Research HandbookYour guide to: • How research works at the University

• Processes to follow

• The support on offer and helpful contacts

Issue 2

Athena SWANThe University of Hertfordshire joined the Athena SWAN charter in July 2012. Equality and diversity are not only important but integral to the working and learning environment at the University. We want to make sure that as a higher education institution we are able to attract, develop, retain and encourage women to study and work within science, engineering and technology and bring innovation and creativity to industry, the HE sector and to the University as an institution.

European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research BadgeA UK-wide process, incorporating the ‘QAA Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes’ and the ‘Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers’, enables institutions to gain the European Commission’s ‘HR Excellence in Research’ Badge, acknowledging alignment with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

The University of Hertfordshire has been awarded the European Commission HR Excellence in Research Badge. The University has held the badge since December 2010. The award is in recognition of the University’s commitment and achievements in implementing the Concordat for the Career Development of Researchers and the QAA Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes.

National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE)As a major public sector organisation, the University has a central place within the community. To support the development of our vital public engagement work, we have signed the manifesto of the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE).

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03WelcomeAt the University of Hertfordshire we have a strong commitment to excellence in diverse research that has a powerful impact on the wider world. This commitment is central to the mission of the University and the experience of all students is enhanced through exposure to the extensive range of research and scholarship undertaken by our enthusiastic and competent staff.

All our research takes place within three dedicated research institutes spanning linked disciplines across the breadth of the University’s activities. These broad-based research institutes are:

• Health and Human Sciences Research Institute (HHSRI)

• Science and Technology Research Institute (STRI)

• Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Research Institute (SSAHRI)

They incorporate research centres, research themes and research groups bringing together a blend of research-focused staff facilitating both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research, while enabling the development and nurturing of research partnerships with other universities, industry, business and public/charity sector organisations. The University’s Research Strategy 2011-15 has been designed to facilitate far-reaching engagement with business, community and national and international partners.

The University is committed to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Vitae Researcher Development Framework. We have been awarded the European Commission HR Badge of Excellence for Research as a result of our implementation of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. We encourage research staff to take responsibility for their own personal development and career management, whilst providing extensive support through our systems, structures and plethora of development opportunities.

The outcome of the 2008 national Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) demonstrated that an impressive 11% of our research was world-leading with over 85% being of international quality. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) replaces the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) and will be completed in 2014.

Professor John Senior Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and International)

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ContentsResearch Structure at the University 6

Training and Development 8

Doctoral College 10

Research Funding 12

Research Integrity and Ethics 14

Managing your Research 16

Helpful Contacts 20

Research Structure at the UniversityResearch in the University of Hertfordshire is spread across three Research Institutes, each of which has a Director of Research and a Head of Research Degrees. The central Research Committee, chaired by the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and International) (PVC), oversees University policy, and the Research Degrees Board, chaired by the Director of the Doctoral College and Research Degrees, oversees policy, processes and outcomes for research degrees. The Pro Vice-Chancellor Research Management Group (consisting of the PVC, Director of the Doctoral College and Research Degrees, Directors of Research Institutes, REF Manager, Manager of Research Grants Office plus Director of Business Development) oversees Research Strategy for the University. The Head of Research Degrees in each Research Institute reports to the Director of Research Degrees.

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Health & Human Sciences Research Instutute (HHSRI)

Life and Medical Sciences

Health and Social Work

Head of Research Degrees (HHSRI)

Head of Research Degrees (STRI)

Head of Research Degrees (SSAHRI)

Director of

Research (HHSRI)

Director of

Research (STRI)

Director of

Research (SSAHRI)

Science and Technology

Research Instutute (STRI)

Computer Science

Schools

Engineering & Technology

Physics, Astronomy & Mathematics

Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities Research Instutute

(SSAHRI)

Business

Education

Humanities

Law

Creative Arts

Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and International

Director of the Doctoral College and Research Degrees

Research Degrees Team

Directors of Research, Research Institutes

Manager of Research

Grants Office

Research Grants Team

Research Excellence Framework

(REF) Manager

Management Structure:

Research Institute Structure:

Academic Board

Academic Development Committee

Research Degrees Board

Research Committee

Governance Structure:

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09Training and DevelopmentResearch Development One Stop Website The University is committed to supporting researchers in their personal, professional and career development. Our Research Development One Stop Website www.herts.ac.uk/research/research-development makes it quick and easy to discover the training and development opportunities on offer.

Induction The research community at the University is provided with an inclusive induction programme at both central and local level.

Central Induction Provides an overview and broad understanding of life at the University, in addition to sources of important and useful information.

The HR ‘welcome meeting’ Normally taking place on the first day of work, this covers the requirements to ensure that new members of staff are promptly paid, as well as providing information about the benefits available and how to access StaffNet HR pages and the HR StaffPortal.

