Publishing ones research is a contentious field.
Many veteran academics have openly spoken of once they have published with good
intent - it has rocked the proverbial boat higher up the hierarchy; often met with real disapproval. Many times the
publishers are punished and scapegoated for the outcome, too many times the
research owners/funders pre-empt what the public reaction may be and attempt to
distance themselves from the research outcome by blaming the researchers for
the way the publication was portrayed. There are parables here to [subjective]
journalist who will be scapegoated by news/media businesses they work for ...
So - should we publish independently then?
There is no final word; although there is a line we should all tow of academic guidelines of ethics, report structure, referencing etc; which is then all handed over to the main avenues of communication (the news) one must consider or rather have faith that the general public who receive your research will make the appropriate independent decisions based on the correct information you have provided in your research.
Yet how can one make a statement like the above when deep down academics and industry recognise that all research outcomes have a planned agenda or biased ending based on the funding party’s desired conclusion. It is a complex area with complex outcomes.
In this era of an untrusting public who have no faith in the Government, we have all become continually more questioning and objective about the information we come into contact. Are we really as manipulated by the news or advertising as some industries would believe us to be? Many of us will complain that all media news is bad news, yet objectively and realistically we would all rather know than not know about current events. We still get on with our everyday lives and adapt accordingly.
Your social research may be critical in our national and global social development. You may have great angst about producing your publication as was executed on a really complex or contentious social phenomenon such as gangs, fraud in companies, informal economy, drug culture, black market etc. yet your research is important as it may encourage others to publish their work as they approached your subject matter from a different angle. The more research undertaken into many social phenomenon will support gain a more rounded insight into how said social phenomenon affects our society for the better or worse; if it is the latter what can we do to improve the situation through practice and policy?
Obviously issues of media portrayal of your research may be subjective and not objective –or there may be some miscommunication in the ranks and your work (or your career!) ends up getting setback along the way. It is a risk that may hold back some incredible research that may benefit us all .... so if you are feeling brave; go ahead and publish and be damned for what you truly believe in!
There is no final word; although there is a line we should all tow of academic guidelines of ethics, report structure, referencing etc; which is then all handed over to the main avenues of communication (the news) one must consider or rather have faith that the general public who receive your research will make the appropriate independent decisions based on the correct information you have provided in your research.
Yet how can one make a statement like the above when deep down academics and industry recognise that all research outcomes have a planned agenda or biased ending based on the funding party’s desired conclusion. It is a complex area with complex outcomes.
In this era of an untrusting public who have no faith in the Government, we have all become continually more questioning and objective about the information we come into contact. Are we really as manipulated by the news or advertising as some industries would believe us to be? Many of us will complain that all media news is bad news, yet objectively and realistically we would all rather know than not know about current events. We still get on with our everyday lives and adapt accordingly.
Your social research may be critical in our national and global social development. You may have great angst about producing your publication as was executed on a really complex or contentious social phenomenon such as gangs, fraud in companies, informal economy, drug culture, black market etc. yet your research is important as it may encourage others to publish their work as they approached your subject matter from a different angle. The more research undertaken into many social phenomenon will support gain a more rounded insight into how said social phenomenon affects our society for the better or worse; if it is the latter what can we do to improve the situation through practice and policy?
Obviously issues of media portrayal of your research may be subjective and not objective –or there may be some miscommunication in the ranks and your work (or your career!) ends up getting setback along the way. It is a risk that may hold back some incredible research that may benefit us all .... so if you are feeling brave; go ahead and publish and be damned for what you truly believe in!
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