Good Research Practice

1 Foreword by Professor Nancy Rothwell Page 01

2 Funding your research 02

3 Managing your research project 08

4 Protecting and exploiting your intellectual property 14

5 Research collaboration 18

6 Disseminating your research results 20

7 Developing your academic career 24

8 Acknowledgements 28

The University of Manchester has an excellent reputation for research. It is our aimto build on this reputation and establish ourselves among the 25 strongestresearch universities in the world. Good research practice is fundamental toachieving this. It is about sharing ideas, opening up new and interesting avenuesof research, supporting and rewarding the development of our academic andresearch staff and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of what we do sothat our research is conducted to the very highest standard.

This guide - Good Research Practice - and its accompanying website , isfundamentally concerned with the sharing of information. It taps into theknowledge and experience of our top researchers, including those who sit ongrant committees, are editors of journals or who manage large and complexresearch collaborations. It is also about sharing knowledge across disciplines andhighlighting the good practice that takes place across the University.

The guide is intended for all those involved in research activities in this University,particularly those starting out on an academic career or about to manage theirfirst research project or who are taking on responsibility for managing andmentoring staff and research students.

It provides advice about how to navigate the different stages of the researchprocess successfully; from securing funding and managing a research project todisseminating the research results. It should be read in conjunction with theCode of Good Research Conduct, which sets out the formal principles uponwhich all research undertaken by staff and students of this University must beconducted, and the Good Research Practice website(www.manchester.ac.uk/goodresearchpractice) which contains additionalcomplementary information such as advice about conducting fieldwork, detailsabout health and safety regulations and the mechanisms for obtaining ethicalapproval and all the links to useful websites referred to in this guide.

The advice in this guide has been provided by academic and research staff at alllevels from across the University who have kindly given their time to contribute. Ihope that you find it useful in undertaking your own research and supporting theresearch activities of others.

Foreword by Professor Nancy Rothwell,Vice-President for Research

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Foreword1

2.2 A Targeted Approach2.2.1 Choose your funding scheme carefullyYou need to identify the most appropriate fundingscheme for your project. Find out the breadth offunding opportunities available to you by talking toyour School Research Administrator (or equivalent),colleagues and personal contacts, searching theinternet and utilising the ResearchResearchdatabase. If you are new to research you could takeadvantage of special schemes and initiativesdirected at new researchers. For some researchareas, particularly in science and engineering,creating links with industry can be an excellent wayof getting some initial research funded. Smallgrants that support overseas visits, for example, arevery useful for building up relationships for futurecollaborative ventures, learning new skills orundertaking feasibility studies. These will help you withyour endeavours to secure larger grants in the future.

Check the funding body websites for their fundingrates (although this should not be the sole factorfor deciding where to apply). If it is your firstapplication you may have more success applyingfor a small amount of funding from a scheme witha higher success rate. Larger grants are difficult toobtain without a proven track record as anindependent researcher.

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2.1 IntroductionFew academics have the freedom to conduct their research without some external financialsupport. Even those whose research does not require expensive equipment or extensive tripsoverseas need to pay for resources to release them from their teaching and administrativeduties or to pay for students or post doctoral research staff in order to get their research done.Research can be funded from many different sources, the most obvious being the ResearchCouncils, charities and the EU. However, it is important to be aware of all the sources availableas funding schemes can be very competitive. Your School Research Administrator (orequivalent) will be able to advise you about the many different sources available.

Competition for research funding is fierce, so it is crucial that you develop the necessary skillsfor acquiring it. Approaches to obtaining funding will differ by discipline. For example, in thesciences, having some pilot data puts an applicant in a strong position, whereas in somehumanities subjects research is almost certain to be funded if there is a book contract in place.It is important to prepare an excellent application in order to have any chance of securingfunding. Funding is finite, however, and excellent applications still get turned down. It isimportant, therefore, that the amount of time you spend on a proposal is proportionate to theamount of money you are applying for and the likelihood of success. Set yourself a deadlinefor preparing your application and try to stick to it.

This chapter provides advice about seeking and obtaining funding for your research. The GoodResearch Practice website (www.manchester.ac.uk/goodresearchpractice) provides furtherinformation, including a check list for producing a grant application.

2.2.2 Think very carefully about the subjectof your research projectYour application for funding will only be successfulif it is based on an excellent research idea thatwould have a substantial impact upon your field.You can identify priority areas in your field byreading the appropriate journals. One way ofmeasuring the importance of your research is todetermine which journal you would publish theresults in. If you do not think the research will be ofinterest to the main journal in your field it isunlikely to be of interest to your chosen funder.

2.2.3 Consider collaborationYou may be able to strengthen your project bycollaborating with others (see chapter 5 onResearch Collaboration). For example, if yourproject is important to industry, an industrialcontribution will give your project more credibility.

2.3 Ethical ResearchYou should think carefully about the ethicalimplications of your chosen project before seekingfunding. In accordance with the University’sCode of Good Research Conduct, you shouldconsider your responsibilities to society, theenvironment, your profession, the University, thestaff, students and participants that might beinvolved in the research and the organisation thatmight fund it. If your research would involvehuman participants or animals, the appropriateethical approval should be obtained and HomeOffice legislation be adhered to. Further advice isavailable on the Good Research Practice website(www.manchester.ac.uk/goodresearchpractice).

2.4 Careful Background PreparationYou should never underestimate the amount oftime it takes to prepare a grant application ornegotiate a research contract with a researchsponsor. You should allow yourself several months(good practice suggests at least 6 months) to allowfor team building, internal review, administrativeprocessing, re-writes and delivery.

2.4.1 Learn as much as you can about yourchosen funding body.“As a young researcher, I imagined that facelessbureaucrats in the research councils were treatingmy application with dispassionate disregard. I nowknow that they are (mostly) warm-hearted humanbeings who are quite happy for the phone to ring sothat they can talk about funding and remits with areal live applicant. It certainly beats wading throughthe large piles of applications on their desk”.(Nigel Brown, How to Get a Research Grant, THES)

It is important to research your chosen funder, atthe very least to look at their internet site and readtheir organisational strategy documents. You needto understand their current objectives and beassured that your application is in line with theirfocus area. Your mentor, line manager, SchoolResearch Administrator (or equivalent) and othercolleagues can provide useful information. If youare applying for a research grant you could alsotelephone the appropriate programme manager tolearn more about the funding body’s priorities andwhether your research project would be suitable foryour chosen funding scheme. If the membership ofthe review panel is available, you can use thisinformation to help focus your proposal. It is also agood idea to read some formerly successful grantapplications for your chosen funding body (askyour School Research Administrator (or equivalent)about providing these).

2.4.2 Do some background researchWherever possible, or appropriate, you shouldundertake some background research or a pilotstudy. Grant proposals that contain actualdata/material showing that the proposed project isachievable are more likely to receive funding. Ifpossible, a preliminary publication also helps.

Read some of the available literature on how to besuccessful at obtaining funding(www.manchester.ac.uk/goodresearchpracticeprovides examples) and/or attend a ‘grantsmanship’workshop if offered by your School/Faculty.

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2.4.3 Have a pre-prepareddissemination strategyYour chosen funding body will want assurance thatyour findings will be disseminated where they willhave the greatest impact on the advancement ofknowledge and/or influence on society orimprovements to the environment or health care.Therefore you should give careful thought to yourcommunication strategy (as described in chapter 6)which should be incorporated into your application.

2.5 Identify and Utilise the HelpAvailable to YouDiscuss your ideas with your line manager, mentor,research group and other colleagues in the sameand relevant fields to help clarify and focus yourideas, and identify possible gaps in logic. Whenpreparing an initial research proposal you shouldask colleagues and contacts to comment on draftsat different stages of its production (bearing inmind the pressures on their time). Even when youare more experienced you should ask those whohave reviewed grant applications or sat on fundingpanels to look at a late draft of your proposal –this may already be built into peer reviewprocedures within your school. As well as askingexperts in your field, it is useful to ask someoneoutside of your field to check that your applicationis understandable to a generalist. If you areapplying for a studentship or fellowship and arerequired to attend an interview, you should seekadvice from senior academics about probableinterview questions and possibly even organise apractice interview.

You should speak to your School ResearchAdministrator (or equivalent) at the earliestopportunity. S/he will be able to give advice aboutthe sources of funding appropriate for yourresearch and how to go about obtaining it. S/hecan also advise about which colleagues to talk to,provide you with past grant applications andfamiliarise you with your local procedures for grantapplication approval and the drawing up ofresearch contracts.

2.6 Optimising Your Grant Application2.6.1 Take care over presentation and styleRead the application instructions very carefully andfollow them exactly, make sure the applicationform is completed correctly, that you have followedthe headings provided and paid due attention tothe stated criteria for success. Adhere to theguidelines for presentation, including margin andfont size, number of pages and of copies. Includean accurate table of contents and use headings andpage numbers. Ask a colleague/friend to checkyour spelling and grammar and to make sure youhave used plain language.

