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Supporting Research Students book cover

1st Edition

Supporting Research Students

By Barbara Allan Copyright 2009
    208 Pages
    by Facet Publishing

    The importance of supporting the needs of research students has recently risen higher up the academic agenda around the world. Numbers of postgraduate students have expanded, and the traditional PhD has now been joined by a new range of doctoral qualifications including professional doctorates such as the Doctor in Business Administration (DBA). These developments have led to a more diverse student body which now includes senior professional practitioners.

    This shift has seen an acknowledgement that support services within universities must cater more for the needs of research students. While the library and information profession is a graduate one, a relatively small number of LIS professionals have a research degree. This means that, though they are likely to have experience of carrying out smaller scale research projects, they will not have experienced and internalized the distinct learning processes involved in gaining a doctorate.

    This timely book offers guidance to enable them to support the specialist needs of research students effectively. Individual chapters are designed to be read and worked through in any order. The key areas covered are:

    research and the research process
    the research students experience
    research skills training
    supporting research students in academic libraries and information services
    virtual graduate schools
    introduction to research communities
    professional development.


    Readership: This is an essential text for all library and information professionals in higher education institutions globally that cater for the needs of research students. It will also be valuable reading for LIS students. The importance of supporting the needs of research students has recently risen higher up the academic agenda around the world. Numbers of postgraduate students have expanded, and the traditional PhD has now been joined by a new range of doctoral qualifications including professional doctorates such as the Doctor in Business Administration (DBA). These developments have led to a more diverse student body which now includes senior professional practitioners.

    This shift has seen an acknowledgement that support services within universities must cater more for the needs of research students. While the library and information profession is a graduate one, a relatively small number of LIS professionals have a research degree. This means that, though they are likely to have experience of carrying out smaller scale research projects, they will not have experienced and internalized the distinct learning processes involved in gaining a doctorate.

    This timely book offers guidance to enable them to support the specialist needs of research students effectively. Individual chapters are designed to be read and worked through in any order. The key areas covered are:

    - research and the research process
    - the research student’s experience
    - research skills training
    - supporting research students in academic libraries and information services
    - virtual graduate schools
    - introduction to research communities
    - professional development.

    Readership: This is an essential text for all library and information professionals in higher education institutions globally that cater for the needs of research students. It will also be valuable reading for LIS students.

    1. Introduction Structure of this book Introduction to the world of research and research students The production and dissemination of knowledge Types of research degree Stakeholders in research degrees Contemporary issues regarding supporting research students Summary 2. Research and the research process Introduction Research proposal Research approach and methods Data collection and analysis Access and ethical issues Summarizing the research process Research issues Writing up The complexity of the research process Summary 3. The research student’s experience Introduction Starting points Induction Working with a supervisor Getting started on the doctorate Selecting a topic Developing the study Summary 4. Moving forward and completing the research Introduction Moving forward Methodology Fieldwork Writing up Viva voce examination Amendments and completion Summary 5. Research skills training Introduction Training and skills of research students The UK Research Councils’ Joint Statement of training requirements for research students Skills development Library and information research skills Case Study: Use of information sources Summary 6. Supporting research students in academic libraries and information services Introduction Information needs Current approaches to supporting research students Case Study: Example session plan – introduction to referencing Case Study: MI512 research training course for PhD students Targeting and communicating with research students Self-assessment: how do you support research students? Summary 7. Virtual graduate schools Introduction The development of virtual graduate schools Case Study: University of Hull Virtual Graduate School and the Graduate Virtual Research Environment Other approaches to developing a virtual graduate school Implications for library and information workers Summary 8. Introduction to research communities Introduction What are communities? Research communities Information sharing in academic communities Professional associations Academic conferences Online networking Implications for library and information workers Summary Notes 9. Professional development Introduction Professional organizations and networks Development offered by higher education institutions Research degrees Conclusion References and bibliography References Bibliography

    Biography

    Barbara Allan

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