Research Supervision
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Publishing on the internet

Overview and research

Jim Cumming, a recent ANU doctoral candidate, suggests that with the development of the internet has come a range of communication methods for researchers. These include:

  • Blogs
  • Research websites where papers are posted prior to formal publication
  • Online journals
  • Wikis
  • Skype

An interesting development at the doctoral level in recent years has been a steady growth in the practice of blogging, whereby the experiences of candidates are not only documented but also publicly accessible. For example, 'phdweblogs' is a website containing around 500 registered blogs compiled by candidates across the globe [see http://phdweblogs.net/].

As part of my own doctoral research I have observed a 100 per cent increase in the number of blogs registered on the phdweblogs site during my candidature (2004-07). My notes reveal the number of blogs registered have been as follows: 285-15 May 2005; 453-17 September 2006; and 500-25 July 2007. An interesting feature of this site is that the number of doctoral blogs in Australia ranks third in the world with 34 PhD blogs, after the USA (194) and the UK (69). Another is the multidisciplinary nature of these blogs. On registering individuals are required to self-select their research area against a broad classification. Unsurprisingly, 'Social Sciences-General' is the top category with 128 posts, however, 'Multidisciplinary' is second with 100. This is inherently interesting given that most other disciplinary classification schemes fail to include inter-, trans-, or multi-disciplinary categories (e.g. RFCD, DEST, ANZIC, SEO, ISI).

Intrigued by this online mode of communication and interaction I initiated my own blog-http://doctoralpractices.blogspot.com/ on 5 May 2005. The National Library approached me not long after it was up and running with a view to registering as part of their online database. I maintained the blog until the final stages of my candidature in 2007. During that time I recorded over 30 posts and generated over 3,000 hits. While it did not generate the level of interaction that I envisaged originally, it could be seen as constituting a public record of one candidate's activities. As such it provides an additional point of reference in the field of doctoral education, as well as a potential data source for those researching in the field of doctoral education in years to come.

Read article in Weekend Australian

Jim Cumming
Former Doctoral Candidate,
ANU August 2007

Ideas and tools

What communication media best suit your discipline?

How are candidates supported in utilising these media?

What particular skills are required for different forms of communication?

ANU information

Support and training for the use of technologies to assist in research is available from the Graduate Information Literacy Program.

ANU E Press.

The Centre for Public Awareness of Science has staff members specialising in science communication and website design. 

 

For College-specific information contact:

Currently ANU colleges are compiling information for publishing research on the internet. In the meantime, contact the College Associate Dean (HDR) for more general college information.