JRP Submission ID#126
Submitted on Dec 4, 2007

TITLE: Using Activity Theory's Principle of Contradictions as a
Research Tool

ABSTRACT: Contradictions are one of the principles of Activity Theory
(AT). This paper analyses how contradictions have been conceptualized
and why they are important particularly in contexts of change in
professional practice. It highlights how individuals may use the
principle to approach inquiry into innovation and transformation in
professional practice in particular and human activity in general in
order to bring sense and meaning to the complexities of change. The
paper first synthesizes how contradictions have been conceptualized in
the theoretical and empirical literature. It then highlights their
usefulness as an analytical tool in research and subsequently outlines
how researchers have approached inquiry using contradictions in term
of their methods.

KEYWORDS: Activity Theory; contradictions; professional practices;
innovation.

EXCERPTS:

Typically, analysis of contradictions using Engeström's model of AT
involves identifying contradictions in the activity system under study
. . . In a healthcare setting, Engeström identified "systemic
contradictions giving rise to disturbances" (p. 965). One
contradiction was between rules emphasising physicians' individual
work and the object of activity (patients and their health). Engeström
articulated the contradictions in the following terms: "Multiproblem
patients who move between different care providers require
collaboration across institutional boundaries. However, the
traditional rules of the hospital organization emphasize that each
physician is alone responsible for the care of his or her patients"
(p. 965). . . .

The process of conducting analysis of contradictions from, for
example, interview data can be aided by coding techniques . . .

Once the contradictions have been coded, they can be grouped by theme
or category . . . In a study of contradictions in teachers' practice
in the physical and virtual classroom, Authors (in press) used keyword
analysis to identify contradictions related to: time and workload,
visual cues . . .


Potential reviewers may respond soon, within the next 12 hours please,
as I will be away from my computer after that.

DP
--

PS: I will have limited access to e-mail during Dec 6-21, 2007.

JRP Submission ID#127
Submitted on Dec 23, 2007

TITLE: Higher Education in the Third Millennium: Interdisciplinarity
and Transdisciplinarity in Research

ABSTRACT: The overall aim of this paper is to try to understand if the
new characteristics taken on by higher education in Brazil and in all
developing countries is an epistemological issue which, in actual
fact, goes beyond the scope of emerging countries and is a general
matter about the essence and, therefore, the ethos of the university.
The scope of our study lies within the new knowledge society
paradigms, post-disciplinarity (inter and transdisciplinarity) . More
specifically, among the new paradigms proposed for Education, we try
to show that: Interdisciplinarity and Transdisciplinarity have been
consolidating their positions as new concepts to rescue knowledge as a
whole. We have conducted qualitative research based on semi-structured
interviews with researchers from two universities, a public and a
private one. We have employed a Discourse Analysis technique to the
spoken responses of those professors aiming at identifying the
possibilities of and resistance to inter and transdisciplinary
research. We believe that a teacher is only able to teach permanent
transformation to his students if he his himself a permanent scholar,
a researcher. The production of knowledge and technology is the
essential function of the university at the threshold of this third
millennium.

KEYWORDS: university; paradigms; interdisciplinarity;
transdisciplinarity; qualitative research

EXCERPTS:

Brazilian university stands exactly at a moment of paradigmatic
transition for besides an urgent need to significantly expand the
number of college students in our country, it must be able to produce
scientific and technological knowledge to allow the nation to find a
path for its development.  In particular, it is still necessary for
the university to be able to produce knowledge about teaching and
learning . . .

The university "crisis" should be understood as an extremely relevant
moment, characterized by transforming university into an institution
more organically linked to society and not parallel to it anymore.
"Crisis" comes from the Latin crisis, and means growing. . . .

In this way, taking into account its tradition as a generator of
knowledge, and as a space for criticism and freedom of thought,
university will be able to become the radiating pole for the
transformation necessary to the whole society.

--

Reviewers familiar with the topic may kindly respond.

DP

Dec 25, 2007

F E S T I V E   G R E E T I N G S


-- PUBLISHED ONLINE --

JRP Special Issue: On Beyond Interdisciplinarity
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/issue/view/6

Excerpts from the editorial article: Dalke, A., & McCormack, E.
(2007). Introduction: Centering on the edge [Editorial]. Journal of
Research Practice, 3(2), Article E2. Retrieved December 25, 2007, from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/122/100

As the international academic enterprise settles into the first decade
of the twenty-first century, the future of our work is in flux.
Academic specializations established a century ago no longer
adequately reflect the growing points of human thought, and the
opening of higher education to wider populations of students has
challenged the relevance of traditional disciplines for future lives
and careers. In this context, teachers and scholars have been
rethinking the academic enterprise and the functions it serves for
their students; new centers are being organized around what was once
thought to mark the edge of knowledge-making. At Bryn Mawr College in
the USA, where many of the contributors of this special issue teach,
the Center for Science in Society has been an important locus for such
restructuring.

This special issue gathers together 10 articles written by 17
teacher-scholars who have collaborated in this kind of rethinking at
Bryn Mawr and far beyond it. Their synthetic work, variously known as
trans-, multi-, or interdisciplinarity, brings together diverse
perspectives needed to address socially relevant issues. Here we draw
on the "manifesto" of Basarab Nicolescu in using the term
transdisciplinarity to describe the widest spectrum of work between,
across, and beyond all disciplines. As you will see, our contributors
employ their own lexicons and also exhibit a range of responses to the
challenges of this sort of work. Some are deeply engaged in
disciplining synthetic and integrative thinking, while others are
questioning the merit of doing so. All of them rise to the challenge
of writing across fields to reach a broad audience.

--

Journal of Research Practice
Volume 3, Issue 2, 2007
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/issue/view/6

Special Issue: On Beyond Interdisciplinarity

Introduction: Centering on the Edge
(Anne Dalke, Elizabeth McCormack)

Learning Not to Think Like an Economist
(David R. Ross)

Temporary Anchors, Impermanent Shelter: Can the Field of Education
Model a New Approach to Academic Work?
(Jody Cohen, Alice Lesnick, Darla Himeles)

Beyond the Archive: Cultural Memory in Dance and Theater
(Carol L. Bernstein)

Breaking the Rule of Discipline in Interdisciplinarity: Redefining
Professors, Students, and Staff as Faculty
(Alison Cook-Sather, Elliott Shore)

History of Science as Interdisciplinary Education in American
Colleges: Its Origins, Advantages, and Pitfalls
(Paula Viterbo)

How and Why to Teach Interdisciplinary Research Practice
(Rick Szostak)

Multidisciplinarity, Interdisciplinarity, and Bridging Disciplines: A
Matter of Process
(Dawn Youngblood)

Advancing Transdisciplinary and Translational Research Practice:
Issues and Models of Doctoral Education in Public Health
(Linda Neuhauser, Dawn Richardson, Sonja Mackenzie, Meredith Minkler)

Synecdoche and Surprise: Transdisciplinary Knowledge Production
(Anne Dalke, Elizabeth McCormack)

Interdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinarity, and Beyond: The Brain, Story
Sharing, and Social Organization
(Paul Grobstein)

--

This special issue of the Journal of Research Practice (JRP) should be
relevant for researchers, scholars, and reflective practitioners
working in many different fields.