When preparing your grant application you need tobear in mind that referees and grants committeeswill probably have a considerable number ofproposals to read and although referees are expertsin the field, they may not be expert in the specificsof your research. You need, therefore, to makereading and understanding your proposal as easy aspossible for them. Keep your proposal simple sothat a generalist in your area of research canunderstand it. Do not be tempted to crameverything you would like to say into the spaceavailable. Choose your problem, articulate it clearly,accurately and thoroughly and do not deviate fromit. Keep the number of main aims to a minimum (amaximum of 5 has been suggested). Keepsentences short and succinct. Use clearsubheadings and highlight key points in bold type.Use diagrams and figures, where appropriate, asthey are useful for putting your point across andhelp to break up text. Avoid abbreviations,acronyms and jargon that the non-expert maynot understand.

Make the purpose of your project clear at the verybeginning. Ensure the title of the project properlyreflects the proposed research because it will setthe first impression and help determine whichreview committee your proposal will be forwardedto and the reviewers to be used. The abstract orsummary is crucial. If a referee does not understandyour proposal after reading the abstract s/he isnot likely to give it a good score. The abstractshould be specific and concise and not go intodetail on aspects of the proposal that are furtherclarified later. Write the abstract when yourproposal is finished.

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Try to put your enthusiasm for the project into yourwriting, but be focused and do not get too carriedaway with the fine details of the research. Youneed to exude certainty; subjunctives like ‘may’,‘might’ and ‘could’ should be avoided. Yourproposal should be goal orientated, so thinkcarefully about what you intend to achieve. Use theactive rather than passive voice - if you do notcome across as believing in the project, you will notconvince the referees.

2.6.2 Convince the funding body that yourresearch is important enough to fundIn order for your proposal to have any chance ofsuccess it must be based on research of the highestquality and originality. You need to articulate howexciting and novel your proposal is, emphasisingwhat is ‘revolutionary’ about it. Highlight anypractical outcome or commercial, social or medicalbenefits your project might have. It is a commonmistake of those new to writing grant proposals tobe over ambitious, so take care not to promisemore than you are confident you can deliver.

You should demonstrate how your proposedresearch connects to existing research and how itwill make an important contribution to forwardingthis knowledge. It is very important to emphasisehow the project maps onto the funding body’spriorities and make it explicit that your objectivesmatch with theirs.

If you are applying for a studentship or fellowship,you need to present yourself as someone thefunder would want to invest in. You should includedetails about your career aspirations, expectationsin research and training requirements. You shouldalso sell the University and play to its strengths.Further advice is available atwww.manchester.ac.uk/goodresearchpractice.

2.6.3 Demonstrate that you are an expertin your fieldYou need to demonstrate that you are the expert inyour proposed research area and the right personto be funded to do the research. Provideappropriate background information and citeleaders in the field, showing that the proposedresearch is realistic and timely. If you are asked torecommend external reviewers, recommend peoplewho are respected experts in the field and who alsoknow your work well enough to provide acomprehensive reference. If you are asked torespond to comments and concerns raised byreferees you should respond directly to the issuesraised demonstrating your expert knowledge.

2.6.4 Convince the referees and grantcommittee that you will deliver whatyou promiseIt is crucial to be able to show that you can deliverand have delivered in the past. Referees will beheavily influenced by your past performances, somake sure your projects are carefully managed andthat you write up and publish your work promptlyand in academic journals of the highest impact inyour field.

You must request adequate resources for yourproject that are cost effective and link the resourcesto defined outcomes. The budget should beconstructed in accordance both with the funder’sand the University’s financial and administrativeregulations. You should always consult your SchoolResearch Administrator (or equivalent) about thebudget construction process. You should thinkabout all the requirements of the project includingstaff, students, travel and subsistence, conferences,equipment and consumables. Check any specialistcomputing equipment and software licenceagreements with Manchester Computing. Checkcarefully what the funder will support. As there isnow a requirement to show full economic costsyou need to estimate the percentage of time thatyou will devote to the project over its duration. Youcan get advice about fec from your SchoolResearch Administrator (or equivalent).

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The grant committee will need to be convincedthat every aspect of your proposal has beenthought through. It is essential to provide amanagement plan including milestones and atimetable that allows for some slippage due togeneral delays in the research. You should alsoinclude contingency arrangements shouldsomething crucial to your project fail, such as aninitial set of experiments. (Preliminary data helps tomitigate against such potential problems.) Ifpossible, build in the opportunity for smallsuccesses along the way. Make sure you have madeallowances in your timetable for any bureaucracyyou will need to go through in order to commenceyour project, such as ethical approval. If yourproposed research involves a collaboration youshould give details about how the project will besteered, how deadlines will be met and decisionsmade. More advice about planning your projectcan be found in chapter 3 and researchcollaboration in chapter 5.

2.7 Do not be DiscouragedDo not be discouraged if your application isunsuccessful - competition for funding is fierce andeven excellent proposals have to be turned down.However, try to learn from your experience and theexperiences of others. Try to find out why yourapplication failed by contacting the programmemanager. Look at the Good Research Practicewebsite (www.manchester.ac.uk/goodresearchpractice)which contains a list of most common reasons whyan application fails. If you really believe in yourproject, analyse possible reasons for failure, refineyour proposal and try again after 6 months.

Do not wait to secure funding but take up otheropportunities to get involved in research – such asthrough collaboration. It is crucial to develop andmaintain your reputation. Your school may be ableto help with pockets of funding and colleaguesmay be able to involve you in their research orpoint you in the direction of other opportunities.

2.8 Building on Your SuccessSecuring research funding becomes easier as yourreputation develops. It is important, therefore, todevelop a positive reputation – one of excellentproject management, successful dissemination,fairness towards collaborators and othercontributors. If you get the opportunity to act as areviewer or panel member this will help to give youan inside view of what funders are looking for.Always remember the help you received fromothers when you were starting out and be willingto help new researchers when you are successful.

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Carole Goble is aprofessor in the Schoolof Computer Science.She is co-leader of theInformationManagement Group.Her research interestsare the Semantic Web,e-Science and theSemantic Grid. Sheapplies advances in

knowledge technologies and workflow systems tosolve information management problems for lifescientists and other scientific disciplines. She hassuccessfully secured funding from the EU,the US and most UK funding agencies includingEPSRC, BBSRC, MRC, the Department of Healthand the DTI.

“My team has a whole programme of researchcovering both the technical aspects and theapplication of computer science. This approachenables us to apply to a wide range of funders.We also have very close strategic alliances withthe BioHealth Informatics Group in the School,the University’s North West BioHealth InformaticsGroup and the Bioinformatics Group in theFaculty of Life Sciences. This enables us to fish inall the pots together.

“My approach has been not to think narrowly butto think big. The funding bodies want some risk,they want big impact proposals. The EU wants toknow if your project will revolutionise an area andbeat the US. UK funders want to know whatimpact the research will have on the researchcommunity. In my experience you are more likelyto get the £3m high-impact collaborative projectthan a £200k project that you would have spentthe same amount of time preparing.

“It is good to build relationships with programmemanagers – they are there to help you. If they askyou to do a review quickly, you do it. Fundershave events (roadshows, project meetings etc) -go to them, make yourself known and be helpful.Learn what is coming up, what they are lookingfor. They will even look at a draft proposal for you.

“When anyone in my team is writing a proposalI make sure they look at the funder’s review form.You can get it from their website or someone youknow is a reviewer. Reviewers are busy, so make iteasy for them by matching what you have writtenagainst their criteria. They should be able to cutand paste details about your proposed researchinto their form.

“When you write a grant proposal you are‘selling’. If you haven’t sold your proposal to thereviewer in the first page, you can forget it. Itneeds to slap them in the face – what is it about?What are you going to get as a result? What willthe impact be on the research community?“

3.2 Ensuring High Quality ResearchEnsure that you and your research staff andstudents are aware of and follow the University’sCode of Good Research Conduct and any othergood practice guidelines pertinent to your area ofresearch and that you all understand theconsequences of research misconduct. Whereappropriate, there should be clearly documentedprotocols for the conducting of research andstandard operating procedures for items ofequipment to ensure that data/material is obtainedconsistently and accurately.

3.3 Project ManagementFunding bodies and other research sponsors requirethe timely delivery of quality research irrespective ofcircumstances. A good track record of managingprojects helps to secure future funding. It isimportant, therefore, to be organised, keep an eyeon deadlines, and to be prepared for any eventuality.

