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Research Culture (research + culture)
Selected AbstractsForming a national multicentre collaboration to conduct clinical trials: Increasing high-quality research in the drug and alcohol fieldDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 5 2010ROB SANSON-FISHER Abstract Issues. There is a shortage of high-quality intervention-based evidence in the drug and alcohol misuse field. That is, evidence based on replicated effects using rigorous methodology, to establish a causal knowledge base around ethical, cost-effective methods relevant to clinical practice. The knowledge base in this field is limited participant recruitment challenges; difficulty generalising results from single-centre studies; lack of research culture; issues in managing research teams; incentives for descriptive research; and limited expertise in research design and working in multidisciplinary teams. Approach. An Australian national multicentre collaboration is proposed to overcome these barriers, and reduce the burden of drug and alcohol misuse by increasing the number of high-quality clinical trials in this field. It would involve: selecting a representative sample of centres nation-wide with expertise in specific drug and alcohol issues; creating an expert multidisciplinary team to facilitate clinical trials; simultaneous recruitment and implementation of clinical trials across centres; establishing a virtual infrastructure; forming an independent data-integrity and methodology review panel; and attracting and allocating funding for clinical trials. Implications. The ability to allocate funding, the involvement of multidisciplinary experts in drug and alcohol research, and the establishment of infrastructure and procedures are likely to result in the national multicentre group's capacity to prescribe the type of research conducted under its auspices. Conclusion. The proposed initiative is likely to increase the volume of high-quality clinical trials in the Australian drug and alcohol field, a key step towards reducing the burden of drug and alcohol misuse.[Sanson-Fisher R, Brand M, Shakeshaft A, Haber P, Day C, Conigrave K, Mattick R, Lintzeris N, Teesson M. Forming a national multicentre collaboration to conduct clinical trials: Increasing high-quality research in the drug and alcohol field. Drug Alcohol Rev 2010;29;469,474] [source] Issues with recruitment to randomised controlled trials in the drug and alcohol field: a literature review and Australian case studyDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 2 2008CLARE L. THOMSON Abstract Issues. The randomised control trial (RCT) is a widely used tool for measuring the effectiveness of health treatments and services. However, subject recruitment is an ongoing challenge for those conducting RCTs and may have a serious impact on the success of the study and the reliability of the outcomes. Approach. In this review we present an examination of the problems and strategies associated with recruitment to RCTs, with particular reference to studies conducted in the drug and alcohol field. A case study of recruitment to an RCT for the treatment of alcohol dependence is presented, supplemented by PubMed, Current Contents and Medline searches to identify relevant publications. Key Findings. The literature suggests that the most common barriers to patient participation involve fears of assignment to placebo treatment, insufficient compensation and poor attendance at initial appointments. Moreover, subject referrals from staff may be a greater problem than reluctance of patients. Referrals are inhibited by complicated entry criteria, time constraints due to busy work schedules or a limited research culture. Implications. Subject recruitment may be promoted by financial reimbursement, close partnerships between research and referral staff; increasing the treatment group ratio in multi-drug trials to minimise randomisation to placebo; addressing negative staff attitudes; and simplifying the referral process. Conclusion. The need for multi-centre sites in Australian drug and alcohol treatment studies is highlighted. [source] Performing Women: The Gendered Dimensions of the UK New Research EconomyGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 5 2007Catherine Fletcher This article explores the development and maintenance of familiar gendered employment patterns and practices in UK universities, which are exemplars of new modes of knowledge production, commodification and marketization. After discussing in detail the evidence of gender discrimination in UK higher education and the changes in the academic labour process consequent to the incorporation of universities, at least at the policy level, into the ,knowledge economy', institution-specific data is used to highlight the gendered aspects of the research economy from the three intermeshing perspectives of research culture, research capital and the research production process. This nexus is constructed in such a way as to systematically militate against women's full and equal involvement in research. Lack of transparency, increased competition and lower levels of collegiate activity coupled with networking based on homosociability are contributing to a research production process where women are marginalized. [source] Research use and support needs, and research activity in social care: a cross-sectional survey in two councils with social services responsibilities in the UKHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 5 2008Cooke Jo BNurs MA RGN HV cert NDN Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of research activity, research use, research interests and research skills in the social care workforce in two UK councils with social service responsibilities (CSSRs). A cross-sectional survey was conducted of the social care workforce in two CSSRs (n = 1512) in 2005. The sample was identified in partnership with the councils, and included employees with professional qualifications (social workers and occupational therapists); staff who have a role to assess, plan and monitor care; service managers; commissioners of services; and those involved with social care policy, information management and training. The survey achieved a response rate of 24% (n = 368). The Internet was reported as an effective source of research information; conversely, research-based guidelines were reported to have a low impact on practice. Significant differences were found in research use, by work location, and postgraduate training. Most respondents saw research as useful for practice (69%), and wanted to collaborate in research (68%), but only 11% were planning to do research within the next 12 months. Having a master's degree was associated with a greater desire to lead or collaborate in research. A range of research training needs, and the preferred modes of delivery were identified. Support to increase research activity includes protected time and mentorship. The study concludes that a range of mechanisms to make research available for the social care workforce needs to be in place to support evidence-informed practice. Continual professional development to a postgraduate