JRP is an international refereed journal with a transdisciplinary
focus, available in the open-access mode, i.e., available free of
charge to the readers. The journal is supported by a consortium of
institutions drawn from different parts of the world. It is produced
electronically and hosted on the Web by Athabasca University Press (AU
Press).

JRP is a truly global initiative, providing an online platform for
researchers and research students to collaborate in extending open and
organised inquiry in different fields. JRP is currently supported by
the following institutions:

* Center for Science in Society, USA
* Lugano Summer School of Systems Design, SWITZERLAND
* Facultad de Administración y Economía, Universidad de Santiago de
Chile, CHILE
* Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, INDIA

Yours sincerely,

DP
--

JRP Submission ID#128
Submitted: Jan 9, 2008

TITLE: Scientific Journals as Fossil Traces of Sweeping Change in
the Structure and Practice of Modern Geology

ABSTRACT: In our attempts to track changes in geological practice
over time and to isolate the source of these changes, we have found
that they are largely connected with the germination of new geologic
subdisciplines.

We use keyword and title data from articles in 68 geology journals
to track the changes in influence of each subdiscipline on geology
over all.

Geological research has shifted emphasis over the study period,
moving away from economic geology and petroleum geology, towards
physics- and chemistry-based topics. The Apollo lunar landings had
as much influence on the topics and practice of geological research
as the much-cited plate-tectonics revolution. These results reflect
the barely-tangible effects of the changes in vocabulary and habit
of thought that have pervaded the substance of geology.

Geological literature has increased in volume and specialization,
resulting in a highly fragmentary literature. However, we infer
that "big science," characterized by large amounts of funding,
collaboration, and large logistical investments, makes use of this
specialization and turns "twigging" into a phenomenon that enhances,
rather than inhibits, the progress of science.

KEYWORDS: science studies, big science, twigging, lunar exploration

--

Reviewers familiar with the topic may kindly respond.

Yours sincerely,

DP
--

In order to do a submission review for JRP, you need to be a
registered user at the JRP Web site:
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/index

The editorial management process of JRP is Web-enabled using the
open-source software called "Open Journal Systems," which increases
the transparency and responsiveness of the editorial process.

If you are not already a registered user, please send the following
information while responding to this mail:

Preferred username:
First Name:
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Last Name:
Preferred e-mail ID:

--

aibpjones@...
debuws@...

jfoley@...
shahbaz@...
marcelo@...
newmo50@...

peter.west@...
robertsmith_rs@...
sabariah_sharif2001@...

unclemoryland@...
mangat272@...
masongl@...
carlos.trujillo@...

anjan@...
prs.guthrie@...
nachiketasharma@...
m.yolles@...

atanu.garai@...

-- 

Still waiting for any response from "Research_Practice" . . .

Please send the citation details of any article/book/journal/report
published in 2007, which you consider as an important reading on
"transdisciplinarity" -- on transdisciplinarity, please visit
http://www.transdisciplinarity.ch/

DP
--




--- In Research_Practice@yahoogroups.com, "Debiprasad Dash"
<dpdash@...> wrote:
>
> To: Research_Practice Forum
>
> Dear Friend,
>
> I draw your kind attention to the message received from the Project
Manager
> Bibliography Transdisciplinarity (please see below).
>
> Please suggest a few publications of 2007 on "transdisciplinarity." From
> JRP, we can suggest a number of articles, especially from JRP, 3(2)
-- Year
> 2007.
> http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/issue/view/6
>
> I have recently received a copy of *Kybernetes, 36*(9, 10) -- Year 2007,
> which is a special double issue on "cybernetics and design" (Guest
editor:
> Ranulph Glanville). It has articles that may qualify for this purpose,
> although I have not checked if the word /transdisciplinarity/ has
been used.
> http://www.emeraldinsight.com/info/journals/k/k.jsp
>
> I volunteer to compile our recommendations and share it here on this
forum
> and also send it to the Project Manager Bibliography
Transdisciplinarity.
>
> With regards,
>
> DP
> --
>
> PS: BOUNCING EMAIL IDS IN "RESEARCH_PRACTICE"
>
> aibpjones@...
> debuws@...
> jfoley@...
> shahbaz@...
> marcelo@...
> newmo50@...
> peter.west@...
> robertsmith_rs@...
> sabariah_sharif2001@...
> unclemoryland@...
> mangat272@...
> masongl@...
> carlos.trujillo@...
> anjan@...
> prs.guthrie@...
> nachiketasharma@...
> m.yolles@...
> atanu.garai@...
>
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Eva Schumacher <bibliography@...>
> Date: 2 Feb 2008 06:48
> Subject: Bibliography Transdisciplinarity: must-read publications in
2007
> To: dpdash@...
>
>  Dear Dr. Dash,
>
> I contact you as an editor of the Journal of Research Practice.
>
> The Bibliography Transdisciplinarity (
> http://www.transdisciplinarity.ch/bibliographie/index_e.html) of the
> transdisciplinarity-net (Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences) aims to
> foster a broad basis of knowledge within the community of
transdisciplinary
> research and research on transdisciplinarity.
>
> Once per year we contact experts on transdisciplinarity and ask them
for the
> most important publications of the year on transdisciplinarity. Based on
> these inputs we compile a list and thereby hope to facilitate
orientation
> and professionalisation in the broad field of transdisciplinarity (see
> attachment for 2006 edition).
>  *What are according to you the must-read publications on
> transdisciplinarity of the year 2007?*
>
> May we ask you to suggest to us one to a few publications of the
year 2007
> on transdisciplinarity  - or related issues such as applied research,
> participation, knowledge & technology transfer, science and society
-, that
> were particularly relevant, challenging or innovative according to you.
>
>
> Thank you very much for your contribution.
>
> Eva Schumacher,
> Project Manager Bibliography Transdisciplinarity
>
> --
>
> """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
>
> Dr. Eva Schumacher
>
> td-net
> Schwarztorstrasse 9
> CH - 3007 Bern
> Switzerland
>
> http://www.transdisciplinarity.ch
>
> td-net, a project of the swiss-academies
>

Dear "Research_Practice" Members,


## JRP -- Most-Downloaded Articles
Based on the information available here:
http://jrp.icaap.org/webstats/

1. Bammer, G., O'Connell, D., Roughley, A., & Syme, G. (2005).
Integration research for natural resource management in Australia: An
introduction to new challenges for research practice [Editorial].
Journal of Research Practice, 1(2), Article E1. Retrieved [date of
access], from http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/18/29

2. Grobstein, P. (2005). Revisiting science in culture: Science as
story telling and story revising. Journal of Research Practice, 1(1),
Article M1. Retrieved [Date of Access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/9/18

3. Youngblood, D. (2007). Multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity,
and bridging disciplines: A matter of process. Journal of Research
Practice, 3(2), Article M18. Retrieved [date of access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/104/101

4. Shrum, W., Duque, R., & Brown, T. (2005). Digital video as research
practice: Methodology for the millennium. Journal of Research
Practice, 1(1), Article M4. Retrieved [Date of Access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/6/12

