First of all, before anybody makes the joke, no this blog is not about the scam PPI calls we all too often receive. Rather, Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) or Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) refers to the concept of research being carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them. At the core, PPIE is getting the public involved and actively engaged in our research, as opposed to being involved only at the level
Being a postgraduate is hard enough as is. We are told repeatedly of the mental health crises and long hours we are not just expected to have happen but we see those around us experiencing every day. Masters courses and beyond are there to ready us for the realities of conducting research, meeting tight deadlines and compiling large projects over increasingly shorter amounts of time. Stress and increased pressure are things that we can ‘accept’
Alex Lloyd The first day of my PhD had come with a lot of anticipation. Having received my offer to study at Royal Holloway, University of London some months prior, I had been waiting for my start date with nervous excitement. For those who haven’t visited (which I highly recommend) the University campus is situated on Egham Hill, surrounded by greenery and overlooked by the impressive Founder’s building. I arrived with time to spare before
I feel privileged to be asked to write this blog to offer advice to research students at Masters and PhD level. Research is something I am passionate about and I see myself as a qualitative researcher who also has great respect for those who prefer quantitative methods. Hopefully the advice I offer will be useful to both schools and those from a pluralistic background. The first piece of advice I would offer is that you
“What kind of psychologist are you?”, asked the head of the interview panel. A year or so into my first academic job, in Glasgow, I had applied for a job back down South. “Well,” I offered, “my research is a little bit developmental, some social, a dash of forensic, there are educational aspects…” He stopped me. “No… I mean what journal do you have on your shelves, what conference do you go to?” That was