What is Research Culture, and why does it matter?
Have you come across the term Research Culture? This refers to the values, behaviours, and working practices that shape how research is done and experienced. It includes things like collaboration, fairness, recognition, support for career development, and how inclusive and respectful the research environment is. A positive research culture helps everyone involved in research to thrive and do their best work.
I’m delighted to be joining the Research Culture Committee at Durham University, as representative of the Faculty of Social Sciences. I genuinely believe that a positive research culture improves the quality of our research, but also the wellbeing, recognition, and development of everyone involved in the research process. Durham’s Flourish@Durham initiative, is leading the way in creating a research environment that is fair, transparent, and inclusive. This means valuing the how as much as the what, ensuring that Durham's research strategy is delivered with care for the people, processes, and principles that underpin it.
I’m particularly passionate about supporting initiatives that promote fair authorship and attribution, recognising the contributions of all research participants, from principal investigators to technicians, early-career researchers, and administrative staff. This aligns with national frameworks such as the Technician Commitment, which advocates for visibility, recognition, and career development for technical staff, who are fundamental to successful research. And this isn't just for STEM. Technical experts are also crucial for arts, humanities and social sciences, whether that be more traditional lab based technicians, such as we have in Archaeology, Digital Humanities technicians who maintain and develop digital tools and archives, or studio technicians for Fine Arts who manage equipment and materials in painting, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking studios.
Research culture is becoming increasingly important in how research is assessed and funded. For the next REF in 2029 (the UK's Research Excellence Framework), universities won’t just be assessed on their outputs, but also on how they support the people and environments that make research happen. That means showing how they foster inclusive, fair, and collaborative working cultures, not just producing great papers.
Funders like UKRI and the EU Commission have already embedded research culture into their funding structures. They’re looking for grant applications that show a real commitment to things like open research, fair authorship, and making sure everyone involved gets proper recognition. Policies like the Technician Commitment and the Researcher Development Concordat are now seen as essential, not optional. I have been very encouraged since joining Durham that there is a real, active commitment to putting this into practice, and I hope I can support this across the university in this new committee role.
Well done for taking on this new role. Authorship is , in some areas, surprisingly contentious and I have been contributing to a draft policy at my University. In some fields, Particle Physics research in large experiments such as those being conducted at CERN, the collaborations have fairly clear criteria for authorship and my own experience was that there was rather little contention. In much smaller collaborations, especially where there are large differences in power (such as between an established PI and PhD students or PDRA colleagues) I am aware of significant problems and often no real desire to resolve them equitably. Good luck!
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