5. Brunckhorst, D. J. (2005). Integration research for shaping
sustainable regional landscapes. Journal of Research Practice, 1(2),
Article M7. Retrieved [date of access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/16/28

6. Neuhauser, L., Richardson, D., Mackenzie, S., & Minkler, M. (2007).
Advancing transdisciplinary and translational research practice:
Issues and models of doctoral education in public health. Journal of
Research Practice, 3(2), Article M19. Retrieved [date of access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/103/97

7. Ross, D. R. (2007). Learning not to think like an economist.
Journal of Research Practice, 3(2), Article M12. Retrieved [date of
access], from http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/100/95

8. Szostak, R. (2007). How and why to teach interdisciplinary research
practice. Journal of Research Practice, 3(2), Article M17. Retrieved
[date of access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/92/89

9. Dalke, A., & McCormack, E. (2007). Introduction: Centering on the
edge [Editorial]. Journal of Research Practice, 3(2), Article E2.
Retrieved [date of access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/122/100

10. Cohen, J., Lesnick, A., & Himeles, D. (2007). Temporary anchors,
impermanent shelter: Can the field of education model a new approach
to academic work? Journal of Research Practice, 3(2), Article M13.
Retrieved [date of access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/102/94

11. Bernstein, C. L. (2007). Beyond the archive: Cultural memory in
dance and theater. Journal of Research Practice, 3(2), Article M14.
Retrieved [date of access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/110/98

12. Benfield, J. A., & Szlemko, W. J. (2006). Internet-based data
collection: Promises and realities. Journal of Research Practice,
2(2), Article D1. Retrieved [date of access] from,
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/30/51

13. Grobstein, P. (2007). Interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity,
and beyond: The brain, story sharing, and social organization. Journal
of Research Practice, 3(2), Article M21. Retrieved [date of access],
from http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/98/92

14. Temple, B. (2006). Being bilingual: Issues for cross-language
research. Journal of Research Practice, 2(1), Article M2. Retrieved
[date of access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/20/39

15. Ulrich, W. (2006). The art of observation: Understanding pattern
languages--A review of Christopher Alexander's The Timeless Way of
Building (New York, Oxford University Press, 1979). Journal of
Research Practice, 2(1), Article R1. Retrieved [date of access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/26/46

16. Probert, A. (2006). Searching for an appropriate research design:
A personal journey. Journal of Research Practice, 2(1), Article D3.
Retrieved [date of access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/24/44

17. Cork, S. J., & Proctor, W. (2005). Implementing a process for
integration research: Ecosystem Services Project, Australia. Journal
of Research Practice, 1(2), Article M6. Retrieved [date of access],
from http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/15/25

18. Dash, D. P., & Ponce, H. R. (2005). Journey of research practice
[Editorial]. Journal of Research Practice, 1(1), Article E1. Retrieved
[Date of Access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/10/21

19. Cook-Sather, A., & Shore, E. (2007). Breaking the rule of
discipline in interdisciplinarity: Redefining professors, students,
and staff as faculty. Journal of Research Practice, 3(2), Article M15.
Retrieved [date of access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/101/93

20. Choudrie, J., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2005). Investigating the research
approaches for examining technology adoption issues. Journal of
Research Practice, 1(1), Article D1. Retrieved [Date of Access], from
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/4/8


## IMPORTANT NEWS

1. Did you know that registered users can comment on any JRP article
by clicking on "Add comment" appearing on the right margin Reading
Tools. The comments will appear at the end of the HTML version of the
article.

If you are not already a registered user, please contact me -- D. P.
Dash (dpdash@...) -- with the following details, so that I can
add you to the system:

Preferred username:
(The username must contain ONLY lowercase letters, numbers, and
hyphens/underscores.)
First Name:
Middle Name:
Last Name:
Preferred e-mail ID:

2. We have signed an agreement with EBSCO for JRP's contents to be
included in their "Academic Search Complete" database.  This will make
JRP available through numerous institutional libraries around the
world. This will take us a step further in fulfilling our objective of
developing as an "important companion to every research-inclined
individual and every research student in the world" (editorial,
inaugural issue, JRP).

It will take a while before all the JRP contents are added to EBSCO.

3. Finally, let me end with a request to all of you to help in
generating more submissions to build up a stock of publishable
articles. We would welcome any proposals for special issues, reviews,
and other articles.

The next issue (JRP, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2008) is due to appear online
in April 2008.

DP
--

Just published Online:

Journal of Research Practice
Volume 4, Issue 1, 2008
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/issue/view/7

The articles tell us a lot about how research develops--in different
contexts. The first article (Fratesi & Vacher) takes us through the
dynamics of "little science, big science," in the discipline of
geology--a dynamics experienced in other disciplines too. The second
article (Richards) reminds us of the kind of research that existed
even before the disciplines came into being, practised by the
pre-Socratics, which can still be practised today. The next two
articles (Bhattacharyya; Räsänen) focus on researchers and their
individual and collective potential in redirecting their work. I am
very pleased with this issue of JRP. Our gratitude to the authors,
reviewers, and all others who worked for this.

# Main Articles

Scientific Journals as Fossil Traces of Sweeping Change in the
Structure and Practice of Modern Geology
(Sarah E. Fratesi, H. Leonard Vacher)

The Art of Rhetoric as Self-Discipline: Interdisciplinarity, Inner
Necessity, and the Construction of a Research Agenda
(Anne R. Richards)

# Research Design

Genesis of an Academic Research Program
(Gautam Bhattacharyya)

# Provocative Idea

Meaningful academic work as praxis in emergence
(Keijo Räsänen)


DP
--

Dear All,

Found a nice article:

The Practice of Science at the Edge of Knowledge
By FREDERICK GRINNELL
http://www4.utsouthwestern.edu/FrederickGrinnell/GrinnellWebMisc/practice%20of%2\
0science.PDF

In recent decades, postmodernists and sociologists of science have
argued that science is just one of many human activities with social
and political aims -- comparable to, say, religion or art. They have
questioned the objectivity of science, and whether it has any unique
ability to find the truth. Not surprisingly, such claims have evoked a
negative response from proponents of the traditional view of science;
the debate between the two sides has been called the science wars. In
the debate, scientists have made few attempts to meet the postmodern
critique on its own grounds, through serious reflection on the
everyday practice of science. Yet that is the only way to understand
the nature of science and the features that distinguish science from
other activities. . . .

The author is working on a book on this theme:

Grinnell, F. (in press). Everyday practice of science. NY: Oxford
University Press. [Forthcoming January, 2009]

More information @ the author's Web page:
http://www4.utsouthwestern.edu/FrederickGrinnell/reflecting.htm

DP
--

Dear Friends,

Journal of Research Practice (JRP)
ISSN 1712-851X
http://jrp.icaap.org/

The journal JRP has completed 3 years and crossed many milestones.
We think it is time to initiate a review exercise and identify any
areas requiring innovation and change.

Towards this, we have the following questions:

1. Who is reading JRP?
2. How many are reading JRP?
3. How useful are JRP articles?
4. What is the "impact" of JRP articles?
5. How can we attract more submissions?

Please reply to this message, answering any of the above questions
or raising any new question(s) you consider relevant.

DP and Héctor
--
D. P. Dash, PhD
India
dpdash@...