Local Induction and Research Staff Induction These events provide new members of staff with information on their work team, local work practices, policies and procedures, as well as the wider life of the University.

Training The Researcher Development Framework (RDF) Launched in 2011, the RDF is a major new approach to researcher development. It is invaluable for planning, promoting and supporting the personal, professional and career development of researchers. The University encourages researchers to make use of the Framework as part of their personal and career development.

HR Development HR Development runs a comprehensive list of training opportunities throughout the year which members of staff are encouraged to attend. Some of these workshops are aimed specifically at researchers, and are mapped against the Researcher Development Framework, whilst others will also be relevant to researchers.

Researcher Development Programme The University provides a comprehensive Researcher Development Programme, which is open to staff as well as research students. The programme is designed to provide research knowledge and skills and has been mapped against the Researcher Development Framework. See the Research pages on StudyNet to view the sessions on offer and to book a place.

Appraisal The University operates an appraisal process to ensure that the individual’s contribution is recognised, and to ensure that individuals are clear about what is expected of them. It provides a constructive environment to discuss work priorities and targets and an opportunity to discuss development needs. The scheme includes an annual and 6 month review. Appraisal is mandatory for all staff, whether on open-ended or fixed term contracts.

Mentoring The University supports mentoring of early career researchers as a mechanism for their career development. Mentoring provides research staff with an opportunity to work with experienced researchers. From time to time mentoring is provided through formal schemes, and it may also be requested via the appraisal process.

Helping you settle in

Ask your colleagues and Associate Dean (Research) about mentoring opportunities in your School and see StaffNet for more information

Careers, Employment and Enterprise Service Whatever your research topic, the Careers, Employment and Enterprise Service is here to facilitate your career development and assist you with your next steps. We can support you with job searching, vacancy opportunities, CV, cover letter and application form writing and interview and assessment centre preparation through online resources workshops, careers events and one to one appointments. All of our vacancies, online resources and appointment and event booking can be accessed via our CareerHub portal www.careerhub.herts.ac.uk and see the range of online resources that have been developed to help researchers on StudyNet.

We will also deliver some sessions as part of the Researcher Development Programme to support you with career planning and application preparation.

The Careers, Employment and Enterprise Service offices on campus are open Monday-Thursday 9.00-5.00pm and Friday 9.00-4.00pm.

For further information contact the team on 01707 284791 or email careers@herts.ac.uk

Have you?• Completed a central induction and registered to attend local induction?

• Booked onto upcoming training sessions?

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11Doctoral CollegeThe University of Hertfordshire’s Doctoral College Our Doctoral College houses over 650 research degree students, ranging from Masters by Research through to Doctorate level. Run centrally through Academic Services, we help with all key milestones of the research degree process for students and their supervisors. The College provides research training for staff and students. Through its social provision for students, it brings junior and senior researchers together promoting a stimulating research environment and cooperation across disciplines. In addition to PhD, MPhil, MSc by Research and MA by Research, we also offer eleven Professional Doctorate programmes.

The Research Degrees Team (research-degrees@herts.ac.uk) Research students and supervisors at the University of Hertfordshire benefit from a dedicated Research Degrees Team who can assist them through:

• All aspects of student administration from enrolment to examination

• Provision of a programme of training designed to support and develop research students and supervisors and examiners

• Quality assurance and enhancement of research degrees

• Expertise on University of Hertfordshire research fees policy

• Guidance on University procedures and regulations

We are committed to the quality of research supervision, and all research degree students are supervised by teams of appropriately experienced supervisors. In addition there are Research Tutors who can act in a general advisory capacity. The Professional Doctorates involve different kinds of professional supervision as appropriate.

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13Research FundingWhen considering applying for research funding, there are a number of teams here to help and a variety of funding sources you could consider

The Research Grants Office (RGO) (researchgrants@herts.ac.uk) provides a central advice and support service for academic and research staff. We can help with:

• Identification of appropriate sources of research funding

• Expert financial advice on the costing and pricing of research

• Specialist assistance with research bids from concept to submission

Visit the Research pages on StaffNet for a wide range of information on the funding support we provide for researchers.

The University can provide specialist support on UK, European and International Funding Bodies. For more information on specific funding bodies, please visit the 'find funding opportunities' page on StaffNet.

Funding and Application ProcessWhen applying for funding, it is important to complete an R1 costing form and to follow the UH Funding Application Process

¡ Check that your project meets the Frascati definition of research.

¡ Contact the Research Grants Office (RGO) for grant opportunities and help. Let them know what you plan to apply for.

¡ Search for funding opportunities on www.researchprofessional.com

¡ Consider internal and external collaborators.

¡ Allow yourself plenty of time!

¡ Contact the Research Finance Advisor for assistance with costing. Complete the R1 form (download the latest version from StaffNet).

