Promoting writing amongst peers: establishing a community of writing practice for early career academics

In the current research-focused climate, academics are facing increasing pressure to produce research outputs. This pressure can prove particularly daunting for early career (EC) academics, who are simultaneously attempting to master new teaching and administrative demands while establishing their o...

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Published inHigher education research and development Vol. 36; no. 6; pp. 1194 - 1207
Main Authors Kent, Alexandra, Berry, Donna M., Budds, Kirsty, Skipper, Yvonne, Williams, Helen L.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 19.09.2017
Subjects
Academic Discourse
academic writing
Beginning Teacher Induction
Collaborative Writing
College Faculty
Communities of Practice
early career academics
Foreign Countries
Gender Issues
Group Discussion
Group Dynamics
Peer Groups
Training Methods
Writing retreats
Writing Skills
Writing Strategies
United Kingdom
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Summary:In the current research-focused climate, academics are facing increasing pressure to produce research outputs. This pressure can prove particularly daunting for early career (EC) academics, who are simultaneously attempting to master new teaching and administrative demands while establishing their own independent research trajectories. Previous reports suggest that academic writing retreats can be an effective way of increasing research outputs. Such retreats generally involve academics from a range of career stages and require expert facilitators. Through organising a series of structured writing events, this project aims to cultivate an enduring community of practice for academic writers. Reflecting on our EC retreat and subsequent writing days with academics from different career stages, we suggest that success hinged on three key factors: (1) A formal structure comprising bounded periods of intense writing, flanked by group reviewing and goal-setting; (2) Co-located writing with participants based in a shared space, away from their usual workstation and distractions; (3) Peer discussions involving participants at a similar career stage. Specifically we found that writing amongst 'equals' increased productivity and confidence amongst EC academics.
ISSN:0729-4360
1469-8366
DOI:10.1080/07294360.2017.1300141