Héctor R. Ponce, PhD
Chile
hponce@...


PS: BOUNCING MAIL IDs IN THE "RESEARCH_PRACTICE" FORUM

debuws@...
jfoley@...
marcelo@...
newmo50@...
peter.west@...
sabariah_sharif2001@...
unclemoryland@...
masongl@...

If you know the owners of any of the above IDs, please let them know
that their e-mail ID listed above is not functioning.
--

AN UNUSED FEATURE OF JRP'S PUBLISHING SYSTEM

One of the features of the Open Journal System (OJS) on which JRP is
based is the possibility of responding to journal articles by adding
comments. This feature has not been used at all thus far by the
community of JRP authors and readers. I have recently ventured to try
and see whether I could update my review paper in JRP 1(1) with some
relevant new information, and have found the feature less than
intuitively clear and easy to use, yet (in the end) useful. I would
therefore like to draw some attention to its pros and cons and explain
how you can use it.


PROS AND CONS

(+) The "Add Comment" feature might help us in making the journal
become more alive, as it allows readers to step out of their passive
role and take part actively in shaping the journal's content.

(+) It allows everyone to respond to articles, so that the journal
may (occasionally) become a pluralistic forum of exchanges.

(+) It allows authors to update or correct papers subsequent to
publication. This is of interest because the OJS--for good
reasons--does not allow modifications of papers once they have been
published. This is so because it is desirable (e.g., for purposes of
quoting and referencing) that both the contents and the URLs of web
publications are stable. Adding a comment resolves this dilemma, as it
does not modify the paper itself but rather generates an independent
short publication that will be placed immediately following the paper.

(+) It conforms and gives additional meaning to the spirit of
open-access publishing, in that not only reading but also contributing
becomes open to everyone interested.

(-) It may raise some issues of quality control that have not been
considered thus far. Are there limits to the content and language of
acceptable comments (e.g., regarding principles of fairness, political
correctness, and so on?)

(-) It raises editorial issues. Like ordinary papers, comments cannot
be edited once they have been published; but unlike ordinary papers,
authors can publish comments without any previous review and copy editing.

(-) It might thus tempt some contributors to get round the regular
review and editing procedure, which clearly is not the idea of the
feature.

(-) There might be some additional issues of abuse, in that the
feature might be used by people to post messages that have little or
nothing to do with the specific papers to which the comments are
added, and/or with the aims of the journal in general.

(-) Finally, there are some technical limitations which risk making
the "Add Comment" feature partly unattractive, and apparently have had
this effect in the past. Its formatting options and requirements are
limited, and the OJS gives no hints as to what these limitations are
and how to handle them. A "preview" option before saving (i.e. adding)
a comment is missing, and there is no possibility of editing a comment
  after saving it, not even to correct typos or other formatting errors.

Regarding the last-mentioned point, I understand that the publisher of
JRP, AU Press at Athabasca University, is currently considering
options to support the "Add Comment" feature of the OJS with
additional functionality. However, as far as I know no decisions have
been taken as yet, and in any case such modifications have to be
implemented in ways that are compatible with all the on-line journals
supported by the OJS, that is, they demand care and time to be
implemented. Meanwhile, I would like to support and encourage JRP
readers and authors who wish to use the feature, by offering a few
hints that have resulted from a modest attempt of mine to use the
"Comment" feature for the purpose of updating my own review article in
JRP 1(1), and from some correspondence with the publisher prompted by
this attempt.


HOW TO USE THE COMMENT FEATURE

There are basically three options for entering formatted text into the
input mask of the "Add Comment" feature:

Option 1: You can write unformatted (pure) text directly into the
input mask and leave the (minimal) formatting to the OJS. That is,
just type your text into the input mask and ignore the entire
formatting issue. The only formats you will use in this case are line
breaks (just begin a new line) and capital letters. Thus, to highlight
titles, capitalize them instead of using bold type face (as I am doing
it in this posting).

Option 2: If desired, you may format your text directly in the input
mask by means of some basic HTML tags.

Option 3: Alternatively, prepare your text with a HTML editor and then
copy and paste the resulting HTML code into the input mask.

A few hints on the three options may be helpful:


OPTION 1: For longer texts, you may prefer to prepare pure text by
using a pure text editor such as "Wordpad" or "Editor" in Windows XP
and then copying the text into the input mask of the "Add Comment"
feature. Given that the input mask is rather small, this makes it
easier to overlook and edit your text before saving (adding) it as a
comment.


OPTION 2: To format your text either in the input mask or in the pure
text editor, consider the following hints.

a. There are two separate input masks for the title and the text of
your comment. The title will be formatted automatically and for this
reason should be pure text; do not insert any HTML tags or try to
format it in any other way. The text body, by contrast, will NOT be
formatted automatically but you may insert some HTML tags to this end,
as specified in the next point.

b. Use no HTML tags to format your text except from the following list
of allowed tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl>
<dt> <dd> <b> <i> <u> <img> <sup> <sub> <br> <p>.

(For explanation of these and other HTML tags, see, for example,
http://www.w3schools.com/tags/default.asp or
http://www.htmldog.com/reference/htmltags/).

c. Every use of one of these tags must be followed by a corresponding
end code that marks the end of the text to be formatted, according to
the rule: <TAG> is followed by the text to be formatted and by
subsequent </TAG>. For example, bold text is started by <b> and ended
by </b>. There is one exception though: the <br> tag, which generates
a line break, requires no end tag, as it is a one-shot occurrence
without continuing formatting effect.

d. Line breaks can be inserted by starting a new line as well as by
inserting a <br> tag, as the OJS automatically replaces normal line
breaks with <br> tags.


OPTION 3: If you prefer using a web editor to format the text body of
your comment, consider the following hints.

a. Use any web editor (other than FrontPage) that allows you switching
between WYSIWYG and HTML code. FrontPage is not recommended as it
tends to generate HTML code that is incompatible with the OJS.

b. Always copy and paste from the "HTML" view of your editor, rather
than from the WYSIWYG or editing views.

c. Of the HTML code generated by your web editor, only copy and
paste the part that is between <body> and </body>.

d. Do not use an email client software (such as MS Outlook) or a word
processor (such as MS Word) for writing your text, as they will
generate a lot of formatting tags that are not part of the allowed
HTML code.


Three final recommendations:

a. If you are unsure about any of the above hints, simply do not
format your text at all but limit yourself to using line breaks and
capital letters as your only means of formatting (as suggested under
Option 1 above).

b. Before saving your text and thereby publishing your comment, be
sure to check your text for editorial errors and to correct
them--there is no second chance to do so.

c. Keep your comments short. If you need more space, consider the
option of submitting your comment as a normal paper. The comment
feature is not intended as a way to avoid the journal's normal review
process. While not quite as fast, responding through a reviewed paper
will still get you published reasonably fast--one of the advantages of
an on-line journal such as JRP--and in addition you will benefit of
the journal's editorial support, which is apt to enhance the quality
and academic respectability of your contribution.

Thank you for considering these hints and recommendations.

