New directions in qualitative research ethics

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How to write a killer conference abstract: The first step towards an engaging presentation.

Helen Kara responds to our previously published guide to writing abstracts and elaborates specifically on the differences for conference abstracts. She offers tips for writing an enticing abstract for conference organisers and an engaging conference presentation. Written grammar is different from spoken grammar. Remember that conference organisers are trying to create as interesting and stimulating an event as they can, and variety is crucial

Reading List: 8 Books on Indigenous Research Methods recommended by Helen Kara

In this reading list, Helen Kara recommends 8 books for those looking to incorporate Indigenous methodologies within their own research and to better understand Indigenous research methods on their own terms. This reading list was originally published on Helen Kara’s own blog

Book Review: Research justice: methodologies for social change edited by Andrew J. Jolivette

In the collection Research Justice: Methodologies for Social Change, edited by Andrew J. Jolivette in collaboration with the US nonprofit organisation DataCenter: Research for Justice, a number of authors consider how researchers can contribute to the struggle for social justice through their research methodologies. While Helen Kara would have welcomed more reflection on the possible limitations of methodologies designed to reduce inequalities, she nonetheless positions this book as an important and engaging contribution to the field

Chameleons In A Kaleidoscope: How it Feels to Work in Partnership as a Sure Start Manager

This thesis examines some ways in which the emotional experience of Sure Start managers can be understood using story methodology. Sure Start was a partnership initiative introduced by New Labour in 1999 to support families with children aged 0-4 in areas of deprivation. Data was constructed using fictional stories about how it feels to work in partnership, told and used as a basis for discussion in peer groups. Interpretation of the data suggested that Sure Start managers use discretion and judgement in the workplace to manage their own emotions and the emotions of others. However, their choices in doing this appear to be limited by the prevailing power structures. These include the lack of a professional emotional vocabulary, which effectively silences work related emotion talk. The managers resist these limitations by finding 'unmanageable spaces' (Gabriel 2003) to share stories about their work in personal language. This helps them to make sense of their emotional experiences. This research found that Sure Start managers needed to draw on a wide emotional range to create convincing emotional performances at work. This enriches the conceptualisation of emotional labour in the emotion literature, and offers performance as a new theme for the partnership literature. Initial suggestions for links between specific emotional responses and themes in the partnership literature offer a new area for exploration within that literature. The distinction between professional languages and personal language enhances the account of the relationship between emotion and language in the emotion literature. Despite the limitations on them, Sure Start managers are evidently skilful, resourceful 'emotion entrepreneurs'. However, it seems that the marginalisation of emotion in their working environment is likely to be detrimental to the well-being of the managers, their staff, and their service users. This has implications for the policy and practice of managing public sector partnerships

Is it ethical to be friends with research participants?

In qualitative research building a rapport and friendships with participants is often presented as a means to gain access and data from research participants. However, as Helen Kara discusses, using friendship in an instrumental way presents serious ethical issues for researchers

A simple guide to ethical co-authorship

Historically the single authored paper has been a mainstay of social scientific and humanistic research writing. However, co-authorship is now for many social science disciplines the default mode of academic authorship. Reflecting on this, Helen Kara provides some key insights and advice for authors looking to co-write and co-publish in an ethical way

Doing research as if participants mattered

Almost all qualitative and quantitative research into human society involves the participation of other humans. However, they are frequently rendered passively in research outputs as ‘research subjects’. In this post, Helen Kara, argues that the way we define participants in research is outdated and presents three ways in which research participants can be made more central to research

Creative research methods – writing the second edition

Helen Kara reflects on writing the second edition of her book, Creative Research Methods: A Practical Guide, following the publication of the first edition in 2015. In this feature essay, she explores the differences between the two editions and also discusses the processes of updating the content, changing the structure and title, submitting the proposal and receiving and responding to reviewer comments

Reflections on the rapid response roundtable

In this post, Helen Kara, editor of three rapid responses, reflects on the Impact blog’s virtual roundtable. Helen outlines key themes discussed: the role of rapid responses to topical and urgent events, the labour and logistics involved in publishing quickly and the role of existing relationships and digital facilities in enabling the faster production of knowledge