3.3.1 Be preparedWhere possible, build in a gap between the datefunding is awarded and the project start date toallow for the recruitment of researchers and/or thepurchase/setting up of equipment. Be aware of thebureaucracy you have to go through in order to doyour research and make time allowances for this.Never underestimate how long it takes to getethical approval (allow at least 2 months from thedate the application is submitted to the ethicscommittee). Will you be required to obtain CriminalRecords Bureau clearance? Home Office Work

Permit procedures can take several months. Adviceabout the procedures for all of these can be foundat www.manchester.ac.uk/goodresearchpractice.

The cornerstone of good project management is tobe prepared for all eventualities and havecontingency arrangements in place should thingsgo wrong. A particularly common problem isstudents or postdoctoral research staff leavingbefore a project is complete. Try to avoid this bymaking sure you appoint the right person in thefirst place and keeping them motivated and keento see the project through. It cannot always beavoided, however, so it is crucial that you are fullyaware of the progress of the project so that youcan pick it up should a researcher leave. Regularteam meetings and shared knowledge ofresponsibilities helps to ensure that if someonedoes leave it is transparent who needs to do whatto fill the gap. You will need to re-write the projectplan for the remainder of the project to ensure youcan still deliver on time. Other common problemsrelate to equipment; delays in setting it up andperiods of time when it does not work. Make sureyou know where else your piece of equipmentexists in case you need to utilise it. Allow time forextra experiments, if possible, as they rarely workfirst time!

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Managing yourresearch project33.1 IntroductionResearch projects vary in size and complexity from the lone scholar to a multi-disciplinarycollaboration involving researchers and sponsors from industry, the higher education sector andother research organisations from across the world. All research projects, irrespective of sizeand complexity, need careful management to ensure the integrity and quality of the research,the appropriate recording and storage of the research findings and the timely delivery ofresearch outputs within the project budget.

Many research projects are a team effort involving research staff and/or students appointed towork on the project and sometimes internal or external collaborators. It is important that theprincipal investigator provides leadership for such a project, steering it in the right direction by,amongst other things, establishing effective communications and creating a supportive andenabling environment for the staff and students working on the project.

This chapter contains advice for those starting out on a research project from those who haveextensive experience of managing them successfully.

Where the progress of your research has beenaffected by issues that you could not have foreseenat the time funding was awarded, the funder mayconsider allowing an extension to the duration ofthe project if you make an application. However,this should not be relied upon and othercontingency arrangements should always beconsidered first.

3.3.2 Be organisedAn effective approach to time management iscrucial to any research project. Time managementcourses are generally available through the StaffTraining and Development Unit. Fundamentally,time management is about careful planning andbeing organised. Nancy Rothwell suggests in herbook, Who Wants to be a Scientist? ChoosingScience as a Career, that an easy and effective wayof managing your time is to keep a diary ofeverything you have to do and attend and review itregularly to check for deadlines. She also suggestsdesigning an effective filing system for paperdocuments, electronic files, emails, addresses,contacts, etc because this saves time in the long run.

Take care to adhere to your research contract orthe terms and conditions of the funding bodyconcerned. Keep an eye on deadlines and adhereto the project deliverables. Set your own prioritiesand try to stick to them as closely as possible.Make sure you know, and everybody else knows,who is responsible for what. For example who isresponsible for knowing when contracts are up forrenewal. Who is responsible for sending invoicesand checking payments have been received. Youcan check this with the Central Research Office.

As soon as possible into your project you should bethinking about future projects and makingapplications to secure funding for them.

3.3.3 Finish the projectMichael Faraday’s famous advice to WilliamCrookes: “Work. Finish. Publish." is just as validtoday. Self motivation and discipline are crucial togetting to the end of your project. Carefulpreparation and effective time management willprovide the discipline and keep you focused duringthose periods when your motivation wanes. It iscrucial to recognise when your work is finished andit is time to publish.

3.4 Managing the BudgetOn receipt of an award you should contact yourSchool Research Administrator (or equivalent) toensure that the budget is correct and the terms andconditions of the project are acceptable to theUniversity. Try to keep a handle on your spending,reviewing it at least 6 months before the end ofthe project to make sure you have spenteverything. You need to decide what authority yourresearch staff and students will have to purchaseconsumables. It is important for you to know howmuch is being spent from your budget, but you donot want to hold up research or spend too muchtime approving insignificant expenditure. It may bemost efficient to scrutinize expenditure regularly orassign a trusted member of your research team toact as nominated signatory.

3.5 Good Recruitment PracticesIt can be critical to the success of a research projectto bring together the best research staff and/orstudents for the work required. You need to bepro-active about recruiting these people. Get asmuch advice as possible from Human Resourcesand from your colleagues.

Prior to undergoing the recruitment process youmust have attended the Equality and DiversityCourse run by the Staff Training and DevelopmentUnit to ensure that you conduct the recruitmentprocess in a fair and appropriate manner.

3.5.1 Target people you would like to applyAvoid leaving recruitment to chance. You cannotguarantee that the most talented researchers willrespond to your advertisement. Try to keep a lookout for bright young students and researchers, bothinternal to your School and externally atconferences, even when you do not have a positionto fill. When you do have a position to fill, askcolleagues and personal contacts if they canrecommend anyone.

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Collaborating with academics overseas is aneffective way of attracting good students andpostdoctoral researchers. It increases the pool ofstudents/researchers you appeal to and theopportunity for overseas travel can make theposition more attractive to UK students/researchers.If recruiting from outside the EU you need to makeallowances for the administrative complexity ofarranging for a work permit and the time that thisinvolves (it can take 6 months).

3.5.2 Deciding where to advertiseBefore deciding where to advertise you shoulddiscuss the options with your research group leader,mentor, School Research Administrator (orequivalent) and your Human Resources Manager.They should give you advice about the most cost-effective places to advertise. The Human ResourcesDirectorate will pay for the first advertisement.Publications and internet sites of particularrelevance to your subject area can be effective, andfree, places to advertise.

3.5.3 Producing your further particularsBefore producing a job description and furtherparticulars for the vacant position you should speakto your School Research Administrator (orequivalent) and Human Resources Manager whowill be able to advise you about content andformat. They may even provide you with genericfurther particulars that you can adapt. It isimportant that the further particulars make it veryclear what the student/researcher will be expectedto do. The further particulars should not onlydescribe the position to be filled but also sell theproject, your school, faculty and the University,including its facilities.

3.5.4 Short-listing applicationsApplications should be checked carefully andreferences always sought. At least one colleagueshould be involved in the short-listing process. Youshould ensure that the referee knows the candidatewell and is in an appropriate position to judgehis/her abilities as a researcher. Ask referees torespond to specific questions so that you get theinformation you require. A telephone conversationwith referees can often be useful.

3.5.5 Conducting interviewsThere must be formal and robust interviewingprocesses in place for all appointments. Do notconduct interviews on your own but ask some

colleagues to form an interview panel. Thecomposition of the panel should be appropriate tothe job. Good people to include are seniorcolleagues with more experience of interviewing, achief technician (where appropriate) and anadministrator who, as a non-academic, can providea different perspective.

You may have to sell your position to thecandidates, so as well as a formal interview it isadvisable to have an informal discussion with eachcandidate. A well planned visit introducing them totheir potential future colleagues and the researchfacilities, possibly with some social activities, couldencourage them to accept your position.

3.6 People Management3.6.1 Getting started on your projectIn the initial stages of a project you may want todrive the project forward with hands-on regularinvolvement and contact with your students andpostdoctoral research staff. Over time, when youare confident that they can work on their own, youcan reduce your contact.

Every new recruit should follow an inductionprogramme that informs them of any ground rules,including expected working hours and holidayentitlement. They should be introduced to thepeople they will be working with and anyequipment they will use. They should be providedwith an overview of the School, Faculty andUniversity structures and introduced to theircolleagues, including academic staff, technicians,secretarial and administrative staff who can providethem with information and help them to settle in.

As well as the formal induction, you should spendtime with any new researchers ensuring that theyunderstand what the project is about, what isexpected of them and what they should expect ofyou. It might be helpful to keep a file of thesediscussions to act as a reminder of agreed actions,deadlines and priorities. Be pro-active aboutbringing them up to speed with the project by, forexample, preparing a list of references for them toexplore in the first month or so of their appointment.

Where appropriate, you should ensure that they arefamiliar with any legal, regulatory and ethicalrequirements relating to the research, particularly ifthe research involves hazardous substances, humanparticipants, animals or personal information, andthat they know who to turn to for advice.

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Managing yourresearch project3

You should also ensure that they are aware of andfollow the University’s Code of Good ResearchConduct and any good practice guidance pertinentto your area of research and that they understandthe consequences of research misconduct. Theymust receive appropriate training to carry out theirduties as effectively and safely as possible.

3.6.2 Management of research students and staffIf you are supervising a postgraduate student, youshould familiarise yourself with the University’sCode of Practice for Postgraduate Research Degrees.

