Conceptual Articles, Paradigms and a Kanopy
Shiny new projects, everywhere!
Hi friends,
Happy hump day! In this edition, we’re looking at writing conceptual articles, research paradigms, open-source ebook management and much, much more. As always if you want to get in touch with us on anything, shoot us an email at postgraduateresearchhub@gmail.com - we’d love to hear from you!
Articles of the Week
Writing conceptual articles can be intimidating and it can be really overwhelming trying to figure out where to start. Luckily, there’s an article for that. Reese (2021) offers a practical guide on writing the conceptual article. Clear the desk, close the door and sink your teeth in.
Another part of research that can be daunting for everyone but maybe particularly new PGRs is getting a handle on research paradigms. There’s plenty of literature out there on paradigms - some good, some bad and some just plain ugly. Here though Kivunia and Kuyini (2017) offer a valuable overview of all the important pieces - ontology, epistemology, axiology and much more. Another very enjoyable read in this space comes from nursing scholars Grant and Giddings (2002) who throw a paradigm framework for novice researchers our way.
Community Spotlight
This week we shine our community spotlight on A. J. Robin!
A.J is a MSc Digital Sociology student who explores how people become radicalized or recruited into extremist groups online. A.J’s current research investigates whether right-wing political influencers are spreading violent rhetoric about transgender people through social media. A.J believes it’s crucial to connect the cultural wisdom of “Internet lurkers” with the social sciences in order to address today’s social crises such as extremist violence.
Since joining our community, A.J has been an enormously valued and consistent contributor right across our channels. A.J is kind, empathetic, highly knowledgable and completely devoted to making the internet, and society a safer space for everyone. Our community would certainly not have grown or be what it is today without A.J’s constant support, contributions and development suggestions. Thank you for being a member of the PGRH!
Q1. What part of your academic journey are you at?
My data is collected. My literature is reviewed. My mind and body are fully spent. All that is left to do is write. Before I became a postgraduate student, I figured that the writing phase would be the "easy part" for me; now that it's upon me I'm realizing that I'm at the most difficult phase of my academic journey. I'm at the stage where I feel the most pressure to prove myself and to show the readers that what I’ve researched is important in a way that they feel it’s important too. Since I haven't submitted my dissertation, this stage is also full of uncertainty, excited anticipation, and fear of the unknown.
Q2. What made you join the PGRH and what do you get the most from the community?
The PGRH introduced itself to me through Mastodon. I had been seeking out alternative online communities; as a postgrad student, I felt socializing online had become a waste of the little free time I had, and my feeds were making me feel worse about myself and about society. The postgraduate community on Mastodon was a surprising change of pace. I felt more inspired and motivated after using Mastodon, partially because the Postgraduate Research Hub helped me connect with other postgraduates and social scientists.
Since I joined the PGHR Discord, every day I've gained something valuable to my academic life from other PGRH community members. I would describe the PGRH as an inspiration hub. At face value, it is a community where you’re likely to find someone with a similar project or interest, no matter how nuanced, and a digital environment storing many practical resources and tools for researchers. Helpful information is openly shared, and mutual aid is a cornerstone of the PGHR Discord. Even if you check Discord monthly you can find valuable research tools through the PGRH.
That being said, as a regular user I can't understate the value in terms of emotional support I've received as a PGRH community member. The motivation and sense of purpose that students can gain from having a supportive academic community is unmatched by any other social group. When I struggle as a student, friends and family can sympathize and give encouragement, but other postgrads can truly empathize and understand my perspective in personal and meaningful ways. It is a safe place to be confused and disenchanted by research, and also to celebrate yourself and your small wins in your academic life. I feel encouraged by the PGRH community to not only work hard but to rest and to acknowledge my positive qualities as a person, without basing my academic value on a grant or a good grade. Other PGRH members know how hard I'm working because we are all in the study room, body-doubling and drinking coffee together! This community has been key for me because motivation and encouragement don't always come easy at the last stretch of a postgraduate program.
Q.3 If you could give a guest lecture anywhere and on any topic, where would it be and what on?
I would love to give a guest lecture on the social behaviours of extremist online subcultures. Sociology has a growing body of research on the Internet’s data, but experiential wisdom of the Internet as a social ecosystem is still largely under-represented in research. It is important for researchers to understand some of the nebulous aspects of Internet subcultures in order to correctly interpret meaning in the data they collect. A good starting point would be a lecture on the coded language used within subcultures, such as incels or QAnon enthusiasts, and how to use translation methods for interdisciplinary research to interpret Internet slang as a dialect of sorts. I would also love to do a lecture on memes as historical artefacts of online culture, and how visual data analysis can be applied to memes when conducting qualitative research.
Q4. What is your favourite research-related meme and why?
Latest from our Community
Here are some brief updates from across the PGRH network 👩💻
Book Club (Bookies) Reminder 📚
Our next book club meeting is happening on Wednesday 2nd of August at 10am GMT. Our book club (Bookies) is open to everyone and if you’ve never attended before, fear not - we’ll get you up to speed.
We’ve been reading Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner. We’ll decide our next read at the meeting. Hope to see you there!
Coworking
Our two weekly coworking sessions will run as usual this week. Join us on Thursday (tomorrow) at 10 am GMT for people in timezone (A) or 3 pm GMT for people in timezone (B).
We usually work with cameras on (if appropriate), mics off and the chat box open for those who wish to say hello.
If you’re not a member of our Discord server, you can sign up here.
Undergraduate Research Hub
Shouting out our sister server again this week - the Undergraduate Research Hub. We’re looking forward to the upcoming academic year and expect numbers to start increasing on the UGRH soon.
For members of the Postgraduate Research Hub who are interested in delivering guest lectures/tutorials on your special interest topic or area of expertise please drop us a line at postgraduateresearchhub@gmail.com.
Research Resource
In celebration of our next book club meeting being just around the corner, we wanted to share Calibre as our research resource. Calibre is open-source and available on multiple platforms (Windows, Linux, Mac).
Calibre allows you to manage your ebook library, it is versatile and extremely user-friendly. Check it out here.
Bonus Bits
Ologies Podcast: This podcast was recommended by PGRH member Pocket this week (thanks Pocket). Loads of interesting episodes to flick through here, you’re sure to find something of interest!
Kanopy: Kanopy is a streaming service (similar to Netflix) but loaded with educational content. Kanopy is offered for free through many university libraries and sometimes through public libraries. There is some really wonderful content on there ranging from documentaries to films across almost every discipline but there’s also a healthy amount of old movies on there too!
See You Next Week
If you like this newsletter, or you’ve gotten some value here - please consider sharing us with a friend or colleague! See you next Wednesday. Try not to get hit with the shiny new project wave this week, form all the team - stay strong 🤛