Werner Ulrich
(Associate editor, JRP)

EXCERPTS FROM EDITORIAL COMMUNICATION
REGARDING A RECENT SUBMISSION TO JRP


Title: . . . Competitive Advantage

Abstract: This paper aims to emphasize the importance of . . . for
sustaining competitive advantages of firms. . . .


April 24, 2008

Dear Authors,

On our initial assessment of your recent submission, entitled "...
Competitive Advantage," we find that the article is not in line with
our publication focus.

The journal JRP is about research (or processes of organised open
inquiry). It is targeted at all researchers -- irrespective of their
disciplinary backgrounds. We publish articles which will be of
interest to a wide range of researchers. Therefore, to the potential
authors working in different disciplines/fields, our request is to
please write an article on your research experience in such a way that
will be of interest to other researchers, even if they may be working
in different disciplines/fields. For example, you can write an article
on your research experience on strategic management, perhaps
discussing some of the methodological quandaries you had to face and
how you dealt with those, or what processes were involved in your
choice of topic, method, quality criteria, or your critical
reflections on rigour, relevance, and utilisation of your work, and so
forth.

Your current submission may be more suited to a journal specialised in
publishing in the areas of strategy and competition.

Although we are unable to take this submission to the peer-review
stage, we certainly feel honoured by your choice of JRP. We are
hopeful that you will appreciate the editorial focus of JRP and
consider writing an article on your experience of doing research.

Yours sincerely,

JRP Submission for Review (ID#132)
Submitted on April 28, 2008

--
TITLE: Conducting Active Research Amongst Close Friends, Relatives,
and Neighbours: Some Lessons From the Field of Corporate and
Entrepreneurial Narrative

ABSTRACT: Interest in entrepreneurial and corporate narrative is
growing. Therefore, as researchers begin to use narrative as a
research tool, it behooves us to begin a discussion of the role the
researcher plays in developing the shared knowledge uncovered in
narrative and in particular in settings where the research is
conducted by active researchers in social settings where the
respondents are close friends, neighbours and relatives. This paper
examines the research journeys of the authors in facilitating and
re-narrating narratives, describing the role the first author played
in the creation of corporate narrative in a three year old service
company in the natural gas industry and the research story of the
second author in conducting informal research. In particular it
concentrates upon how the research process was aided by personal
nature of the contact. The authors conclude that the primary role of
the researcher in field study is to act as a sounding board for the
interviewed and to perform the role of mediator drawing societal
meaning out of the narrative. Nevertheless, it is the research process
which interests us here and in particular how researcher-respondent
interaction is influenced by close relationships.

EXCERPTS:

Although much has been written in relation to research methodologies
for in-depth interviews, observational studies, covert research, and
auto-ethnographic research little has been written about conducting
close research in social settings involving close friends, neighbours
and relatives. . . .

"What is considered a vice in science--openness to competing
interpretations--is a virtue in narrative."

In conducting narrative based research the authors independently
combined both the action and ethnographic research styles discussed
above and both arrived at their appreciation of these approaches
independently of each other. This extension of the literature review
points to a gap in the literature in that research methodologists have
little to say about researching close friends or relatives making this
subject deserving of scholarly attention. However, as we have already
stipulated, this necessitates developing liberating methodologies. . . .

A further example of informal research techniques is provided by . . .
who describe a similar informal research style whereby they used
corroborated "interactional interviewing" techniques during lengthy
research conversions with respondents which last several hours. This
technique differs from normal in-depth interviews in which the
respondent is asked a series of predrafted questions, the answers to
which are recorded. In this research scenario, one of the authors knew
the respondents and trust had been established. The interview was
recorded in note form by one of the researchers and reconstructed as a
research narrative. The technique is phenomenal in unearthing huge
quantities of rich "thick descriptive" . . . data and the interviewers
have the benefit of being able to begin to analyse the data and ask
directed questions, the nuances of which may have otherwise gone
unnoticed.
--

Reviewers familiar with these issues may kindly respond.

Yours sincerely,

DP
--

Note. In order to do a submission review for JRP, you need to be a
registered user at the JRP Web site:
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/index

The editorial management process of JRP is Web-enabled using the
open-source software called "Open Journal Systems," which increases
the transparency and responsiveness of the editorial process.

If you are not already a registered user, please send the following
information while responding to this mail:

Preferred username:
(The username must contain only lowercase letters, numbers, and
hyphens/underscores.)

First Name:
Middle Name:
Last Name:
Preferred e-mail ID:

--

JRP Submission for Review (ID#132)
Submitted on April 29, 2008

--
TITLE: When a Research Opportunity Knocks

CATEGORY: Provocative Idea

ABSTRACT: Using the OECD criteria for what constitutes research, this
paper describes some of the processes that can be followed when post
hoc data suggests trends that can be of value to the community but
have not had the benefit of experimental design and control. Using
student learning task which compared Gardner's intelligence
preferences of people nominated as those the student communicated well
with and those they nominated as not communicating well with, the
article explores the problems associated with a lack of control of
subjects, replication of treatment, analysis and interpretation of
data, and validity of findings.

The potential benefits of such research are also addressed. These
include the exploration of relationships between previously unlinked
theories or bodies of knowledge as part of the post hoc literature
review and challenges to conventions in order to suggest new theories
or the need for revision of existing theories as well as benefits to
the communities which might find new applications for the insights
discovered.

KEYWORDS: post hoc research; multiple intelligences; communication

EXCERPTS:

The first step in the process is to justify the analysis and
publication of the post hoc data as 'research.' The OECD defines
research as:

. . . creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to
increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man (sic),
culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise
new applications. (University of Canberra, 2008)
[ http://www.canberra.edu.au/research/funding/dest-definition ]

. . . Therefore, the more closely the presentation of post hoc
research can conform to the traditional system for reporting of
results, the more likely it is to be accepted as 'research.' However,
each of the traditional headings for reporting research findings
presents additional challenges for those using a post hoc approach.

. . . As there had been no previous research linking Gardner's theory
with communication . . . a  new link was suggested between these
formerly disparate areas of investigation.

. . . Finally, post hoc research arises from what is, rather than what
might be. That is it arises from what people are actually doing in
their fields of endeavour.
--

This is a rather short article (2855 words, including references). The
focus of the peer review might be to point out the interesting parts
and suggest how the article might be strengthened so as to be relevant
to the multidisciplinary readership of JRP. Interested reviewers
familiar with the issues highlighted above may kindly respond.

Yours sincerely,

DP
--

Note. In order to do a submission review for JRP, you need to be a
registered user at the JRP Web site:
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/index

The editorial management process of JRP is Web-enabled using the
open-source software called "Open Journal Systems," which increases
the transparency and responsiveness of the editorial process.

If you are not already a registered user, please send the following
information while responding to this mail:

Preferred username:
(The username must contain only lowercase letters, numbers, and
hyphens/underscores.)

