The Research Plan

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

I attended a meeting about grant applications, today. There was lots of good advice, including the development of a five-year career plan. A very sound suggestion. However, most early career researchers are really at the start of their research career, whilst I? I’ve done less research in my research career than a full-time researcher – obviously, as I got my PhD aged 51, and since then I’ve mostly been a 0.3 researcher – and my research development has thus been spread over a longer period. Similarly, I do have some teaching experience, but not an enormous amount. So …

In planning the next five years, young researchers have different parameters (making a good start, developing their strengths, possibly more able to relocate geographically, possibly without family responsibilities), whilst old ones are trusting they’ll still be fit and well in five years’ time; might not be able to relocate; and might well have family or caring responsibilities. (Should the plan also have the equivalent of a runaway truck ramp or escape lane, in case personal circumstances change unexpectedly?!)

Over the Hill? Which Hill?!

Maybe over one hill, but there are other hills to climb!

Five years at the start of a working life are  different from five years somewhere nearer the end. I want to go on forever!  Realistically, that’s impossible.  (I might live another three decades, but who can say if I’ll still be researching at 96?!) 

However, I read a posting the other day about the use of metaphors in health care, and I can see a parallel for scholars here; they talk about a journey with an illness, whilst we use metaphor to talk about our research journey.

To continue with the journeying, travelling metaphor: I climbed the librarianship hill as far as I could get.  I didn’t reach the top, but I made reasonable progress.  Looking around, I saw other hills I’d like to climb. You could say I’ve used the state retirement age as an opportunity to come down from the library hill, so I can spend more time climbing elsewhere.

I’d like to write another book. But I’ve only just published my second; I need at least three or four more years to do enough research into a new topic to merit a book. And I haven’t decided what exactly it will be about yet, though this might well become apparent in the next year or so.

Despite all this, a five-year research plan does seem desirable.  I must apply myself to devising it!