Getting out there – by Charlotte

Charlotte Mathieson is an Associate Fellow in the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies, and also works as an ECR project officer in the Research Exchange.

The last few weeks have seen my research activity take an unexpected turn, with an unusually high level of interest in my work: I'm a Dickens scholar, and with the bicentenary of the great man's birth fast approaching (8th Feb), there has been a great deal of academic and wider interest in all things Dickens (from events, conferences, dedicated websites, blogs, and even an iPhone app). The University has its own Celebrating Dickens website, which I was lucky enough to be invited to contribute to along with some very prominent academics from across the University. So far I've recorded two podcasts and written a blog; in turn, this has lead to the Knowledge Centre publishing a related feature on my work, to be followed by a second article next week.

A lot of this is, of course, down to luck - it's a happy coincidence that Dickens's 200th birthday falls just when I've finished my PhD, and have the incentive to put time into activities that will help to raise my profile. But I have been picking up a few tips for how to get, and make the most of, opportunities to "get out there" with your research:

1. Think ahead, and focus on areas of your research that have the future potential to attract wider attention. Whilst not everyone can have a handy bicentenary (or similar) to get involved in, this hasn't all been luck on my part: my PhD was on a number of nineteenth-century authors but I made a strategic decision last year to focus on Dickens for a while as I knew the bicentenary was approaching. See what's coming up in your field.
2. Move out of your comfort zone; I have to say, I was initially more terrified than thrilled at the prospect of recording podcasts for a high-profile site but the golden rule in academia is, of course, don't say no - grab every opportunity regardless of whether you feel confident or capable (with practice, you'll feel both).
3. Find out what's out there: are there any blogs or websites you could contribute to as a guest blogger or article? Get to know the venues available and how you might use them. The Knowledge Centre is a great starting point - take a look at their current themes and subject areas.
4. Put yourself forward; if you see an opportunity that you might be relevant for, send a speculative enquiry even if you're not sure. I did exactly this for a high-profile journal's blog, and now have the opportunity to write a couple of guest blogs. If you don't ask, you don't get.
5. The comms office are very useful people to be in touch with: it was rather a surprise one day to find an email asking if I was free to speak to a Sunday Times journalist about Dickens. Once they know your specialism, you can become a useful go-to person for any relevant press enquiries.
6. Raise your own profile: get on Twitter and get a blog - the combination of these is an effective way to increase your own publicity. Having a blog means you can publish all your activity in one place, and Twitter is an invaluable way of getting a following for your work. It also allows you to engage with the University and departments/centres like the Knowledge Centre who tweet when new articles are published; being on twitter means you can be linked to tweets about your work, and get retweeted to much larger followings (last week I got re-tweeted by @warwickuni to over 11,000 followers).
7. Use your eportfolio: create a "latest news" section on your front page to pull together all your activity, and keep it updated regularly.
8. Don't be afraid to write cheeky meta-blogs reflecting on your activities, thereby giving your work more exposure ;-)

A year ago, I really wouldn't have thought I'd be writing a post like this. The whole self-publicising thing didn't come too naturally to me, and I wasn't feeling all that confident about my research in the post-PhD slump. However, once you get going it becomes easier to sustain and feel more confident about seeking other opportunities. Aside from enjoying working on these projects and that people are taking an interest in my work, the most important thing I've noticed is that I am feeling much more motivated about my research and more confident about myself as a researcher.

Now I just have to prepare myself for the fact that in a couple of months interest in Dickens will probably dwindle... maybe it's time to start working on Browning or Lear...

Charlotte Mathieson : 30 Jan 2012 08:00 |  Tags: Charlotte Mathieson Web Presence |  Comments (6) |  Report a problem