First Name:
Middle Name:
Last Name:
Preferred e-mail ID:
--

• Let people know that JRP is a quality-conscious journal that is now already in its fourth year and -- unlike many of the on-line journals that are currently being launched -- has already established a good track record.
• As the journal is available on-line in the open-access mode, it offers authors a chance to reach a wide audience of interested readers globally.
• As those of us who already have published in JRP know, the journal offers exceptional review and editorial support to its authors.
• Equally important, due to its focus on the research process rather than on research results, JRP offers a publishing chance to doctoral students and other young researchers who have not yet completed their research but are interested in reflecting on their research practice, and on sharing these reflections with others.
• For those authors who consider writing about their research experience but are looking for cooperation with some co-authors, the Research_Practice group offers in its group web site a data bank where they can enter suggested paper topics and express their interest in joint authorship. The data bank is accessible to members only; however, everyone interested in contributing to the journal is welcome to join the group and can then take advantage of this option. 

Dear Friends,

I had contacted Professor Søren Brier, Editor-in-Chief, CYBERNETICS &
HUMAN KNOWING (http://www.imprint.co.uk/C&HK/), requesting him to
consider adding JRP to their Web site, under their "Related Journals"
link: http://www.chkjournal.org/?page=related_journals

--
>> DP wrote:

Both journals are non-disciplinary and seek to develop our
understanding of the process of knowing. Whereas C&HK takes a more
specialised approach through second-order cybernetics and semiotics,
JRP takes a more grounded approach, attending to researchers' own
narratives about what they do. To me, there is much opportunity for
cross-fertilisation between C&HK and JRP.

>> Professor Søren Brier wrote:

I think that is a good idea and I ask our web site editor Argyris to
do this.
--

We are also planning to add a "Related Journals" link. Please suggest
any journals you consider related to JRP. Some of the following themes
are likely to be related to JRP:

(a) processes of science/research/inquiry
(b) policies and institutions associated with research/innovation
(c) idea of practice or reflective practice
(d) research education, open inquiry and open innovation
(e) transdisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity

DP

Announcement


Inaugural Lecture: Learning Research

Professor Gerard de Zeeuw
zeeuw@...

June 3, 2008
Lincoln, UK

In celebration of his 35 years as full professor . . .

The announcement can be found on the Web:
http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/events/item_zee.htm

Abstract:

"There is no closed theory for research yet -- notwithstanding many
attempts to catch some of its basics by writers from Descartes to
Latour and by teachers who have tried to simplify its tenets. One
characteristic stands out, however: one may learn from the past. Doing
so is not straightforward, however. There are many ways: via stories
of great men, of great achievements, of anecdotes (Eureka!), via the
telling of grand narratives. A genealogy of research will be sketched.
It characterises what has been retained over time and what has changed
-- and what there is at present, including the ability to debunk
widely accepted ideas."


PS: Gerard has been associated with JRP from its beginning. More
information on the Web:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_de_Zeeuw
http://www.cict.demon.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Federation_for_Systems_Research

Dear Research_Practice Members,

Currently, there is a shortage of submissions in our journal. This has
been discussed among our editorial members/advisors. Some steps are
being taken in this regard. A "Call for Submission" (one-page PDF) has
been designed and uploaded on the JRP homepage. I solicit your help in
bringing it to the notice of potential authors.

Here is a report on our initiatives so far to increase the visibility
of JRP:

--
# JRP Mentioned in Newsletters/Blogs/Web Sites

ANU Integration News, May 2008
(The Australian National University)
http://www.anu.edu.au/iisn/activities/newsletters/ANU_Integration_News_May08.pdf

Psyche, Science, and Society -- Blog of Stephen Soldz
(Psychoanalyst, Psychologist, Researcher, and Activist)
http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2008/05/07/journal-of-research-practice-\
looking-for-papers/

Systemic-Participatory-Inquiry-Research-Action-Learning
SPIRAL May 2008 Newsletter
http://spiral-victoria.net/news/?p=32

Det medisinsk-odontologiske fakultet
(Universitetet i Bergen)
http://mofa.uib.no/Forskning/index.html

# JRP Call for Submissions Circulated in Electronic Lists

Bob Dick (CBPR list; PAR announcement list)
Stephen Soldz (psychodynamicresearch & psysr-disc YahooGroups;
SOCIALJUSTICE list)
Sarena Seifer (CBPR list)
Werner Ulrich (Research_Practice YahooGroup)
Ken Friedman (Doctoral_Education YahooGroup)
Francois-X. Nsenga (CIRET list; Sociotech-interactiondesign list;
Experiential Knowledge list)


# JRP Call for Submissions Distributed

Alistair Anderson
Hantang Qi
Nilamadhab Kar
Räsänen Keijo

# Several Potential Authors Contacted by:

Paul Grobstein
Ken Friedman
Alistair Anderson

# Promised to Help

Alfonso Montuori
Gerard de Zeeuw
Janinka Greenwood
Ken Friedman
Werner Ulrich
--

Taking a cue from this, please consider doing something similar (or
different!) to support the journal at this stage.

DP

JRP Submission for Review (ID#135)
Title: Supporting Collectives to Achieve Effectiveness
Date Submitted: June 9, 2008
Category: Research Design
No. of Words: About 3500

--
ABSTRACT: The role of information systems (IS) has been extended from
its original perspective--processing information--to a more
challenging one, to act as a resource that supports both individual
and collective action. In a research focused on how collective action
could be informed in order to be more effective and efficient, an
additional interpretation was recognised: communities that behave like
information systems as they may support their members' actions. This
possibility is illustrated by means of a research design, consisting
of two study cases, which in terms of its results might well be
considered an example of community OR practice, rather than a research
on IS.

KEYWORDS: community OR; information systems; collectives;
self-organisation; research design
--

Reviewers familiar with the topic may kindly respond by replying to
this mail.

DP
--

Note. In order to do a submission review for JRP, you need to be a
registered user at the JRP Web site:
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/index

The editorial management process of JRP is Web-enabled using the
open-source software called "Open Journal Systems," which increases
the transparency and responsiveness of the editorial process.

If you are not already a registered user, please send the following
information while responding to this mail:

* Preferred username:
(The username must contain only lowercase letters, numbers, and
hyphens/underscores.)
* First Name:
* Middle Name:
* Last Name:
* Preferred e-mail ID:
--

JRP Submission for Review ID#136
Title: PhD by Publication: A Student-Perspective
Date Submitted: June 16, 2008
Category: Main Article
No. of Words: About 7000

--
ABSTRACT

This paper presents my experiences as an Australian PhD student in the
arena of social science in undertaking a PhD by publication. I present
information and data on my experience of publishing eleven articles in
refereed journals, and reflect on this to inform other post-graduate
students and academics more broadly. The paper identifies the factors
that students should consider prior to adopting this approach - in
terms of university requirements, supervisors' attitudes, the research
subject matter, intellectual property, capacity and working style, and
issues of supervisor co-authorship. I then outline my perceptions of
the advantages and disadvantages of progressive publishing. In my
case, and I suggest more generally, the advantages outweighed the
disadvantages. I conclude by presenting a suite of lessons to guide
students through the publishing process: I suggest these comprise
developing information technology skills early, being open to
surprises, targeting the right journal, interpreting journal word
limits judiciously, using figures and tables effectively, addressing
reviewers' comments, expecting to receive conflicting comments, moving
on from article rejection, keeping the publishing process moving, and
listening to the advice of supervisors.