Try to accommodate the different supervisory needsof those working on your project. Some will thrivewith hands-off management whereas others willrequire closer guidance with regular deadlines. It isalso important to recognise the different status ofyour research students and your research staff. Youshould, however, arrange regular one-on-oneupdate meetings even with those who prefer towork on their own. Experienced supervisors whohave contributed to this guide suggest that half anhour a week or an hour a fortnight would beappropriate, but this will vary by discipline.

You should know where the staff and students forwhom you are responsible are during workinghours. It is advisable to have mechanisms in placefor them to report and record holiday and sicknessabsence. This is not only good managementpractice which helps to inculcate a positive workingethos but is crucial for safety purposes.

If your project involves people working togetherthere is always potential for conflict. You should actas swiftly as possible to prevent small disagreementsgetting out of hand. If a situation becomes serious,speak to your Human Resources Manager foradvice about how to approach the situation.

3.6.3 Motivating your research students and staffYou can motivate your students and research staffby increasing their level of responsibility as theybecome more experienced and confident. Youshould set standards and goals that are achievableand not so demanding that they cause stress andanxiety. Where you feel it is necessary, break thingsdown into manageable pieces of work. Give themregular critical feedback on their work, includingpraise where praise is due.

Research students and staff will become frustratedand discouraged with their work at times, forexample when experiments fail. It is part of yourrole to keep them focused and help them deal withthese frustrations. You should continue to give theresearch direction during these periods offrustration and, where possible, should make thenecessary arrangements for the project to continue.For example, if an experiment repeatedly fails it canbe very dispiriting to be told to keep trying. As analternative, you could get them to try somethingelse related but more attainable before returning tothe task in hand.

You should encourage your research students andstaff to present their work as widely as possible atinternal seminars and external conferences.Presenting a paper at a conference can be a highlymotivating experience. As well as focusing theirminds on their research and forcing them toarticulate their results in a paper it also gives themthe opportunity to meet world leaders in their fieldand discuss their work with other researchers. Theymay return invigorated by new ideas and with arenewed enthusiasm for your project.

Feedback from postdoctoral research staff indicatesthat it is important to them to feel involved in thewhole research project and in the school, facultyand University. You should keep them informed ofthe progress of the project and any conferencesthat you have attended – especially if you havereceived feedback about research that they havebeen involved in. Make sure they are involved inlocal away days and seminar programmes and arekept informed of what is going on in the school,faculty and University in terms of research activity,support for career development and general interest.

Where students and research staff share alaboratory or similar facility, it is important to haverules and rotas for maintaining that facility. A lackof organisation in this area can cause conflict andresult in demotivation. It is advisable, wherepossible, to have an identified person aslaboratory/facility manager to organise and policethese rules and rotas.

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3.6.4 Careers support and adviceYou should encourage your research staff andstudents to develop skills, not only in their researcharea but also their broader personal, managementand leadership skills. An employer satisfactionsurvey of graduate recruiters conducted in 2006 bythe Careers and Employability Division rankedteamwork, self-management, communication,problem solving and adaptability as key skills theylook for in employees. Skills development does nothave to come from formal training programmes butcan come from mentoring or shadowingarrangements. You should allow your research staffand students to take advantage of the careerssupport opportunities available to them.

If your researcher wishes to pursue an academiccareer you can help them to achieve the necessaryrequirements by, for example, presenting their workat conferences, becoming involved in teaching,involving them in grant applications or includingthem as co-applicant or named researcher whereappropriate. You can introduce them to key peoplein your field of research and encourage them tofoster useful relationships, nationally andinternationally. You should encourage them to takean interest in the wider higher education agenda.Make them aware of future research opportunitiesand grants you are applying for. When a researcherhas reached a certain level of experience theyshould be encouraged to apply for a fellowship.You should support and guide them through theirapplication. Your School Research Administrator (orequivalent) can provide advice about possiblefellowship opportunities.

3.7 Conducting Your Research EthicallyAll research should be conducted honestly and withintegrity in line with the University’s Code of GoodResearch Conduct.

3.8 Foster a Productive Research CultureIt is the role of the principal investigator to createan environment in which all members of theresearch team are encouraged to develop theirskills and in which the open exchange of ideas isfostered and good conduct in research is carefullyobserved. Regular team meetings help to engendera vibrant research culture. Each team membercould provide updates on their work which helps tokeep you informed of progress, ensures that yourresearchers regularly formulate their research into

structured arguments, encourages the sharing ofideas and helps generate new approaches to theresearch project. Some team meetings could focuson journal reviews, hot topics or noveltechnologies. Where you have only a few peopleworking on a project you could join with otherresearch teams working in similar fields so thatyour team members do not become isolated andare able to share ideas with colleagues.

You should promote your research activities aswidely as possible. You could use videoconferencing to draw key researchers together.Alternatively, you could form internal networks ofindividuals involved in a particular area of research.This network could promote itself to funding bodies.

3.9 Recording, Storing and ArchivingResearch Data/MaterialsAs leader of a research project, you are responsiblefor ensuring that there are clear protocols for thecollection, recording, storage and archiving ofresearch data/materials generated as part of yourproject. These protocols should fit within anyprofessional guidance available, guidance fromfunding bodies, your school and the University’sCode of Good Research Conduct.

3.10 Health and SafetyIt is your responsibility to ensure that the researchstaff and students for whom you have responsibilityare provided with an environment that is safe andhealthy and all research is conducted within therequirements of health and safety legislation:

• That necessary risk assessments have beenundertaken (Never assume that because yourresearch is not lab-based or using hazardoussubstances that it would not require a riskassessment).

• That staff are adequately informed, trained andmonitored regarding safe practices to ensurethey do not endanger themselves, others orthe environment.

• That your research complies with the Controlof Substances Hazardous to Health regulationsas appropriate.

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Managing yourresearch project3

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Philip Withers is aProfessor of MaterialsScience. His maininterests lie in theapplication ofadvanced techniquesto assess the structuralintegrity ofengineering materialsand components. Hefounded the Northern

Aerospace Technology Exploitation Centre totransfer research innovation from universities intothe aerospace sector. He is Director of a Faradayproject looking at powder processing whichinvolves a consortium of 6 universities and 10/15industrial links.

“When setting up and managing such acollaboration you must identify the responsibilitiesof each group and know, not only what their keyskills are, but also how these complement eachother and make sure that they then link together.For example, the group undertakingmeasurements must use criteria that fit with thegroup doing the modelling. Timing must bemanaged very carefully. You need to ensure that ahold up at one university does not lead toanother university failing to meet its obligations.In our consortium every member has its ownEPSRC form with its own deliverables. We havestipulated that projects must start and finishwithin a specified timescale. Each group isresponsible for meeting its own obligations.

“Effective communication and management areessential to ensure deadlines are met. We have3 monthly meetings of the academic collaboratorsand 6 monthly steering meetings involving theindustrial collaborators. I bid for money toemploy a part-time administrator to help withorganising meetings etc. I also have a seniorpostdoctoral fellow who keeps an eye on all theproject priorities, making sure that everybodymeets their obligations.

“It is important to have agreements in placeabout such things as IP and authorship of papersbefore the grant applications are submitted. Ifpotential IP is developed, we identify a universityto exploit it. Anyone involved in its developmentwould benefit from any royalties. Industrialcollaborators are given first refusal to purchasethe licence to exploit the IP. For paper authorship,we have a mechanism in place to circulate alldraft papers to the collaborative groups. This notonly ensures all the groups are content withauthorship, but also that publications will notinvalidate potential IP claims.

“We exploit our profile at conferences bybranding our project ‘The Green State Project’and using the same Power Point templates sothat people can see the talks fit together.Collaborative projects can increase impact thisway. Most importantly, working with othergroups can be really great fun because the rateyou develop ideas and get things done isinvigorating. A great example is when a postdocfrom one of our collaborative groups came hereto do an experiment. We were able to takeimages that we have not been able to takebefore. This took two days!”

4.2 What is Intellectual Property?The term intellectual property (IP) describes theright to own the intellectual ideas that you create.There are several different ways of determiningownership; some require your ideas to beregistered to be effective, such as patents, rights indesign or trade marks. Other forms of IP areprotected automatically, such as copyright,database rights and some trade marks and designs.

4.3 Who Owns YourIntellectual Property?If you are a member of staff of the University, anyIP that you create through research activities in thecourse of your employment will automaticallylegally belong to the University as your employer. Ifthe research is sponsored, or an agreement isarranged with a third party through collaborativeresearch for example, ownership of IP should beagreed in writing. When you publish your research,you will generally sign the copyright over to thepublisher (whilst retaining the moral rights in orderto protect you from plagiarism of your work).Academic staff with honorary appointments atother institutions should have an agreement inplace between the University and that otherinstitution in relation to IP ownership.

