The Early Career Researcher Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In our very first episode of the new pod, we explored one of the most important questions an early career research can ask, because it effectively starts your career: this question is: ‘Should I apply to do a PhD?’ Not everybody knows how the process works, so we discussed some basic questions relating to reasons for wanting to do and what it is actually like to do a PhD. If you enjoyed the podcast, please give us a review, and follow us on Twitter/X @ecrpodcasters You can also get in touch by email: ecrpodcasters@gmail.com For more help and advice on making this decision, you may find it useful to read: https://www.vitae.ac.uk/doing-research https://thephdplace.com

Last time, we talked about the decision-making process: reasons for wanting to do a PhD, and offering up our experiences on what we felt it can been like to do a PhD (If you haven’t heard it, go back and listen to our different perspectives in Episode 1). In this episode, we discussed how to apply for a PhD, with questions like: - How does the actual process work, and what do I need to get started? - How do you choose the right host institution or PhD supervisor? - What are the funding options? We hope that you find our advice helpful, and please do get in touch with us if you have feedback or any further questions! - You can read our blog on: https://ecrpodcasters.wordpress.com - Follow us on Twitter/X @ecrpodcasters - email: ecrpodcasters@gmail.com

In this episode, Rachael and Charlie discuss their experiences of conference papers. With summer conference season coming up, we're busy writing our papers and thinking about how to get the best out of our experiences. Our discussion touches on topics including: what makes a good (or bad) conference paper, how to actually write a good paper (and how long it takes), and we also reflect on what are the best things about giving conference papers. Please feel free to give us feedback on Spotify, by following us on Twitter/X @ecrpodcasters and Bluesky (ecrpodcasters) or by emailing ecrpodcasters@gmail.com

Following on from our previous episode on Writing Conference Papers, Charlie and Olivia were joined by a new guest (Charlotte) to share our thoughts on attending academic conferences. We discussed: 1) what we like about conferences and what we get from attending them; 2) how to prepare before attending; 3) how to get the most out of the actual sessions; 4) the dreaded 'Networking', and 5) how to find downtime at conferences. Please leave us your feedback on our show via Twitter/X @ecrpodcasters, BlueSky @ecrpodcasters, or by emailing ecrpodcasters@gmail.com

In the first of a series of episodes on academic publishing, Charlie is joined by Rosie Bonté (@Rosie Bonte on X/Twitter) from academic publishers Brepols (www.brepols.net). Rosie talks us through her journey from PhD research on Viking Scandinavia through to her appointment as Publishing Manager at Brepols, with advice on how to get into the publishing business. We also discuss some tips in academic publishing, and some advice on publishing procedures and customs. Rosie discusses the Norwegian publishing rankings, which you can find here: https://halmstad-university-library.helpscoutdocs.com/article/28-norwegian-list Please leave us your feedback and follow us on Twitter/X (@ecrpodcasters), on Bluesky (@ECRPodcasters) or email ecrpodcasters@gmail.com Thank you to Brepols publishers, for sponsoring Rosie's work towards this episode.

In this special 'live' recording, Charlie, Rachael and Olivia were joined by our friends Laura and Rosie, as we engaged in a discussion on publishing academic work in the humanities. The episode was recorded 'live' at the Leeds International Medieval Congress in July (apologies for any issues with the recording quality!) The panel discuss issues such as how to publish your monograph, how to negotiate peer review, and how to liaise with publishers, before then opening up to our conference audience for a Q+A session. As noted by Olivia, the session was sponsored by the Institute of English studies, at the School of Advanced Study in London (www.iea.sas.ac.uk) and you can find out more about the Leeds IMC at: www.imc.leeds.ac.uk

In this episode, Charlie and Rachael are joined by Dr Laura Varnham of Oxford University, as we talk about Imposter Syndrome. We walk through what Imposter Syndrome is, how to spot it, and how we can develop short and long-term strategies for beating it back into the abyss that is belongs in! We recognise that all of us are affected in different ways and that there are no catch-all solutions for boosting academic self-confidence, but we try to work through some ways that have helped us in the past, and may be of use to other ERCs. The episode fits alongside Laura's helpful blog on Imposter Syndrome which you can find here: https://drlauravarnam.wordpress.com/2019/09/16/practical-tips-for-dealing-with-imposter-syndrome-and-negative-thoughts/ For more info, follow Laura on Twitter/X here: https://x.com/lauravarnam or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauravarnam/?hl=en-gb Feel free to leave comments and feedback, and follow us on Twitter/X and on BlueSky, where you can find us under the tag @ecrpodcasters

In this episode, Charlie, Rachael, and Rosie (now official Friend Of The Show) discuss the process of anonymous peer review. We talk about 1) what anonymous peer review is for and how the process works (for monographs as well as journal articles and book-chapters), 2) how it can feel to receive peer review and what some of the challenges are for us as authors; and 3) how to GIVE peer review, for the maximum benefit of the original authors. We bring various perspectives, including Rachael as an ECR who has only a little experience of the process, to Charlie who has given and received plenty of good and bad peer review, and Rosie: an academic in her own right who has taken part in the process, but also as Publishing Manager at Brepols: a company which could not exist without peer review. Please do leave us your feedback, and follow us on X: @ecrpodcasters, Bluesky: @ecrpodcasters, and you can write to us at ecrpodcasters@gmail.com

In this episode, Charlie is joined by Rosie and a new guest, Stephanie Brown, as we discuss the topic of Edited Volumes. After we start by outlining our varying levels of experience with the genre, we then spend time thinking about: 1) what these edited collections are for and why they exist; 2) how you might go about writing an individual chapter for an edited collection, and 3) how (and how not) to go about being the editor of a collection of essays: from original conception, through to chapter selection, liaison with publishers, dealing with authors, and how to finish the project on time.

In this episode, Charlie, Rachael and Steph convene to talk about writing academic book reviews. Whether you ave no idea what an academic book review is, or if you've thought about writing one but never had the chance, or if you've written several but without really being happy with the results, we have something for you! Join us as we discuss: 1) what academic book reviews are and why they exist, 2) how to get involved in writing them, 3) what makes a good or a bad book review, 4) our tips on writing helpful reviews, and 5) some guidance on how to make the decision to review, or not to review. Please feel free to leave us feedback via our Spotify account, on Twitter (@ecrpodcasters), BlueSky (@ecrpodcasters) or email: ecrpodcasters@gmail.com and thank you for listening!