KEYWORDS: PhD; student; publishing; examination
--

Reviewers familiar with the discussions surrounding different forms of
doctoral programme -- such as traditional PhD, PhD by publication,
"new route PhD," professional doctorate, practice-based doctorate,
etc. -- may kindly respond by replying to this mail.

With regards,

DP
--

Note. In order to do a submission review for JRP, you need to be a
registered user at the JRP Web site:
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/index

If you are not already a registered user, please send the following
information while responding to this mail:

* Preferred username:
(The username must contain only lowercase letters, numbers, and
hyphens/underscores.)
* First Name:
* Middle Name:
* Last Name:
* Preferred e-mail ID:
--

Sharing a communication with Professor Christopher S. Hamlin,
Department of History, University of Notre Dame, USA

----- Original Message -----

From: Debiprasad Dash
To: Hamlin.1@...
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 1:18 PM
Subject: Journal of Research Practice (JRP)


To: Professor Christopher S. Hamlin
Department of History, University of Notre Dame, USA

Dear Professor Hamlin,

I came across your captivating review article in Minerva:

JUST DON'T CALL IT SCIENCE
Minerva (2008) 46:99–116
http://www.springerlink.com/content/p0612p4324773728/fulltext.pdf

It is such a treasure house of facts and insights on
science-in-society over the ages! My sincere congratulations to you
for capturing all of it in that single article!

May I introduce myself as one who is associated with the study of
research -- recognising research as human activity, as practice. I
cordially invite you to our journal, Journal of Research Practice
(JRP), available freely on the Web.

It is clear to me that many convenient characterisations of science
hardly serve to enhance the practice of science. I recognise that it
is still the researcher, engaged in everyday research acts -- maybe as
a cog in some giant institutional machinery or maybe in a lifetime of
independent inquiry -- who helps in pushing the frontiers of research
practice (not only the frontiers of knowledge).

With sincere regards,

DP
--
D. P. Dash, PhD
http://www.ximb.ac.in/~dpdash/

Journal of Research Practice (JRP)
http://jrp.icaap.org/

-----------------

REPLY

from Christopher S. Hamlin <chamlin@...>
to Debiprasad Dash <dpdash@...>
date 20 June 2008 02:25
subject Re: Journal of Research Practice (JRP)


Dear Dr. Dash,

Thank you for the kind words.

I will certainly look out for your journal.  It may well be suited for
inclusion in a course I teach on Science, Technology, and Society.

Yours
Christopher Hamlin

JRP Submission ID#137
Title: A Practitioner's Inquiry Process and Improving It
Section: Main Article
Submitted: June 24, 2008
Size: About 9000 words

ABSTRACT

The process of inquiry is a significant tool in any professional
practice. Improving a professional's inquiry process becomes an
important development task, which may include exploring alternative
inquiry options, or undertaking the second-order process of inquiring
into inquiry. This article draws on experience to raise issues about a
practitioner's understanding of inquiry. Those issues are checked
against the current field knowledge to consider more of what might be
involved in improving professional practice by examining a
practitioner's inquiry processes. Inquiring into inquiry, using a
practitioner's lens, is then found to offer some pointers to more
effective practice-relevant research and researcher formation education.

EXCERPTS

In the current literature on inquiry, especially inquiry of human and
associated social phenomena, it is often usual to find three major,
different, perspectives and approaches identified: the
empirical-analytic; the interpretive; the social critical. The
literature often indicates that this threefold distinction has been
resurrected by Habermas and can be seen to have some of its roots in
the work of Aristotle. . . .

Finding the focus that is most salient for inquiry into inquiry is a
significant first step. I have found that Toulmin's work helps cut a
large literature down to manageable proportions. . . .

Considering how a practice of inquiry might be improved becomes a
matter of learning to change, a second-order process, and where the
use of inquiry might well be involved in the change process, doubling
the second-order, reflexive, component. For inquiry occurring in a
professional practice context, particular constraints arise, and
improving inquiry needs to occur within those constraints. . . .

--

Reviewers familiar with the above topics may kindly respond.

DP
--

PS: To do a review for JRP, you need to be a registered user at:
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/index

JRP Submission ID#139
Title: Venturing Into the Unknown of Ethnography: Reflexive Questions
to Love and Cautionary Ethics to Live by
Section: Provocaive Idea
Submitted: June 29, 2008
Size: About 6000 words

ABSTRACT

This article summarizes the discovery of an ethnographic self, the use
of reflexive tales as methodology, and the development of four
cautionary ethics for novice ethnographers. Ethnographic ethics to
live by include: demonstrating care and concern, accepting risk and
uncertainty, suspending judgment, and exercising the art of listening,
selection, and representing. Each ethic was lived in the field,
developed through reflexive questioning, and further constructed,
articulated, and re-envisioned through research literature. The
discussion of these four ethics is contextualized within an inquiry
that focused on the use of text-to-speech technology in a Grade 5
classroom. Within these ethics, students were valued as collaborators
in the process, offering suggestions to the inquiry when relevant. In
the end, they felt comfortable viewing and articulating text-to-speech
technology as either an intrusion to their reading process, a choice
that they should each have access to, or a life tool.

Keywords: ethnography; reflexivity; ethics; qualitative research

EXCERPTS

Throughout this paper, I have presented, through snippets of
conversation, fieldnote and research journal excerpts, published
research, and relevant literature, my philosophical and ethical
locations as researcher. I have explored in depth my research and
ethical subjectivities from the outset and insights as they evolved
throughout the inquiry. One of my dominant strengths was the ability
to write through the tensions and uncertainties in an effort to
understand what my participants were telling me within the context of
the inquiry (citation); this required great risk on my part and an
ability to hear not only what participants were saying, but what they
were not saying as well.

--

Interested reviewers may kindly respond.

DP
--

PS: To do a review for JRP, you need to be a registered user at:
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/index

JRP Submission ID#140
Title: Participatory Research as Decolonizing and Decolonial Praxis
Section: Main Article
Submitted: July 8, 2008
Size: About 7000 words

ABSTRACT

The advocates of participatory research agree that the impetus of this
method is to attempt to restructure power relations in the research
process, to honour the knowledge and strengths within/of diverse
communities, and to challenge the dynamics of inequalities by
furthering the struggle for social justice. But how does participatory
research participate in the process of decolonization?

This paper will explore the ethical, social, and epistemological
assumptions and values informing participatory research from the
perspective of decolonization of methodologies. This work will also
highlight decolonizing and decolonial praxis as employed in the
researchers' present projects which aim to build dialogical spaces
with marginalized school communities in Vancouver, B.C.

EXCERPTS

Beginning from the specific research, pedagogical and relational
contexts in which we are presently situated, we hope to come together
to extend our work into a larger . . . participatory research project
with marginalized parent communities. This project will be rooted in
decolonizing and decolonial research praxis and will aim to build
dialogical spaces with parents who have been  historically, socially,
and institutionally marginalized due to racism, sexism, heterosexism,
ableism, and classism  in school communities in Vancouver, B.C. As we
plan our collaborative community research we find ourselves engaged
with/in complex realities, questions, and questionings of
possibilities and impossibilities of meaningful decolonizing research.
This paper will attempt to highlight some of these ambiguities and
tensions in our current work as well as the emerging questions,
learnings, and research dilemmas for our future community co-created
research.  In the spirit of decolonization and decolonial praxis, each
of our narratives below acknowledges the importance of our communities
as significant theorists informing our work along with the theorists
of the academy. . . .