If you are a student of the University, and not alsoan employee, you will own any IP that you create.However, when you register for the University youwill be required to sign an intellectual propertyacknowledgement form alerting you to thepossibility that you might be asked to assignformally your IP to the University. If you aresponsored by a third party you must agree that IPwill initially belong to the University and then bedetermined in accordance with the terms of youragreement with the sponsoring outside body.

It is in your interest for the University to takeownership of your IP as the University is in a strongposition to exploit it on your behalf. The Universityhas generous arrangements for sharing any returnsfrom the commercialisation of IP with theoriginators of that IP.

4.4 What Should be Protected?The University uses UMIP to advise on and facilitatethe protection of IP. You should disclose to UMIP allIP or materials that you have generated that havepotential for profitable commercialisation. If you arein any doubt whether any ideas you havegenerated should be protected you should contactUMIP for advice.

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Protecting and exploitingyour intellectual property44.1 IntroductionThe University of Manchester regards the creation of intellectual property as one of its majorobjectives and is committed to being, by 2015, an innovative institution, that values andencourages the transfer of knowledge and technology to influence and advance economicdevelopment regionally, nationally and internationally and that rewards and provides practicalsupport to staff who engage in commercially significant innovation and/or create intellectualproperty. The University has developed policies (available on the Good Research Practicewebsite at www.manchester.ac.uk/goodresearchpractice) that deal with the ownership,protection and commercialisation of intellectual property and know-how created by employeesand students of the University as well as the interface with others who may fund or collaboratewith the University in the creation of intellectual property and know-how.

For more detailed information you should read Intellectual Property and Confidentiality –A Researcher’s Guide commissioned and produced by The University of Manchester IntellectualProperty Ltd (UMIP) and Eversheds LLP. Further information and links to the UMIP website canbe located on the Good Research Practice website (www.manchester.ac.uk/goodresearchpractice).

The University and UMIP recognise thatcommercialisation of IP may not always beappropriate and sometimes it is in the bestinterest of knowledge transfer to place IP in thepublic domain. UMIP will discuss this with youwhere relevant.

4.5 How to Protect Intellectual PropertyIf UMIP considers that the IP you have created ispotentially profitable, it will try to protect it bypatenting or other means, generally at its ownexpense. There are important steps that you needto take, however, in order for UMIP to be able toprotect your IP:

4.5.1 Careful records managementThe key to protecting the IP that you create iscareful records management as outlined in theUniversity’s Code of Good Research Conduct. It iscrucial, particularly if you file for a patent in the US,to record as much detail as possible of theexperiments/ideas generated. It is good practice tokeep both the original and a copy of all notes,reports, drawings, lab books or anything elserelated to the invention/idea in a secure place. TheUniversity’s Code of Good Research Conductrecommends that a “Supervisor/principalinvestigator should review the main written recordof research evidence, countersign and date it on aregular basis to signify that the entered data areaccurate and complete.” However, if there is astrong likelihood that your research will lead tosomething potentially patentable in the US it isadvisable to also have the written record ofresearch evidence countersigned by an independentwitness who must have read and understood thework described. More detailed advice is provided inKeeping a Laboratory Notebook, BTG, which canbe found on the Good Research Practice website(www.manchester.ac.uk/goodresearchpractice).

4.5.2 Confidentiality and disclosureof informationIf you disclose the key details of yourinvention/design/ideas at a conference, or eveninformally to friends, it may stop you getting IPprotection. If you wish to disclose some elementsof the research that relate to your invention youshould discuss this with UMIP before proceeding. Itmay also need discussing with the research funder.Once a patent application has been filed you canpublish openly, although bear in mind that if yourapplication is rejected, confidentiality may be youronly protection.

Colleagues employed by the same employer havean obligation to keep confidential any informationthat you disclose to them in confidence, this wouldnot include students, visiting academics, secondeesor consultants. If confidential information needs tobe disclosed to a third party other than anotheremployee of this University it is advisable to have aConfidential Disclosure Agreement or Non-Disclosure Agreement in place. For advice andsupport regarding CDAs or NDAs you shouldcontact the Contracts Team in the Central ResearchOffice or UMIP.

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Protecting and exploitingyour intellectual property4

Curtis Dobson is aResearch Fellow in theFaculty of LifeSciences. As apostdoctoral researchassociate hediscovered a humanprotein region withdirect and broad anti-infective activity anddeveloped a range of

compounds relating to this region for use as anti-infective agents. Later generations of thecompounds have ten-fold increased activityagainst HIV and represent a fifth approach to HIVtherapy. Dr Dobson has driven thecommercialisation of these technologies, and in2004 established a new company, Ai2 Ltd, totake this forward. He is currently Director of Ai2.His work was voted North West BiotechnologyProject of the Year for 2004 and Ai2 was judgedNorth West Biotechnology Start-up of the Year in2005 by the North West Development Agencyorganisation Bionow.

“I was working on a project investigating thepotential role of viral infection on Alzheimer’sdisease when I discovered a technology thatpresented a potentially new approach to HIVtherapy. Following advice from UVL (now UMIP)I had to keep everything confidential. None ofthe work could be published, which is difficult foran academic. They also advised me to keep verycareful records of future research and ensure thatthey were witnessed. Patenting is a very expensiveprocess so we didn’t file for a patent until weknew that there was funding to develop thetechnology.

“It took nearly four years to get the funding todevelop the technology. Eventually I securedinternal funding from the Genetics InnovationNetwork. I was then able to explore the differentpossible applications of the technology andascertain its potential value. For a project to havecommercial value it must fulfil an unmet needand have the potential to make enough moneyfor a blue chip or pharmaceutical company to beinterested in it. We filed the patent in 2003; by2005 I was able to publish my first paper fromthe research.

“My initial strategy was motivated by the highestprofile application for the technology - HIVtherapy. However, I found out that this market iscrowded and very difficult to penetrate. This ledme to investigate other applications for thetechnology, such as medical device coatings.I now understand that it is best to start with whatis achievable and build on your finances andreputation before competing with establishedindustry at a higher level.

“I set up a spin-out company because thetechnology has several potential applications inhigh value markets. In some areas of potentialapplication it still requires development and thecompany is able to do this. Also we are able toget the technology working in practice muchmore quickly. We still have very strong links withthe University, which owns the majority of thecompany, and I maintain my academic status,which I believe is very important. Both thecompany and the University benefit from thisclose relationship. The technology still needsacademic research to back it up. The companyhelps to fund studentships and attract researchfunding to the University.

“You need to be personally interested indeveloping research in a commercial way. It isexciting because you become personally involvedin taking an idea forward and taking the risksrequired to get it out into the real world. InitiallyI took a lot of advice from UVL/UMIP, but as thecompany grows we are getting more advice fromother sources, including specialised externalconsultants and industry. It is important to havea strong management team from the start.We pay an experienced chairman to work forus one day a month. We are currently in theprocess of talking to venture capital companies;it is a good time to get investment in bio-technology companies.”

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5.2 Things to Consider when Embarkingon a Research Collaboration5.2.1 What type of collaboration?Research collaboration can take many forms, fromsmall collaborative projects with other researchersin your school or nationally within your field tointernational multi-disciplinary consortiums orresearch networks. Research collaborations neednot be confined to other academic groups, butpartnerships can be established with industry orgovernment departments for example.

There are many ways to approach collaboration.You may have a project in mind and wish tostrengthen an area of your project by collaboratingwith an expert in the appropriate field. By doing soyou will not only strengthen your application butalso eliminate a possible competitor. Alternativelyyou can foster strong relationships with academic,industrial or other relevant partners, developingnetworks or consortia that are able to respond tofunding opportunities as they arise.

5.2.2 Identifying collaboratorsFeedback suggests that it is easiest to collaboratewith people you have an established relationshipwith. It is therefore important to build as manyrelationships as possible. However, you should notcollaborate with people just because it isconvenient to do so. You need to identify theexpertise required for the project and seek tocollaborate with the expert in that area. You canidentify potential collaborators at conferences,functions, through introductions by colleagues orby contacting authors of papers you have foundinteresting. Keep the number of collaborators to aminimum; funding bodies will notice if anycollaborators appear superfluous.

5.2.3 Arranging a collaborative agreementAs with any research project there must be a clearresearch plan and all participants must commit tothe plan willingly. Every collaboration will bringwith it different issues so it is important torecognise these issues, discuss them within thecollaboration and with people who can help, inparticular the Contracts Team in the CentralResearch Office, before entering into a collaborativeagreement. The collaborative agreement is madebetween the institutions and not the individualresearchers. It will cover such things as theownership of the project, assigning responsibilities(who is doing what and when, who is contributingwhat and when), project management, funding,financial and payment arrangements, intellectualproperty (including use and exploitation of anyresults), warranties, liabilities, authorship ofpotential publications and confidentiality. Acollaborative agreement should have a clause aboutwithdrawal so that there is clarity about theownership of elements of the project should acollaborator withdraw.

