academic authors are being scammed into submitting their research outputs to be published in these journals that do not have proper quality control or peer review processes.
The risks
- No proper peer review is carried out to preserve the quality of the research output.
- Damage to the reputation of the researcher and institution.
- Researchers and institutions lend their reputation to a disreputable publication.
- Negative impact on the REF submission if the publication is not detected.
- Your article will most likely not be able to be published elsewhere.
- Copyright would likely be retained by the publisher.
How to check for predatory journals?
Think Check Submit – Provides a checklist of questions that can be used to identify trusted journals.
Look out for the following warning signs:
- Board of Editors list shows that members are not recognised in their field or that they are affiliated with questionable institutions; however, this should be done with caution, as Board member names may be used without their permission.
- Journals with dubious or non-existent addresses for their registered office.
- Unsolicited email or paper communication inviting publication in journals you don’t know or have never heard of.
- Unsolicited invitations to conferences run by event managers, not professionals in the research area, often at attractive destinations.
- Note – Legitimate new journals acknowledge if they are newly created and do not yet have an impact factor.
Further steps to undertake:
- Consult the Directory of Open Access Journals for reputable journals (doaj.org)
- Check the publisher’s membership of Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (oaspa.org), Committee on Publication Ethics (www.publicationethics.org), and International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers (www.stm-assoc.org).
- Reputable journals typically will be listed in the Journal Citation Report.
- Resist the temptation to publish quickly and easily in any journal. Be aware of the publication landscape in your research area and the most reputable journals (check with your research leader if unsure).
- Jeffrey Beall (librarian at the University of Colorado Denver) has also created lists of ‘Potential, possible or predatory’ scholarly open access journals and publishers. This list is controversial and has been debated, however it has been listed on many university webpages.
Related articles and blogs
University of Edinburgh Standards in Open Access scholarly communication: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/information-services/research-support/publish-research/open-access/1.108824
Jeffery Beall’s website on scholarly Open Access: http://scholarlyoa.com/
‘Investigating Journals: The dark side of publishing’ by Declan Butler (in Nature): http://www.nature.com/news/investigating-journals-the-dark-side-of-publishing-1.12666
Berger, Monica and Jill Cirasella. “Beyond Beall’S List Better Understanding Predatory Publishers“. Crln.acrl.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.
Further Information
If you have any further questions on the information displayed here or if you would like advice on a specific journal please contact us at OpenAccess@northampton.ac.uk.
Grounded Theory Forum – meeting dates spring/summer 2017
Submitted by Dr Sarah Neill
Dates for the Grounded Theory Forum meetings have been set for the spring and summer terms.
If you have an interest in Grounded Theory then please do come along. The meetings will be held in Sulgrave, S007.
- Wednesday 15th February 1-3pm
- Wednesday 12th April 1-3pm
- Wednesday 7th June 1-3pm
If you would like to attend any meetings, or be on the Grounded Theory Forum mail list, please contact Sarah Neill.
Invite to the PGR Student Network Christmas get-together
All postgraduate research students are cordially invited to the PGR Network and Graduate School’s Christmas get-together in Top Lodge Conservatory, Park Campus on Weds 14th December from 4:30-6pm.
Drinks and snacks will be provided so why not come along to network with colleagues from the research community and celebrate the end of 2016. Book your place through Gateway or email Simone if you are interested in attending.
Research students – thinking about your career development?
Did you know that 78% of research staff aspire to a career in HE, but only a handful get permanent positions? A recent jobs.ac.uk report indicates that 92% of the advertised job opportunities on their site are contract/temporary. So if you are thinking of a career in research after your PhD, then looking outside of academia, where there are permanent and well-paid positions for researchers, might be a good idea for you.
To focus your mind on this I have organised some short 2 hour careers management workshops in partnership with our careers service at UN. All the workshops are tailored to research students.
- CV Workshop: 14 Dec 2016, from 10:00 to 12:00 (Park)
- Mock Interview workshop: 1 Mar 2017, from 14:00 to 16:00 (Park)
- CV Workshop: 23 May 2017, from 10:00 to 12:00 (Avenue)
All workshops are bookable through Gateway for University of Northampton research students and 1-1s are also possible to arrange.
There are other resources out there to help you focus your mind on careers. One such resource is Vitae Researcher Careers links, which include examples of researcher CVs, researcher career stories on film, careers outside of HE, entrepreneurial researchers, What Do Research Staff do next career stories and much more.
And the British Council Euraxess website features a database of jobs available for researchers throughout the EU and advice on the research landscape in the UK, amongst other useful information.
The Thesis Whisperer has a great guest article on PhD careers.
Your PhD alone probably won’t be enough to get you your next job, as the job market is very competitive. So take advantage of any generic skills training you see which will supplement your transferable skills – these look great on your CV. If you are doing your PhD to support your future career, then you should be thinking about what that career might be… now! Don’t wait until you get to the end before you think about it.
Bowie’s Books: David Bowie and Literature
As an artist, David Bowie is famous for crossing boundaries of genre, form, and identity. But the touring David Bowie Is exhibition, curated by the V&A, has not only promoted an image of Bowie as highly literate and widely read, but documented Bowie’s extensive reading habits for the first time, making explicit the connection between his music, personae, and patterns of reading. The Guardian has followed this up with a list of Bowie’s 100 Must-Read Books. This conference, hosted by the University of Northampton to commemorate the one year anniversary of Bowie’s death, aims to build on this new perspective on Bowie’s work, with a selection of papers that deal with the myriad connections between Bowie and literature.
View full schedule and purchase tickets: Bowie’s Books.
PGR student? Why not present your research in Manchester next February?
Are you a postgraduate research student? Manchester Metropolitan University are holding their Annual PGR Research Conference on February 22nd 2017 and they have invited PGR students from other institutions to present their research in the form of oral presentations, posters and performances.
This is a great opportunity for research students to develop their presenting skills and meet PGR colleagues from other institutions, expanding their research networks. Last year, MMU received over 200 abstracts from 28 institutions and 6 countries, with 90 presenters and an additional 150 delegates. Students who present at the conference can receive feedback from the judging panel and the audience on their presentation – previous participants have found this to be extremely beneficial. There is also a prize for the best presentations.
Please note that the deadline for submissions is Thursday, December 1st – you can find more information and how to apply here.
How to book Graduate School workshops and events on Gateway
All workshops and events organised by the Graduate School are now available to view and book via Gateway, our online postgraduate research management system.
- Go to Gateway.
- Log in, choose the link ‘Calendar’ from the left hand menu.
- Click on the title of the workshop you’re interested in – all workshops/events are in date order.
- Click on the Green dot ‘Respond’.
- Choose ‘Attending’ then submit. You have the option to write a note, for instance if you know you’re going to be late arriving at the workshop.
- If you subsequently need to cancel your place just repeat the process and change the response to ‘Not Attending’.
- If you are interested in the workshop but cannot attend the date scheduled then choose Defer. This will let me know that you are interested in attending another time. We may be able to schedule the workshop again.
- To check which workshops you have booked onto and generate a list of attendances, read on.
UON Graduate School Blog 