The Third Degree

Is There Such a Thing as a Predatory Conference? In our webinar a couple of weeks ago on "Getting the Most from Your First Conference", we were asked a really valuable question (thanks January and Darlina) - "we all hear about 'Predatory Journals' - is there such a thing as a 'PREDATORY CONFERENCE'? In short, YES there are. A predatory conference is much the same in terms of its red flags. I've edited the Q&A session from the webinar to share my thoughts, and also put a link to a Wiki post below addressing the same general question. Whilst they exist, we have to remember a couple of points: (1) They are not illegal (they are just not all that focused, or ethical), and (2) The research presented through the conference isn't necessarily of poor quality - only the channels of access is deemed to be. As a research student, a predatory conference may still be your ...

Upcoming Webinars | May 2021 This May we have three (3) webinars as part of our free weekly webinar series. We are taking a week off for the Raya break, but there will be five (5) webinars in June - so plenty to keep you thinking as we head towards the halfway mark for 2021. April's webinars are for mid-journey and end-journey research candidates; but early-stage researchers are welcome to listen in too as these issues will apply 'sooner-or-later'. Wednesday 5 May 2021 | How to Take Offline Research to Online   Challenges with lockdowns, intra and inter-district movement restrictions, and even new SOP’s, have disrupted much of our face-to-face research – especially interviews and focus groups. The response; move what we can to online-means, to continue our research. This webinar will explore some of the issues associated with pivoting offline to online; ethics, observation, struct...

Enhancing Your Digital Profile (for Researchers) Reference List April 2021   For those who were able to attend last nights rescheduled webinar on “Enhancing Your Digital Profile for Researchers”, a special thanks for making it at the new time. What I hope came across through the session was that having an online profile to represent yourself and your research goes way beyond “what should I post on Facebook”, but includes a longer and deeper communications strategy about yourself and your research, and of course, consideration as to the academic platforms that you can consider to use for these purposes.   In putting together the later part of the webinar, I found the following resources particularly useful. Some are quite deep reading, and of course, in scope, more than I could ever cover in an hour. It is recommended for you to check out segments that you are interested in understanding better, and seeing how you can embrace and activate the advice given.   ...