5.2.4 Securing fundingCollaboration opens greater opportunities to securefunding for your research. Some funding may onlybe available to collaborative projects, for exampleEU funding essentially requires collaboration withinEurope. Industrial partnerships can bring fundingopportunities by providing sponsorship for studentsor specific projects. Your chances of securingfunding from the Research Councils and otherfunding bodies increase because the fundersrecognise the benefits of a collaborative approach.

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Research collaboration55.1 IntroductionThe benefits of collaborative research have long been recognised and encouraged.Collaborating with experts in other fields than your own can open novel and interestingopportunities. The impact upon the research community can be so much greater as a result.Knowledge can advance at a faster pace through exposure to new perspectives and access tonew or different expertise, data, support services, facilities, communities or financial resources.

Try to secure funding as quickly as possible, butafter you have your collaborative agreement inplace. When applying for funding as part of acollaboration, be careful not under sell yourself,always ask for what you will need. Take advantageof multi site applications where money can beissued to the individual universities involved.

If you plan to collaborate within Europe you shouldconsider applying for funding from the EuropeanCommission. Do not be put off by the perceivedamount of administration involved, much of this isgeneric and can be dealt with by the CentralResearch Office.

5.2.5 Managing a research collaborationYou need to identify who is going to lead thecollaboration. This would usually be the personwho initiated the project but might be someonewith a positive track record in this area. The leaderwill require effective chairmanship skills as s/he mayneed to chair and minute meetings and resolveconflicts. Alternatively the lead can be shared, withdifferent institutions taking a lead on differentprojects within an overall programme.

Strong and effective communication links betweencollaborators are crucial, as are clear procedures forsteering the project and making decisions. Regularmeetings are essential. You may consider setting upa steering committee and/or taking advantage ofvideo conferencing facilities. A multi-disciplinarycollaboration may require more face-to-facecommunication to ensure that you understandwhat each other are doing.

The relationships within a collaboration can be verycomplex. Where possible it is advisable to employ aproject manager to ensure the project runs to plan.You may need to adapt your working style toaccommodate all the different styles of yourcollaborators. Without adapting you may havemiscommunication.

Visiting Professor,Philippe Laredo,runs PRIME (Policiesfor Research andInnovation in theMove towards theEuropean researcharea) which is a SixthFrameworkProgramme Networkof Excellence (NoE) in

the specialist field of sciences and innovationpolicy studies. PRIME brings together 49institutions, incorporating 60 research groups,230 researchers and 120 PhD students from 16European countries. The NoE is rooted in fourdisciplines; economics, management, politicalsciences and sociology with inputs also fromgeography and history.

“The proposal took half a year to prepare andensure we produced a research agenda attractiveto the Community. We had a strong andinteresting research direction and goodgovernance mechanisms to encourage lots ofresearch groups to become involved, but alsoensure that we would not become reliant on anyspecific group should it prove unproductive.

“Collaboration is key to introducing significantnew knowledge, that is why through PRIME wehave produced an environment that favourscollaboration. PRIME enables the sharing offacilities, training and data sources andencourages research groups to break away fromthe pressure from policy makers to only considerthe short-term picture.

“Collaboration is a process of trial and error. Youstart by collaborating with one, testing them andthen you move onto larger collaborations. If onefails it does not mean that collaboration is notinteresting. Through collaboration you learn tounderstand your assets, what you can bring to acollaboration to make it successful and whatothers can contribute.”

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Disseminating yourresearch results66.1 Introduction“Optimising the presentation and impact of your findings can be as important as obtaining the data”.Professor Nancy Rothwell

In its Code of Good Research Conduct the University sets out an expectation that researchoutputs will be disseminated as widely and as publicly as possible, especially to those who willbenefit directly from them. It is crucial to the advancement of knowledge and understandingthat research is published where the academic community is most likely to learn about it.Where research may be of interest to the public, your profession and/or may help raiseawareness of research in higher education, consideration should be given to communicatingthe findings more widely.

When research is disseminated, due recognition should be given to all stakeholders who havesupported the research in accordance with the University’s Code of Good Research Conduct.

This section of the guide provides advice about producing a communications plan. Guidanceabout getting published in a refereed journal is provided by Dianne Parker, Professor of AppliedSocial Psychology, and for getting a book published by Matthew Frost, Commissioning Editorfor Humanities at Manchester University Press.

6.2 Producing a Communications PlanAt the outset of a research project, as part of yourfunding application, you should produce acommunications plan. This plan may change asyour project develops. The process of planning acommunications programme is essentially the sameas planning any other project. You will need to settargets, determine your strategic approach,implement it and monitor the results.Comprehensive details about producing acommunications plan are available on the GoodResearch Practice website(www.manchester.ac.uk/goodresearchpractice).The principles, however, are as follows:

1. Determine what you want to achieve by settingclear objectives for communicating your research.

2. Define the widest audience for your researchfindings.

3. Determine what your key messages are –this may entail breaking down what might becomplex findings into bite size chunks suitablefor the different audiences.

4. Determine how best to reach the differentaudiences for the research at varying stages ofthe project. Your Faculty Public EngagementOfficer can help advise you about this.

5. Monitor whether your plan worked.

Advice on GettingPublished in aRefereed JournalDianne Parker isProfessor of AppliedSocial Psychology inthe School ofPsychological Sciences.Her research focuseson human error andsafety, with two

particular areas of emphasis: the role of errorsand violations in accident/incident causation, andthe application of models of social cognition toour understanding of rule-related behaviour. Shehas been Associate Editor for the British Journalof Psychology and is currently Associate Editor forTransportation Research and Risk Management:an International Journal.

“The dissemination of knowledge is the lifebloodof an academic. You need to publish everythingyou can as quickly as you can. As soon as youhave analysed your results you need to decidewhere to publish them. For many disciplines thechief place would be a peer reviewed journal.Choosing a journal can be very difficult. Forexample, one of my research areas is traffic safetyand driver behaviour.

“Often it is possible for me to write up the samedata either for a mainstream psychology journalread primarily by academics or for an appliedmulti-disciplinary journal read by the road safetycommunity which might include engineers,transport economists as well as psychologists.Now that I am more experienced I am generallyable to compartmentalise my research so that Ican publish in both, but for someone new toresearch it is wise to get advice from a supervisor,academic mentor or research group leader aboutthe appropriate outlet for the results. You willthen need to write up your study with thatjournal’s audience in mind.

“It is important to familiarise yourself with therequirements of your chosen journal. Everyjournal publisher provides advice to authors,either in the journal itself or on their website.It will give clear guidance about the remit of thejournal and rules for presentation. You need toget the people handling the manuscript on yourside, so follow these rules exactly. Before yousend your manuscript to the journal, try topersuade one or more colleagues to read it – themore senior the better. When you have takenaccount of their comments send it off. Make anote of the date you sent it and then wait. Beprepared for quite a long wait. Often journalsnow publish a target turnaround time of about12 to 20 weeks to have papers reviewed.However they are relying on the goodwill ofreviewers to achieve that target.

“Peer reviewing journal articles is part ofacademic life that is becoming increasinglysqueezed. I personally get about 40 article reviewrequests a year; and have to turn many down. Asan Associate Editor my job is to read submittedmanuscripts, to check that they are of anappropriate standard and subject matter for thejournal. Lots get turned down because they arenot within the journal’s remit – so do yourhomework and don’t waste their time and yours.If your manuscript is deemed suitable it will besent to 2 or 3 expert reviewers. Each reviewer willread it carefully and usually make both aquantitative judgement, and detailed commentswhich will be returned to the Action Editor.

The Action Editor will pull the comments togetherand produce an overview letter, nearly alwaysasking you to revise your manuscript on the basisof the reviewers’ comments and then to resubmit.Sometimes the required revisions are minimal, butsometimes the reviewers suggest more ordifferent analyses, or even more data collection.

“If you decide to pursue publication in thisjournal, you will need to revise your manuscript.When you re-submit you must also send acovering letter. It is important that this letteraddresses each comment made by each reviewerand the Action Editor in a systematic and clearway. The best approach is to write “Reviewer A,point 1 – We have addressed this by…”. Be clearwhere in the manuscript the changes have beenmade and provide page numbers for both theoriginal and the revised manuscripts. Use the‘track changes’ facility on your word processor sothat it is clear what you have changed. If areviewer’s comment shows a lack ofunderstanding, you need to handle this tactfullyby apologising for your lack of clarity and makinga slight tweak to the text. It is also perfectly ok tostand your ground if you have sound reasons fordoing so and explain them clearly. If the reviewsare contradictory, read the Action Editor’s lettervery carefully because he/she is likely to give youa steer regarding which points need particularlyclose attention. If you are new to research Isuggest you take advice from colleagues aboutyour response. Once you have responded to thereviewers’ comments, resubmit and cross yourfingers. Try to remember that even the mosteminent researchers have had their work rejectedfrom time to time. It is part of the process ofprofessional development. Good luck!”

