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Arma 2024: opportunities abound and research office staff should feel confident to seize them
Getting published is not just the preserve of researchers. Forays into writing for professional publications can reap benefits and advance the wider community of research managers and administrators (RMAs) too.
Such was the consensus view of panellists at a session during the Association of Research Managers and Administrators’ annual conference in Brighton on 18 June. What’s more, as chair and panellist, Sarah Richardson, editor-in-chief of Research Professional News, told attendees, many opportunities are available for RMAs to write and get published.
All the same, the panellists noted that the world of publishing may seem forbidding to many. A key goal of the session was therefore to share pointers for RMAs keen to publish their experiences and knowledge. Here are the five top tips that emerged.
1. Knowledge should be shared
The panel first looked at the reasons for RMAs to get into writing. According to Chloe Jeffries, head of strategic funding at the University of Manchester, who writes for Arma’s membership publication, Arma Insights, one reason is to showcase what you know about an area and share your expertise with a wider audience. “It will raise your profile to people outside of your institution,” she cited as an added benefit.
Oonagh Collins, the Euraxess UK programme manager at the British Council, built on this by encouraging RMAs to hold on to thoughts like “why haven’t I seen anything about this” for inspiration as to what to write.
She said: “If you are thinking this, there will be an audience of people for what you are saying.” It therefore follows that there is an opportunity to fill publication gaps with your knowledge.
Richardson highlighted that “no one is a better expert on your own experience than you are”. Several publications, including Arma Insights, greatly value research managers giving their opinions and sharing their experiences. “An example of this in Research Professional News was a piece written by Pauline Muya [former director of research services at the University of Leicester, and now independent consultant] reflecting on her career in research management, which did really well,” she noted.
Christopher Daley, head of evidence and analysis at the London School of Economics and Political Science, who writes for LSE’s Impact Blog, concluded that “research managers are at the intersection between professional services and academia, so they have the perfect knowledge blend to comment on research and innovation as a whole”. All panellists encouraged more RMAs to get involved.
2. Cater to your chosen publication
The panel’s consensus was that budding writers should look at what the publication is looking for before contacting them and making their pitches. For instance, Alicen Nickson, director of research and innovation at Cranfield University, said that the Journal of Research Management and Administration, which she has published in, is looking for 3,000-to-8,000-word pieces, so writers should pitch longer, evidence-based pieces. Daley said that the journal Public Humanities, where he is an advisory board member, is “happy to receive pitches for 4,000-to-5,000-word journal articles, but also shorter opinion pieces as well”.
On choosing which publication to write for, Nickson said “the more you read, the more you understand what publications are looking for and if your writing would be suited to them”.
Richardson then pointed out that it is always worth contacting editors before writing your piece, as “then they can work with you to help guide it”.
3. Be confident
Discussing what holds RMAs back from writing, Daley said: “I don’t think people have the confidence to write opinion pieces about overcoming challenges brought about by research policy changes”. He went on to discuss a successful piece he wrote six years ago on overcoming challenges that were a result of open access requirements in the Research Excellence Framework. “Don’t be afraid to articulate your opinions,” he said.
Richardson added that “people may be worried about sticking their head above parapet in the age of social media”, but “people shouldn’t be put off using their professional expertise to make an informed argument”.
4. Take your time
But there was another significant barrier to RMAs writing, the panellists agreed—finding the time to do it in. However, this need not be the barrier many felt it to be. Jeffries pointed out that for Arma Insights, “although writing should be topical and timely, there’s no pressure to ‘break scoops’”, which she said relieves time pressure for budding writers. Richardson quipped that if research managers did have a scoop, then they could always contact the reporting team at Research Professional News.
Collins added that there was “no time pressure” for those wanting to submit to Euraxess UK, which publishes once a month. She encouraged RMAs to email if they had a topic in mind.
Of course, some publications do run on a tight schedule, and the LSE’s Impact blog is one of these, said Daley. As its name suggests, it seeks topical and impactful pieces that will grab attention and generate clicks. “You will work with a managing editor on a rapid publication process,” he said.
5. Work collaboratively
Another aspect agreed upon by all panellists was that the best writing is produced in collaboration with others. Nickson gave the example of “working collaboratively on a literature review looking at the landscape of research management” as one particularly fulfilling project she had worked on. She also praised the Arma network for being very reliable, collaborative and willing to engage with others.
Jeffries concluded that “this panel demonstrates that there are real people doing this” and she urged attendees to “not hesitate to get in touch”.
This is an extract from an article in Research Professional’s Funding Insight service. To subscribe contact sales@researchresearch.com