¡ The RGO can assist you with all parts of an application, such as Impact statements and Data Management Plans.

¡ If applicable, contact the Intellectual Property and Contract Support team to discuss IP queries.

¡ Return your signed R1 to the RGO.

¡ Has your proposal been second read?

¡ Let the RGO know when you plan to submit as electronic institutional approval may be required.

Find funding opportunity and establish team/collaborators

Prepare the bid and R1

costing form

Final checking and submission

Keep up-to-date with funding news and issues twitter.com/UHResearchTeam

facebook.com/UHResearchGrantsTeam

• Why not attend a research induction with the Research Grants Office (RGO)?

• Don't forget to download and complete the latest R1 costing form

• Whether or not your application is successful, let the Research Grants Office know so that they can advise you accordingly

Help with funding applications

The University also subscribes to Research Professional (www.researchprofessional.com) which enables you to search for suitable funding opportunities and set up personalised email alerts.

The Knowledge Transfer Team (ktp@herts.ac.uk) works to develop industry links through knowledge transfer, bringing together academic research and business ideas for mutual benefit. They manage Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) applications from enquiry stage to project launch. Visit the KTP StaffNet pages for more information.

Intellectual Property and Contract Support (IPACS) The IPACS team (ipacs@herts.ac.uk) provides support for University staff requiring help with intellectual property or contracting matters relating to commercial or academic engagement with external bodies. Please visit http://ipacs.herts.ac.uk

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15Research Integrity and EthicsThe University expects that staff, students and other individuals permitted to work in the University will, at all times, observe the highest standards of integrity in relation to any research work which is supported by the University and/or conducted on its premises.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and International) has been designated by the Vice-Chancellor as the senior officer responsible for ensuring good research conduct. The Vice Chair of the University’s Ethics Committee for Studies involving Human Participants, Dr Susan Grey, is the main contact for Research Ethics.

UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) The University is a full member of the UKRIO which provides expert advice and guidance about the conduct of research. UKRIO is the only dedicated research integrity body in the UK and covers all disciplines.

Ethics Approval The University has approval processes for:

• Studies involving Human Participants, including sponsorship of research requiring external approval by the NHS

• Potentially problematic ethical issues relating to Research

Advice and approval should be sought at an early stage for any ethical issues that might arise in a research project.

The Ethics Committee The University’s Ethics Committee for Studies Involving Human Participants formulates institutional policies, regulations and procedures to ensure the proper conduct of studies involving human participants. Ethics approval for a research project is granted following careful assessment of the application.

The Ethics Committee currently delegates authority for the handling of applications for ethical clearance to three Ethics Committees with Delegated Authority (ECDAs). Each ECDA operates independently as a sub-committee; it is required to comply with the University’s regulations, contained in UPR RE01, ‘Studies Involving the Use of Human Participants’ and has responsibility for the ethical clearance of undergraduate, taught postgraduate and staff/research student applications to use human participants in their studies. These arrangements apply to studies of all kinds and are not restricted to those involving pure research.

The work of the ECDAs is arranged into 3 discipline areas in line with the Research Institutes:

i) ECDA, Health and Human Sciences: CRIPACC; Health & Emergency; Life Sciences; Nursing & Midwifery; Social Work; Counselling; Pharmacy; Postgraduate Medicine; Psychology (hhsecda@herts.ac.uk)

ii) ECDA, Science and Technology: Physics, Astronomy & Mathematics; Aerospace, Automotive and Design Engineering; Electronic Communication and Electrical Engineering; Computer Science (stecda@herts.ac.uk)

iii) ECDA, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities: Creative Arts; Business; Education, English; History, Music; Philosophy; Law; Criminal Justice. (ssahecda@herts.ac.uk)

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17Managing your ResearchPost-award finance If you are awarded external research funding you will be supported by your School Finance Manager in reporting back to the funder appropriately. Further information about managing your grant, completing the Award Confirmation Form and all post-award matters is available in the Post-Award Checklist on StaffNet.

Press releases You should contact the Media and PR team two weeks before you are due to publish or present your research findings, and they can work with the journal and you to finalise a press release about the research.

To identify where the press announcement could be placed, they will send you the News Form to complete and then usually follow up with you to ask for your research proposal/paper and do a phone interview for some quotes.

Once the press release is finalised, the Media and PR team sets a distribution date, then posts it on news sites and sends it it out to journalists and local media. At the same time, it is posted on the University website and research pages and passed to the e-clips team. There is also a tweet once the story is ‘live’ on the website and it can be included in the Research Blog.

Research Blog The University Research Blog is part of the University's strategy to raise the profile of research and innovation and to communicate with its research communities. The Media and PR team seek contributions from the University's researchers on new research projects/findings and comments about research stories in the media. They track stories in the news and approach researchers for comments. You can email research-blog@herts.ac.uk with suggestions for blog posts and they can provide the Research Blog form to complete and return.