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6 Disseminating yourresearch results

6.4 Advice onGetting a BookPublishedMatthew Frostis CommissioningEditor for Humanitiesat ManchesterUniversity Press.

“If you have an ideafor a book and thinkthat there will be a

reasonable audience for it, you need to chooseyour publisher carefully. Look at catalogues ontheir websites and books on your shelf to seewho is publishing similar books in your field.Perhaps see who the editor is and approachhim/her directly.

“Once you have chosen your preferred publisheryou need to refer to their submission guidelineswhich can normally be found on their website orbe supplied to you by an editor. You will usuallybe expected to provide a brief description andoutline of the proposed book and include anumber of key chapters. If the publisher isinterested in your project they will commissionoutside reviewers to evaluate it. You may beasked to provide the names and details ofreviewers whose opinions would be valuable. Youshould always receive the reviewers’ commentson your proposal and should be receptive tothese comments. If you disagree with a reviewer’scomments argue your case – contest what thereviewer said, not the choice of reviewer.

“You shouldn’t assume that a PhD thesis can beturned into a book. Doing this properly involves avery large amount of work. It is often better toaim to use the thesis to develop a couple ofarticles or chapters in books.

“You need to understand that the process ofgetting published is a dialogue between you andthe editor. You need to keep this amicable andavoid getting shirty. Be receptive to criticism anddon’t be disheartened by rejection. Don’t beafraid to politely nudge the publisher along ifnecessary.

“If your book is commissioned, it is vitallyimportant to set a realistic date for completion.Sustain your relationship with the publisher by,for example, offering to review other works forthem. Don’t necessarily stick with the samepublisher for subsequent books – choose theright publisher for the subject matter.

“Where conferences are being organised, it isworth approaching journal and book publishers atan early stage to discuss possibilities for an editedbook or special journal edition based on the bestsubmissions. In organising the conference, it isimportant to be very focused on the quality andoriginality of the written work not just on theesteem of the contributors. Publishers requirecollections to be edited strongly and have asustained focus, not just to be a collection ofvaguely related articles.”

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7.2 Integrating into Your Project TeamIf your research involves a team, you shouldfamiliarise yourself with the rules, regulations andprotocols of that team and the facilities it uses. Youneed to understand that there is collectiveresponsibility for meeting the requirements of aproject and that you will need to take your ownresponsibilities seriously. This includes undertakingyour fair share of housekeeping tasks where theseare shared among your team.

It is important to get to know your colleagues andrecognise their different ways of working.Socialising with them is a good way of breakingdown barriers. Optimise your interactions with yoursupervisor/manager by finding out how s/he wouldprefer you to interact with him/her. Always beprepared for meetings, know exactly what youwant to get out of them. Make sure you stick todeadlines.

In a successful research group, people will helpeach other. As a newcomer you will rely on thegoodwill and support of others. It is important thatyou offer similar help and support when you aremore experienced.

7.3 The Lone ScholarAs the lone scholar, you will not have a team ofresearchers in which to integrate. It is moreimportant for you, therefore, to be self motivatedand ensure that you do not become isolated inyour research. Make the most of internal seminarprogrammes and any other such activities laid onby your school/faculty. See if you can group togetherwith other researchers in a similar position to you.

7.4 Developing Your Research ProfileIn the early years as a researcher, support andadvice from your colleagues, supervisor, mentor orline manager will be crucial to guide you in theright direction and help you avoid the mistakes thatothers might have made. It is important not to betoo inwardly-focused, but to share your ideas withcolleagues, liaise with other research groups andlink up with other faculties where possible.

Make yourself known to those successful in yourfield by, for example, introducing yourself atconferences. You can also exploit the networks ofyour colleagues or line manager and ask them tomake introductions for you. If possible, it is a goodidea to collaborate on research projects with thosewho are most successful in your field beforeattempting to bid as principal investigator on yourown project.

An excellent way to advance from a role aspostdoctoral researcher to a lecturer is tosuccessfully secure a research fellowship. Guidanceabout securing a research fellowship is available onthe Good Research Practice website(www.manchester.ac.uk/goodresearchpractice).

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7 Developing youracademic career

7.1 IntroductionThe academic career is a fulfilling and varied one. Those who choose to embark on it areenthusiastic for the freedom it offers them to pursue their passion for research. This sectionlooks at how to get the most from an academic career and how to progress within it.

Few who embark on a research degree or postdoctoral research position will continue into acareer in academia. The experience of being involved in a research project and/or completinga research degree will be a valuable one, however, especially if you make the most of theopportunities available and integrate effectively into your school and/or project team. Theskills you learn will open up a vast array of opportunities and prepare you for a widespectrum of careers.

Publishing your research is an essential part of anacademic career. Chapter 6 provides guidanceabout publishing your work. There are many booksavailable about academic writing and it may be inyour interest to read one of these. Beforesubmitting a manuscript it is a good idea to seekhonest evaluation of your draft from an expert inyour field, someone in your broad field of interestand a friend or relative who you trust to checkspelling and grammar. Also, a good way to getconstructive feedback is to present your research atsocieties or conferences before presenting it forpublication to a journal.

Take up training opportunities inside and outsidethe University to help develop the skills you need tobe a successful academic, including managementand leadership skills. It is worth attendingpresentations, even if they do not seem to bedirectly relevant to your area of research, especiallyif it is an eminent and talented speaker. This canhelp to broaden your understanding of the widerfield, may reveal new techniques and approaches,promote new ideas and may also help to improveyour own presentation skills.

Broaden your vision around your area of interest.Look at how you can move into new exciting areasof research, possibly through collaboration. Browsejournals in and around your field and high impactjournals such as Science and Nature to see howyou could approach your research differently and tostimulate you into thinking differently. Do not thinkso broadly, however, that you become superficial.You must always remain an expert.

Try to be aware of the greater higher educationpicture, including the major drivers that influencewhether you are successful or not. In particular youshould be aware of the mechanisms for monitoringsuccess in research, such as the need to securefunding for your research, publish it and gainesteem in your field.

7.5 Gaining EsteemAn academic will gain esteem amongst his/herpeers through the quality of his/her researchcontribution. As an academic’s career develops,there is an expectation that his/her reputation willincrease. High esteem is inevitably biased towardsmore senior members of staff. However, morejunior members of staff should be conscious ofdeveloping their research standing. The mostobvious way to do so is through high qualityresearch and its dissemination. Success, and thereputation that comes with it, generally rests onwhat you have published. However, esteem canalso be enhanced by increasing your visibility by,for example:

• Presenting your research at internationalconferences.

• Disseminating your research as widely as possibleand in as high impact journals as possible.

• Responding positively and quickly to any researchrelated invitations (and those not research-relatedif you see a positive benefit).

• Getting involved in major international researchcollaborations.

• Responding quickly to requests to review journalarticles or grant applications.

• Applying for prestigious fellowships ornomination for awards/prizes.

• Giving research colloquies at other Universities.

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7 Developing youracademic career

Qingming Li is asenior lecturer in theSchool of MechanicalAerospace and CivilEngineering. Aftergraduated from PekingUniversity in 1987 witha BSc and MSc inmechanics, he workedas a lecturer in TaiyuanUniversity of

Technology until 1994 when he came to the UK tostudy for his PhD at Liverpool University. Followingtwo years as a research associate he took up aposition as assistant professor at NanyangTechnological University, Singapore, beforereturning to the UK as a lecturer at UMIST in 2002.

“When I graduated it was not very difficult to get ajob in China. I chose academia rather thanengineering mainly because of my family influence.I grew up in the university environment, my fatherand uncle worked in a university, which had a verypositive influence on me. I was involved in twoexchange visits to Liverpool in 1990 and 92 thentook the opportunity to do a PhD with an ORSscholarship. I didn’t find it too difficult to adapt tothe new environment although I met somedifficulties with English being my second language.I got used to the language with first handexperience. The academic language was okbecause we read a lot of papers in English anyway.I benefited very much from my PhD supervisor, aleading scientist in my research field, for thedevelopment of my research and my attitudestowards scientific research and education.

“As a research associate I worked on an EUFramework 4 project involving 25 partnersincluding aerospace companies and the ResearchInstitutes. I gained a lot of experience from theproject including management skills, writing projectreports, networking and meeting deadlines. Mysupervisor was flexible, as long as I submitted myreports by the deadline I could do some in-depthresearches. We published several academic papersas a result of this extra research. Some of the topicsI developed then I continue today and I continue tohave some partnerships with the people involved inthat project.

“Towards the end of my research position I appliedfor several posts including lectureships. I wasoffered research associate positions in the UK, butchose to take an academic post in Singapore,where competition for funding was not as severeas in the UK because most came from theGovernment. I got 3 grants and had 3 good PhDstudents with masters degrees from China. Wewere able to get a lot of research done.