The power of the subaltern studies' group along with the work of
decolonizing scholars  is that they have found a way to address and
help researchers pay attention to two of the deepest and most hurtful
wounds -- epistemological wounds and ontological colonial wounds --
left/produced by the western colonial regimes. We recognize that we
touch these wounds even in the process of conducting participatory
research when we speak about "collecting data," "analyzing findings,"
"research implementation," "dissemination of results."
--

Interested reviewers may kindly respond.

DP
--

PS: To do a review for JRP, you need to be a registered user at:
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/index

Dear Friends,

About 3 months back, we had initiated a review exercise for the
Journal of Research Practice (JRP), to identify any areas requiring
innovation and change. The following were used as trigger questions:

1. Who is reading JRP?
2. How many are reading JRP?
3. How useful are JRP articles?
4. What is the "impact" of JRP articles?
5. How can we attract more submissions?

Some responses have been received (appended at the end). Here are my
reflections after reading the responses.

1. FOCUS: Management? Education?

Somehow, there seems to be an impression that this journal is related
to the disciplines/fields of "management" or "education." We need to
work on this. JRP is about the practice of open inquiry, no matter
where it occurs. Of course, there is a lot being discussed about the
practice of inquiry in the applied fields, such as management, public
administration, education, health care, design, and so forth.

Is there anything substantial enough to discuss on the practice of
inquiry (or research practice) -- so that an entire journal may be
devoted to it? Of course, JRP exists assuming that the answer is "yes."

Consider this book:

The Nature of Research: Inquiry in Academic Contexts. Book by Angela
Brew. Published by RoutledgeFalmer, London, 2001, 205 pp., ISBN
0-415-21407-6 (pbk.).

The focus of this book matches somewhat with the focus of JRP. I say
somewhat because JRP is not limited to "academic contexts" alone.
However, it is true that most of our articles so far are addressed to
academic contexts. We need to work on that.

2. READERS: Limited reading time?

This is an important issue. JRP hopes to publish articles that any
researcher should find worthwhile to read -- no matter in what
substantive areas the researcher is interested. We need to work on this.

3. ARTICLES: Esoteric? Fuzzy?

JRP articles seem to appear esoteric and fuzzy. What to do? We need to
work on this as well.

4. EDITORS/REVIEWERS: Backgrounds?

Our editorial members and reviewers come from diverse backgrounds --
not all of them from academic contexts. Of course, most of them are
working in academic contexts.

We would remain open to welcome more members/reviewers, whose work is
aligned with the focus of this transdisciplinary journal.

DP
--


JRP Review Exercise
RESPONSES RECEIVED

** Many thanks to all who responded **

RESPONCE # 1
Darla Himeles, Bryn Mawr College, USA

I can share anecdotally that a friend of mine, a faculty member at the
Community College of Philadelphia, shared with her colleagues in the
English department the article that I co-wrote with Jody Cohen and
Alice Lesnick.  They discussed it and how it applies (or not) to their
teaching.  So, some -- a few -- community college faculty are now
aware of it!

Perhaps being sure that colleges and universities link to JRP as a
scholarly journal on their library websites would increase readership.

The impact of JRP articles should be great.  I know that colleagues of
mine who have read our article have found it significant/interesting.

I can't speak more broadly than that, though!


RESPONCE # 2
Ramendra Singh, Doctoral Student(Marketing), IIM Ahmedabad, INDIA

Although I was a reviewer once for JRP and used to also read other
articles being published in the journal, I have stopped reading it as
I find the articles very esoteric, abstract, and fuzzy.

In my limited knowledge and understanding as a doctoral student, I
have come across hardly any FPM reading or have ever read JRP
articles. ["FPM" stands for Fellow Programme in Management -- a
doctoral programme in management followed in some Indian institutions.]

Is there a point for such a journal to exist? Should it change? Is it
making an impact? These are hard but worth asking at this juncture. Is
JRP making an impact on management research or education in India or
elsewhere? Is it possible to calculate its impact factor today or few
years down the line? Then what would that be?

Having said that my suggestions worth 2 cents on the above issues
would be make JRP less esoteric and eclectic to increase the
readership. It should appeal to common problems of management
researchers rather than abstract conceptualizations of some
intellectual minds.

In India, given the nascent stage of management research, JRP has the
potential to capture a large share of mind of the doctoral students as
well as other management researchers in India, Asia-pacific, and other
parts of the world.

Invite special issues through chosen editors to bring out issues on
some common theme which would be helpful to specific sections of the
academia, e.g., doctoral students and young faculties, on research
areas such as consumer behavior, organization behavior, etc.

JRP is about research in practice. But is it making a worthwhile
impact on either research or practice or practice of research? To me,
its visibility, share of mind, readership, and impact are negligible.
It is time to take this journal into a new trajectory under the
intellectual leadership of the editorial team. Worth a thought if new
members from academia and practitioners can be invited to join the
editorial board as well as editorial review board.

All the best to the Journal and hope to revive reading the journal.
Request that the above comments be read in a constructive spirit, as
these are not meant to demean any person or object.


RESPONCE # 3
Christine Frank, Christine Frank & Associates, CANADA

My honest answer, now that I have a little time to respond, is that
the journal is not useful in my work. I have just looked back at it,
looking at the article titles in the current issue. I do not work in
academia but rather in applied social research not connected to a
university. The topics are very academic in nature, and I would
suggest that even for academics, the spread of topics is very broad.
Most people need to focus their limited reading time on articles
directly related to their working area.


RESPONCE # 4
Gautam Bhattacharyya, Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, USA

I think an advertisement in the "Chronicle of Higher Education" in the
US would be a good way to disseminate the existence of this journal.
Unfortunately, I do not have any useful insight regarding the other
points.


RESPONCE # 5
Anil Kumar, Rourkela Steel Plant, INDIA

Who is reading JRP? -- Most of the research Scholars.
How many are reading JRP? -- Around 300 (in my view).
How useful are JRP articles? -- Very very use specially for making
research reviews.
What is the "impact" of JRP articles? -- Creating a passion to write
management articles.
How can we attract more submissions? -- By asking each & every member
to send e-mail IDs and addresses of prospective readers.

--


--- In Research_Practice@yahoogroups.com, "Debiprasad Dash"
<dpdash@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Friends,
>
> Journal of Research Practice (JRP)
> ISSN 1712-851X
> http://jrp.icaap.org/
>
> The journal JRP has completed 3 years and crossed many milestones.
> We think it is time to initiate a review exercise and identify any
> areas requiring innovation and change.
>
> Towards this, we have the following questions:
>
> 1. Who is reading JRP?
> 2. How many are reading JRP?
> 3. How useful are JRP articles?
> 4. What is the "impact" of JRP articles?
> 5. How can we attract more submissions?
>
> Please reply to this message, answering any of the above questions
> or raising any new question(s) you consider relevant.
>
> DP and Héctor
> --
> D. P. Dash, PhD
> India
> dpdash@...
>
> Héctor R. Ponce, PhD
> Chile
> hponce@...