Improving academic impact has been given a bad name in some academic circles, who link it to a near-conspiracy theory view of the powers of ‘neo-liberalism’. But Patrick Dunleavy and Jane Tinkler argue that (despite one or two bureaucratic distortions, like the REF), the impacts agenda is centrally about enhancing the efficacy of scientific and … Continued
Author: Cousens,EV
Why COVID-19 led Bristol University Press to introduce a Rapid Responses format
This is the thirteenth and final post in a six-week series: Rapid or Rushed? exploring rapid response publishing in covid times. Read the rest of the series here. As part of the series, there was a virtual roundtable featuring Professor Joshua Gans (Economics in the Age of COVID-19, MIT Press), in conversation with Richard Horton (The COVID-19 … Continued
The problem with accessibility checklists
Accessibility checklists are increasingly becoming offered as ways to improve inclusivity in Higher Education. However, they rely on the presumption that those delivering education and thus using them have no accessibility needs of their own. Moreover, in seeking to codify what counts as inclusivity, many students’ requirements get overlooked. In this post, Dr Kelsie Acton … Continued
Should supervisors be training PhD students to achieve impact?
In addition to thesis writing, PhD candidates in SHAPE subjects are expected to be able to communicate their research to diverse audiences and also be prepared for careers outside of Higher Education. Should PhD supervision cover these areas, or does impact training sit more naturally elsewhere in the university ecosystem? In this post, Katherine Parker-Hay, … Continued
The need for open data sharing in the era of global pandemics
Since the start of the pandemic, data on different countries’ case counts has been readily available. However, not all data is equally useful. In this post, Bernardo Gutierrez and Sabrina Li, from the Open COVID-19 Data Working Group and the Oxford Martin School, outline the need for much more detailed, open and accessible sharing to … Continued
“But I’m not ready!” Common barriers to writing and how to overcome them
Writing a thesis can feel overwhelming. In this post, Hugh Kearns and Maria Gardiner are here to help. They detail the common reasons why PhD students tend to avoid writing and counter them with strategies to counter procrastination and perfectionism. Your thesis is probably the biggest writing task you will ever undertake. It can feel … Continued
Book Review: Me, Not You: The Trouble with Mainstream Feminism by Alison Phipps
This review originally appeared on LSE Review of Books. If you would like to contribute to the series, please contact the managing editor of LSE Review of Books, Dr Rosemary Deller, at lsereviewofbooks@lse.ac.uk In Me, Not You, Alison Phipps builds on Black feminist scholarship to investigate how mainstream feminist movements against sexual violence express a ‘political whiteness’ that can reinforce … Continued
Sonia Livingstone on launching a book in lockdown: “I’m almost to the point of thinking it is better this way”
Professor Sonia Livingstone has published extensively in her field of Social Psychology. However, when COVID-19 disrupted academic life, she had to rethink the planned book launch for her most recent book, Parenting for a Digital Future. In this Q&A, Professor Livingstone outlines the ways that the pandemic has transformed the process of promoting a book,. She discusses … Continued
‘The government is following the science’: Why is the translation of evidence into policy generating so much controversy?
In the UK, the government has presented itself as guided by scientific evidence in its policy responses to COVID-19. This has led to science, in particular epidemiology, itself becoming politicised and contested. However, neither the politicisation of science nor questions surrounding the status of evidence are new. In this post, Luis Pérez-González, outlines how a … Continued
After the crisis, economics needs to slow down
This is the twelth post in a six-week series: Rapid or Rushed? exploring rapid response publishing in covid times. Read the rest of the series here. As part of the series, there was a virtual roundtable featuring Professor Joshua Gans (Economics in the Age of COVID-19, MIT Press), in conversation with Richard Horton (The COVID-19 Catastrophe, Polity … Continued