The University of Hertfordshire Research Archive (UHRA) The UHRA is an institutional repository of University research publications which helps researchers to disseminate and showcase their research more widely. Researchers are expected to self-archive their publications using the Research Information System (page 18).

Help with managing your research

• Notify your Finance Manager• Contact the University’s Media and PR

team• Record your research activity and outputs

in the Research Information System (RIS)

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19The Research Information System (RIS) The University’s Research Information System supports:

• Preparation for the Research Excellence Framework (REF)

• Implementation of the University's Research Strategy

• The systematic management of research information across the University

• Integration with the UHRA

The RIS integrates a range of information such as research profiles, CVs, research outputs and funding awards. It operates with the University Research Archive (UHRA), to provide a comprehensive record of research publications, and with the University website for external promotion of our research strengths. Training is available for researchers so they can build up their pages with details of their research outputs, activities and events; this content is part of the research webpages. All research active staff are invited to book and attend a training session - dates and booking information are on the Human Resources StaffNet area at Using the Research Information System.

The RIS and UHRA:• Promote and showcase research across the University

• Provide wider dissemination of research, with greater visibility and recognition for you

• Make it much easier for Google and other major search engines to discover your work

• Assist in increasing citation rates for your work

• Provide a robust archive with permanent URLs for individual items

• Provide download counts and other statistics on usage

• Help the University compile its submission for the Research Excellence Framework

Information Hertfordshire (IH) Support Information Hertfordshire provides help for Research staff in a variety of ways, from locating specific journal articles to expert advice on writing data management plans/sharing statements for funding applications. Full details are available on the Information Hertfordshire Research Support Pages.

Helpful ContactsSenior Research ManagementPro Vice-Chancellor (Research and International) Professor John Senior (j.m.senior@herts.ac.uk)

Director of Doctoral College and Research Degrees Dr Susan Grey (s.grey@herts.ac.uk)

REF Manager Dr Catherine Manthorpe (c.manthorpe@herts.ac.uk)

Manager of Research Grants Office Vacancy

Other Support for ResearchersAssistant Registrar (Research Degrees), Academic Services Mrs Helen Bennett (h.1.bennett@herts.ac.uk)

Academic Services Officer (Research) Mrs Kathy Lee (k.j.lee@herts.ac.uk)

Research Finance Manager (Post-Award) Mr Christopher Gibbs (c.gibbs2@herts.ac.uk)

Research Information System (RIS) Ms Ellie Hubbard (e.e.hubbard@herts.ac.uk) Mrs Gill Hall (g.hall@herts.ac.uk)

Information Hertfordshire Research Support Mrs Monica Rivers-Latham (m.j.rivers-latham@herts.ac.uk)

Media and PR Support Mrs Ann Bruno (a.a.bruno@herts.ac.uk)

Research Institute SupportDirector of Research HHSRI Dr John Done (d.j.done@herts.ac.uk)

Director of Research SSAHRI Prof Jonathan Morris (j.2.morris@herts.ac.uk)

Director of Research STRI Prof Paul Kaye (p.h.kaye@herts.ac.uk)

Head of Research Degrees HHSRI Prof Anwar Baydoun (a.baydoun@herts.ac.uk)

Head of Research Degrees SSAHRI Dr Steven Adams (s.adams@herts.ac.uk)

Head of Research Degrees STRI Dr Tim Gledhill (t.gledhill@herts.ac.uk)

Associate Deans (Research):• Life and Medical Science Prof Anwar Baydoun (a.baydoun@herts.ac.uk)

• Health and Social Work Prof Sally Kendall (s.kendall@herts.ac.uk)/ Prof Julia Williams (j.williams@herts.ac.uk)

• Computer Science Prof Bruce Christianson (b.christianson@herts.ac.uk)

• Engineering & Technology Dr Rodney Day (r.day@herts.ac.uk)

• Physics, Astronomy & Mathematics Prof Janet Drew (j.drew@herts.ac.uk)

• Business School Prof Keith Randle (k.r.randle@herts.ac.uk)

• Education Dr Roger Levy (r.levy@herts.ac.uk)

• Humanities Prof Owen Davies (o.davies@herts.ac.uk)

• Creative Arts Dr Steven Adams (s.adams@herts.ac.uk)

• Law Vacancy

Researcher Development and TrainingResearcher Development Working Group: Dr Grace Lees-Maffei (g.lees-maffei@herts.ac.uk) Mrs Jill Lees (j.e.lees@herts.ac.uk)

Researcher Development Programme Manager: Dr Yasmin Imani (y.imani@herts.ac.uk)

Careers, Employment & Enterprise Support: Ms Zahra Carnochan (z.carnochan@herts.ac.uk)

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