“Concerns about losing my competitive spirit andthe greater freedom to pursue my research led meto return to the UK. But I spend much more timeon research council funding applications. I havesent 3 proposals to EPSRC with no success, whichhowever has not prevented me from doing myresearch. I also actively seek funding fromelsewhere including industries and developinternational collaborations. I have established myresearch group with 7 PhD students. Recently, Ihave been invited to give keynotes in severalinternational conferences and in 2007 will co-chairan international conference in Beijing. I can feel themomentum for producing some good results.Hopefully, these will help me to attract morefunding, especially from research councils.

“It is my belief that you should choose yourresearch direction primarily because you areinterested in it and you should pursue thatdirection insistently so that you become recognisedinternationally. I have several areas going at onceand think of new directions that I am going tostart. If I am interested in an area I think about mybackground, what I am good at, what expertise Iwill bring to the field. I consider the future of thesubject as well; is it over its peak or is there 5/10years worth of good research in it? Genuinecollaboration is also important, but I must be ableto contribute to the collaboration in a strong way.”

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Funding Body GuidesResearch Councils UK (December 1998)Safeguarding Good Scientific Practicewww.ost.gov.uk/research/councils/safe.htm

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (1998)Statement on Safeguarding Good Scientific Practicewww.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/overview/good_practice.pdf

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (February 1999)Guide to Good Practice in Science and Engineering Research.www.epsrc.ac.uk/ResearchFunding/InformationForGrantHolders/GuideToGoodPracticeInScienceAndEngineeringResearch.htm

Economic and Social Research Council, Annex B of ResearchFunding Guide (2005)Safeguarding Good Scientific Practicewww.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/Images/Annex%20B_tcm6-9737.pdf

Medical Research Council, (2000) MRC Ethics SeriesGood Research Practicewww.mrc.ac.uk/pdf-good_research_practice.pdf

RCUKTerms and Conditions of Research Council Grantswww.rcuk.ac.uk/documents

Economic and Social Research CouncilResearch Ethics Frameworkwww.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/opportunities/research_ethics_framework/index.aspx

RCUK (2005)A Vision for Researchwww.rcuk.ac.uk/documents

Particle Physics and Astronomy Research CouncilResearch Grants Handbookwww.pparc.ac.uk/rs/rgh/rghContents.asp?sb=1&si=n

Natural Environment Research CouncilResearch Grants Handbookwww.nerc.ac.uk/funding/forms

Arts and Humanities Research CouncilResearch Funding Guidewww.ahrc.ac.uk/ahrb/website/images/4_96275.doc

The Wellcome TrustGuidelines on Good Research Practicewww.wellcome.ac.uk/print/WTD002753_print.html

Miscellaneous GuidesCommittee on Publication Ethics (COPE)Guidelines on Good Publication Practice.www.publicationethics.org.uk/guidelines

Professor T F PageCode of Good Research Governance Russell Group Universities

Higher Education and Research Opportunities in the UnitedKingdom (HERO)Best Practice in Research

Active Risk Management in Education (ARMED)Research Misconduct

Office of Research Integrity,Handling Misconductwww.ori.hhs.gov/misconduct

Nolan Committee’sFirst Report on Standards in Public Lifewww.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/parlment/nolan/nolan.htm

The Times Higher Education Supplement (2005)How to get a Research Grant – A Guide for Academics

Nancy Rothwell, (2002) Who Wants to be a Scientist?Choosing Science as a Career, Cambridge University Press

Eversheds LLP and the University of Manchester Intellectual PropertyLtd (2005) Research Contracts –A Researcher’s Guide.

Eversheds LLP and the University of Manchester IntellectualProperty Ltd (2005) Intellectual Property and Confidentiality –A Researcher’s Guide

Eversheds LLP and the University of Manchester Intellectual PropertyLtd (2005) Licensing – A Researcher’s Guide

Eversheds LLP and the University of Manchester Intellectual PropertyLtd (2005) Spin-out Companies – A Researcher’s Guide

Elsevier Ethics in Publishing: Instructions to Authors

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, Uniformrequirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals.

Professional bodies/Societies/Institutes guidanceSocial Services Research Group,Code of Good Practicewww.ssrg.org.uk/publications/policy/codeofpractice.asp

The British Psychological Society (2004),Good Practice Guidelines for the Conduct of PsychologicalResearch within the NHSwww.bps.org.uk/downloadfile.cfm?file_uuid=E615A15A-1143-DFD0-7E9F-60808ED2875D&ext=pdf

British Sociological Association (2002)Statement of Ethical Practicewww.britsoc.co.uk/new_site/user_doc/Statement%20of%20Ethical%20Practice.doc

Social Research Association (2003)Ethical Guidelineswww.the-sra.org.uk/documents/pdfs/ethics03.pdf

Market Research Society (1999) Code of Conductwww.mrs.org.uk/standards/downloads/code.pdf

Health care specific guidanceMRC (1998) Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice in Clinical Trials.

Member States of the Council of Europe (1997)Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicinewww1.umn.edu/humanrts/euro/z37.html

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Acknowledgements8

MRC (1997)Policy on Inquiring into Allegations of Scientific Misconductwww.mrc.ac.uk/pdf-mis_con.pdf

MRCGuidance on Ethical, Legal and Management Issues ConcerningHuman Tissue and Biological Sample for Use in Researchwww.mrc.ac.uk/pdf-tissue_guide_fin.pdf

MRC EthicalConduct of Research on the Mentally Incapacitatedwww.mrc.ac.uk/pdf-ethics-mental.pdf

Royal College of NursingResearch Ethics Guidance for Nurseswww.man.ac.uk/rcn/rs/publ/researchethics.pdf

The Institute of Clinical Research,Harmonised Tripartite Guideline for Good Clinical Practicewww.instituteofclinicalresearch.org

Department of Health (2001)Research Governance Framework for Health and Social Carewww.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/10/89/65/04108965.pdf

CORECEthics and Research Information Cataloguewww.ERIC-ON-line.co.uk/index.php

Association of Medical Research Charities,Guidelines on Good Research Practicewww.amrc.org.uk/temp/AMRCspGuidelinessponspGoodspResearchspPracticehs1hs.doc

LegislationWorld Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki Ethical Principlesfor Medical Research Involving Human Subjectswww.wma.net/e/policy/b3.htm

Health and Safety at Work Actwww.healthandsafety.co.uk/haswa.htm

The Human Rights Act (1998)www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/19980042.htm

Access to Health Records Act 1990www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1990/Ukpga_19900023_en_1.htm

Data Protection Act 1998 and Freedom of Information Actwww.dataprotection.gov.uk/

The Data Protection Act 1998www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/19980029.htm

Data Protection Act Department of Health Guidance to Social Serviceswww.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/fs/en

Guides from other UniversitiesUniversity of Sheffield (2003)Good Research Practice Standards

University of SalfordIntegrity and Self-Regulation in Research: Policy Statement

UCL Guidelines for Responsible Practice in Researchhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/research/code

University of Glasgow (2000)Code of Good Practice in Research and Conflicts of Interest Policy

University of CambridgeGuidelines on Good Research Practicewww.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/research/policy/practice.html

University of OxfordResearch-Related Policywww.admin.ox.ac.uk/rso/policy

University of SouthamptonResearch Ethicswww.soton.ac.uk/research/rso/policies/ethics.html

University of East Londonwww.uel.ac.uk/gradschool/internal/index.htm

Bolton InstituteGuide to Good Practice in Researchwww.bolton.ac.uk/aqas/PDF/Guide%20to%20Good%20Practice%20in%20Research.pdf

London Metropolitan UniversityCode of Good Research Practicewww.londonmet.ac.uk/research/graduate-school/policy-and-strategy/good-research-practice.cfm

The Open University, Academic Integrity:Code of Good Practice in Researchwww.open.ac.uk/research-school/Documents/CodeGoodPracRes.pdf

Kingston UniversityGuide to Good Research Practicewww.kingston.ac.uk/research/good_research_practice.doc

The University of WarwickResearch Code of Conduct

The University of Western AustraliaGuidelines on Research Ethics and Research Conductwww.research.uwa.edu.au/policies3

University of BristolGuidelines on Good Research Practice

King’s College London (2004)Guidelines on Good Practice in Academic Research

University of Hertfordshire (2004)Guide to Good Practice in Research

UCE BirminghamGuidelines and Procedures for Good Research Practicewww.uce.ac.uk/cdc/guidelinesproceduresforgoodresearchpractice.html

University of SurreyCode on Good Research Practicewww.surrey.ac.uk/SHS/ethics/documents/good-practice.htm

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Research OfficeUniversity of Manchester2nd floor, Christie BuildingOxford RoadManchester M13 9PL

Tel +44 (0) 161 275 8093Fax +44 (0)161 275 2445

www.manchester.ac.uk/goodresearchpractice

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