level supports the use and production of evidence in the social care workforce, and promotes the development of a research culture. The term research is used to include service user consultations, needs assessment and service evaluation. The findings highlight a relatively large body of the social care workforce willing to collaborate and conduct research. Councils and research support systems need to be developed to utilise this relatively untapped potential. [source] The Impact of Research and Teaching Quality Inputs on the Employment Outcomes of PostgraduatesHIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2005Peter Urwin In this paper we analyse the extent to which the quality of teaching and research inputs, as measured by Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) scores, can account for variations in the employability of taught postgraduates. Pooling data from the 1997, 1998 and 1999 First Destinations Surveys we estimate regression equations for male and female UK postgraduates. Our results suggest that the lack of direct financial rewards associated with a higher QAA score may have persuaded many institutions to adopt a ,threshold' approach to Subject Review. However, the impact of RAE score suggests that students in institutions with a stronger research culture do have enhanced levels of employability. This is in line with the strong emphasis on active research input mandated by many professional bodies at the postgraduate level. When considered alongside recent policy pronouncements, this suggests that many institutions choosing to become teaching-only, may ultimately risk becoming undergraduate-only. [source] An ecologist's guide to ecogenomicsJOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2007N. J. OUBORG Summary 1Currently, plant ecologists are increasingly adopting approaches and techniques from molecular biology. The new field of ecogenomics aims at understanding the mechanistic basis for adaptation and phenotypic variation by using genomic techniques to investigate the mechanistic and evolutionary basis of species interactions, and focuses on identifying the genes affected by evolution. 2While the entire toolbox of genomics is only available for model species such as Arabidopsis thaliana, we describe the options open to ecologists interested in pursuing an ecogenomics research program on ecologically relevant traits or phenomena in non-model species, for which part of the genomic toolbox may be currently unavailable. In these non-model species, a viable ecogenomics research program is possible with relatively modest effort. 3Four challenges to further development of ecogenomics are described and discussed: (i) the ecogenomic study of non-model species; (ii) reconciliation of experimental languages of ecology and evolutionary biology with molecular biology; (iii) development of specific ecogenomic data analysis tool; and (iv) adoption of a multidisciplinary cooperative research culture. 4An important task for ecologists is to provide the necessary ecological input (the ,eco' part) to ecogenomics. [source] Examining the knowledge, attitude and use of research by nursesJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2008ANN BONNER MA, B App Sc (Nursing), MRCNA Aim, This study sought to determine the knowledge, attitudes and use of research by nurses. Background, There is little evidence about whether nurses are aware of using research and how much research they use in their clinical practice. Method, Using a descriptive design, 347 registered and Enrolled Nurses completed the Edmonton Research Orientation Survey. Results, Senior Nurse Managers were more likely to have a positive attitude towards research, and completion of university subjects on nursing research was significant in determining attitude and knowledge of research. All nurses, regardless of position identified barriers to performing research. Conclusion, Nurses require specific research education, clinical nursing leadership and work environments conducive to ensure practice is evidenced-based. Implications for nursing management, A positive attitude towards research by Senior Nurse Managers has the potential to influence other nurses in establishing an active nursing research culture and promote evidence-based practice in the workplace. [source] Organizational Learning and the Case for Knowledge-Based SystemsNEW DIRECTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 113 2002Lisa A. Petrides This chapter discusses organizational learning and the required reassessment and redesign of internal structures and procedures related to the flow of information throughout the organization. It provides a framework for the integration of institutional research within the larger context of organizational learning and the creation and maintenance of a research culture facilitated by knowledge management. [source] Developing the role of schools as research organisations: the Sunfield experienceBRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2007Barry Carpenter We are entering a new phase in learning about childhood disabilities. While we have found out much of what we need to know about their causes and aetiology, solutions to many of the challenges we will face in the future will come from the evidence base held by practitioners. Practitioners are ideally placed to carry out ,real world' research but they often need support in carrying out setting-based enquiry. In this article, Barry Carpenter, Chief Executive and Director of Research at Sunfield, discusses the relationship between academic and practitioner research and the role of practitioners as researchers. He goes on to explore the development of a research culture in special schools, focusing on Sunfield, a residential special school for children with severe and complex learning disabilities. Barry Carpenter shows how research projects at Sunfield have generated evidence which has guided the school's development. The inter-disciplinary approach adopted in this setting has encouraged involvement in research from many staff in diverse professions throughout the school. [source] Varieties of Industrial Relations Research: Take-over, Convergence or Divergence?BRITISH JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 2 2005Carola M. Frege Industrial relations (IR) research faces various pressures of internationalization. Not only do global economic forces increasingly shape the subject of the discipline, employment relations, but also the academic community itself is becoming more international. The article discusses whether and in what ways IR research is affected by these trends. It is based on a comparative, longitudinal study of journal publications in the USA, Britain and Germany. The findings reveal significantly different patterns of IR research across the three countries. In particular, the strong variation between US and British research patterns challenges the common notion of a homogeneous Anglo-Saxon style in conducting social science research. The analysis suggests that despite growing internationalization, IR research continues to be strongly embedded in nationally specific research cultures and traditions. [source] | |||||||||||||