Category Archives: epistemology

learning from live pandemic research

I haven’t taught research methods for a year or so. But right now I do wish I still was. I’m not asking for additional workload. Not at all. It’s just that there is so much potential for learning in the … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, epistemology, mess, methodology, methods, ontology, pandemic, research methods | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

should I number my thesis?

I’ve just been in a university where doctoral researchers are issued with a thesis template. This automatically sets up the font, layers of headings and the section and subsection numbering systems. If doctoral researchers decide to use this template, and … Continue reading

Posted in argument, epistemology, narrative, reader, thesis | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

do we ‘collect’ data? or – beware the ontological slip …

A post where I have a small rant about one of my least favorite research expressions… We’ve all heard of a Freudian slip. This is where we inadvertently say something that unintentionally reveals an unconscious, or repressed, feeling, idea or … Continue reading

Posted in data, epistemology, methodology, ontology | Tagged , , , , , | 20 Comments

methodology isn’t methods.. or… what goes in a methods chapter

Since I’ve been posting about methods and methodology, I’ve been asked several times to discuss the difference between methodology and methods and how these appear in a methods chapter. This post is by way of an answer. Not all dissertations … Continue reading

Posted in epistemology, methodology, methods chapter, ontology, research design, research methods, thesis | Tagged , , , , | 37 Comments

a methodological metaphor – what detective are you?

One of the basic requirements for research in the humanities and social sciences is that the researcher must take a position. Well not any old position, but one in relation to the practice of research. This is often thought of … Continue reading

Posted in crime fiction, doctoral research, epistemology, evidence, metaphor, methods chapter, ontology, philosophy | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

thirteen reasons researchers get asked to write their methods chapter again

Dissertation examiners always check the methods chapter or methodological writings carefully. And the more the doctorate is seen as research training, the more important it will be for examiners to make sure that the relevant writings in the thesis really … Continue reading

Posted in dissertation, doctoral research, epistemology, methods chapter, research methods, research project, theory, thesis | Tagged , , , | 31 Comments

analysing blogs is messy, but that’s OK. #acwrimo work in progress

This post is from Inger, Thesis Whisperer, about the process of researching academic blogs. Here she discusses making decisions about method, and provides a glimpse, via a link to her google doc, of actual data analysis happening in real time. … Continue reading

Posted in academic blogging, acwrimo, data, epistemology, grounded theory, mess, qualitative data, spread sheet | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

why doctoral researchers should go to the modern art museum

Really?? Why should early career researchers bother themselves with contemporary arts? Well, the answer could be to hold better conversations at dinner parties, or to help the team at the pub quiz. Or it could be to help the stroppy … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, contemporary arts practices, deconstruction, epistemology, knowledge production, ontology, research education | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Writing for publication – it’s just a matter of meeting the conventions of a journal, right?

Well, no. Not exactly. There is more involved in making choices about how to write for your target journal than simply deciding to adopt their usual writing style. I need to explain this assertion. Let’s take the example of what … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, data, epistemology, knowledge production | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments