5 August 2012 - 1:31 pm

The engaging researcher

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Doing research is an integral part of a university degree. In your undergraduate degree, your dissertation will usually be the first serious piece of research you do. As you move up the education ladder, research becomes more and more important and by the time you’re doing your PhD you have now become a full time researcher. While research is a very rewarding experience, it can sometimes be an isolated undertaking. Many people, including myself, sometimes forget that they need to consider their research within a real world context, and that research isn’t a purpose in itself, but should serve to address a knowledge gap or a problem which exists in the real world.

Starting a conversation about your research could benefit both you and the public.

Engaging other people in the research process is something that the researcher must be proactive about doing however. Vitae is a UK organisation which champions the personal, professional and career development of doctoral researchers and research staff in higher education institutions and research institutes. One of their publications focuses specifically on the ‘engaging researcher’, by offering advice, as well as practical hints and tips about how researchers can engage with an audience.

One important aspect highlighted by the brochure is the fact that public engagement with research is a two way process which can benefit both the researcher and the people they engage. This is because the researcher can gain fresh perspectives on their particular topic, and may even identify new directions in which the research could go. For the people who are being engaged, their awareness of the issue which is the specific topic of the research grows. The brochure also highlights that engaging with research can help raise people’s aspirations, for example by inspiring school children who had not considered university or a particular field before.

A few ways to engage the public include:

  • Presentations and talks;
  • Stalls at open days or festivals;
  • Articles in the media;
  • Providing advice to external organisations.
These are only a few suggestions and if you check out the brochure you will find a lot more detail on these and also practical advice about how to organise these various events. In terms of the engagement process, four key areas that will need to be considered are highlighted: the purpose, the audience, the activity and how the impact will be assessed. Establishing the ‘why’, or the reason you want to engage with the public, is the first important step in determining what shape the interaction will take. For example, if your research is to do with pollution in a particular area and you want to engage the public in order to raise awareness, you will need a different kind of forum than if you’re trying to encourage school children to consider a degree in environmental science.
After you have thought about the purpose you should consider the audience you are trying to reach. You have to think about a specific group you want to target within the general public and shape your interaction in order to suit them best. This naturally leads to the next step which is the activity. If you want to gauge people’s opinion on your project, for example, you could have a stall at a conference where the main focus is something relating to your research. A more easily accessible vehicle is a public lecture or talk. Last but not least, you have to consider the impact – if and to what extent your engagement has had the desired outcome.

In this post I have tried to offer a brief outline of the main things you should consider when, as a researcher, you are trying to engage with the public. If you would like some more in-depth information on this topic, you can visit the Vitae website and check-out the online version of the brochure.

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  • About the author

    Alexandra Bobocica

    Hi! My name is Alex and I'm in my final year studying Economics and Politics at the University of Sheffield. This is my first year as an Enterprise Intern. I'm also the Social Secretary for the University of Sheffield UNYSA society this year. In addition to enterprise, I'm also interested in current events, reading the news, music and films.