Category Archives: Research
External PhD Student… Need Resources?
Not based at Northampton and been frustrated that you can’t access that book that you so desparately need to complete your studies?
Go to https://www.sconul.ac.uk/sconul-access and fill in the online form using the drop down options.
- to state the type of student you are (e.g. PhD full-time, PhD part-time)
- where you’re a student (i.e. University of Northampton)
- it will then ask you to select an institution local to you where they’d like to access resources (it only lists those institutions in the scheme)
- a window then pops up with an “apply for access” button
- click it, fill in the rest of the information and the university at the other end will processes your application and allow you to borrow resources from their library.
A large number of Universities are part of this scheme.
In regards to inter library loans, the British Library will send journal articles anywhere, because they can send them via email via secure electronic delivery. Unfortunately, British Library inter library loan books have to be collected from the University of Northampton.
PhD Transfer Seminar – Rethinking the Robinsonade…
Dear all,
You are all cordially invited to attend Bochra Benaissa’s PhD Transfer Seminar at 2.15pm on Wednesday 4 October in room MY120 (Maidwell Building, Avenue Campus)
Please see Bochra’s synopsis:
Rethinking the Robinsonade: Self and Environment in Twentieth-Century Desert Island Narratives
Bochra Benaissa
My research explores the ways in which modern Robinsonades can be read in the light of an alternative approach to island narratives, bringing to light ways in which the earliest Robinsonades seek to marginalize the specificity of environment and geography, whilst the modern ones depend upon them as the dominant themes. Although it might seem that all desert island stories are similar since they all address the question of an autonomous human nature, the first two chapters of this study show how the self can more productively be viewed through a study of the protagonist’s interaction with other creatures existing on the island. It also explores the relation that the protagonist builds with his or her surroundings and how in the more recent Robinsonades, this suggests a new ecological understanding of the self.
The objective of the introductory chapter is to situate the research in the context of the genre’s development since the early eighteenth century, demonstrating how the values which it embodies have changed historically. The second chapter then focuses upon texts from the twentieth-century Robinsonades and their preoccupation with transformations of the self in relation to non-human animals. Using an eco-critical approach informed by the work of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, particularly their notion of ‘becoming animal’, it examines literary constructions of man and the environment and explores how twentieth-century desert island narratives are often used to understand and critique man’s dominance over nature.
REF 2021 Consultation: Summary of Responses
Today the four UK funding bodies published a summary of the responses to the ‘Consultation on the second Research Excellence Framework (REF)’. This document summarises our analysis of the 388 formal responses we received, which informed our initial decisions which are set out in a separate document (REF 2017/01). The consultation, published in December 2016, set out proposals for implementing the recommendations of Lord Stern’s review of the REF: ‘Building on success and learning from experience’.
Summary of consultation responses: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rereports/year/2017/ref201702/
Open Access Week – 23rd to 29th October 2017
The theme for this year’s 10th International Open Access Week is “Open in order to…”
There are many benefits to open access, including greater visibility of research, increases in citations, and ensuring far greater access to research. HEFCE’s open access policy for REF2021 has seen the greatest shift in practice in terms of open access within the UK, and there are few of you who will not have been asked about uploading your accepted manuscripts to NECTAR! Whilst we realise this can sometimes be an arduous task for some, it is necessary. Rather than presenting to you once again the benefits of open access, we’d like to hear from you!
We are holding a competition for the best examples of where open access has benefited your research, if open access has made a difference to your work or research then we’d love to hear from you! All that’s required is a few minutes of your time, a short paragraph will suffice… though please don’t be limited by this!
The best judged entry will rewarded with a lovely bottle of champagne… and will featured on the staff intranet research page! All entries will also go into a draw for a further bottle of champagne! If champagne is not to your liking, then a £20 amazon voucher will be awarded instead!
Dawn Hibbert, Head of Research Support will also be presenting a seminar on Research Data Management – Making your data count – maximising impact (All this research… All this Data… Use it.. Preserve it… Make a Difference.. Make an Impact! – warning – this presentation uses images from the genocide memorial in Kigali, Rwanda that may be upsetting).
Key Dates:
Deadline for applications for “How Open Access has benefited your Research” 5 pm Monday 23rd of October
Seminar – Research Data Management :
Avenue Campus – 27th October 11 am – 12 pm – Avenue Boardroom
Park Campus – 24th October 11am – 12 pm – Venue to be confirmed
FP7 Post Grant Pilot – Approved Journals
FP7 have updated their list of journals that are approved for publication in to receive funding from their grant.
Note: the funds are only available for publications that have been made within the scope of a finished FP7 project.
https://blogs.openaire.eu/?p=2184&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
REF 2021 – Initital Decisions Published by HEFCE
Hefce have now released their initital decisions in relation to the next REF. For further information please see the Yammer Research Support Group (use your University login and password details – https://www.yammer.com)
Access to the full publication from HEFCE:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rereports/year/2017/ref201701/
New Yammer Research Support Group
All staff have access to Yammer… Kind of like facebook for work… In order to give Researcher’s at our University a dedicated space for interaction, helpful files, presentations, links etc, a Research Support group has been created, including information on the REF and RDM. Feel free to join & access these resources! (https://www.yammer.com (log in with your Uni username and password)).
New templates at DMP Online for Wellcome Trust and ERC Research
These reflect the new guidelines issued by the European Research Council (ERC) and the Wellcome Trust.
http://www.dcc.ac.uk/news/new-dmp-templates
UON Graduate School Blog 