Building Community and Fostering Research Culture through Handbooks

Author:  Stefan Müller

Organisation:  University College Dublin

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

Community building and consistent support are crucial for early-career researchers. Tendler et al. (2023) recently highlighted the value of handbooks for research groups. In this poster presentation, I show how a comprehensive guide fosters collaboration and allows researchers to share knowledge among new and existing members.

INITIATIVE DESCRIPTION

The Text and Policy Research Group, comprising PhD researchers and postdocs at University College Dublin, maintains an evolving handbook. The document addresses open and responsible science while emphasising the importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within research groups. In addition, it provides links to templates for academic papers and presentation slides, along with resources on writing, proofreading, and visual data communication. It also outlines the structure of our collaborative meetings and explains how the group uses online communication platforms for continuous exchange and support. 

AIMS, PURPOSE, AND CONCLUSIONS

This poster summarises our guide and our experiences with this approach. The handbook is publicly available and continuously updated. Creating similar resources could help research groups prioritise tasks, communicate progress, solve issues, and foster meaningful discussions. This poster presentation aims to inspire faculty members and staff to adopt similar initiatives as a simple but effective way to enhance research culture.