“While undertaking a PhD, you are both learning how to do research, and learning how to be part of academia, as well as, perhaps, learning about your academic self in relation to your non-academic self. “
In a recent article published in The Guardian, some interesting questions were posed about the transformations that an early career researcher goes through on their journey to become an established scholar. The author of the article, Laura Graham-Matheson, wrote that there are some real tensions for academics as they struggle between “becoming” and “belonging” to an established community of scholars.
For example:
- The expectation to conform to disciplinary or institutional conventions
- The struggle between balancing personal goals and values as a researcher with meeting long-established criteria.
- The struggle between letting your personal voice come through in your writing and letting the research speak for you.
- The challenge of keeping objectivity when the topic is your passion.
What advice would you give to early career researchers experiencing the tension between being and belonging as a researcher? Leave a comment to share your thoughts with the SAGE Connection community.
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…and building a reputation online (via social media and researcher networks) is another interesting dimension.