SRA News

For previous editions of our members newsletter SRA News see here. News The Market Research Society has called for applications for the Research Awards 2008. Now in its fifth year, the Research Awards 2008 (formerly the Research Excellence & Effectiveness Awards) recognise and celebrate the achievements of both individual researchers and organisations. Organised by MRS, the awards are the research world's equivalent of the Oscars and are a once-a-year opportunity for you - or your organisation - to be up there on stage with the winners. Application for the MRS Awards categories - is now open and will close on Monday 30 June: New Techniques/Methodology New Consumer Insights - new award Research Applications Insight Management Advertising and Media Business-to-Business Financial Services - new award Public Policy/Social These categories are open to individual researchers, teams, organisations and the focus is on excellence, effectiveness or innovation in research. Full information on the criteria and how to apply for these awards can be found on the MRS website at www.mrs.org.uk/awards/2008 SRA Becomes Registered Charity The SRA is pleased to be able to announce that as of the first of May 2008 it has become a registered charity (number 1123940). This follows on from becoming a private limited liability company in November of last year and reflects important changes to its overall governance arrangements. Click here for its Memorandum and Articles - its new governing instruments. Call for Papers for 2008 SRA Annual Conference To dowload information on the SRA Annual Conference Call for Papers - please click here (pdf 51k) Are You Interested In MAGIC? (Maintaining Access to Government Information Collaboratively) If so, please read on... Education for Change is leading the MAGIC study, commissioned by the London School of Economics Library, the University of Oxford Social Sciences Library and the British Library, of the feasibility of a central repository and “virtual reference desk” offering long-term electronic access to a comprehensive collection of British government and official publications via the Internet. The service would cover electronic UK (Westminster) government documents and those issued by the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The potential for a shared service of this kind has been proposed in response to a general concern within the research community about loss of information when Government web sites are updated or closed due to structural reform of the machinery of government, policy changes, change of party in power, etc. As well as information on the web pages themselves, they contain links to important documents which would previously have been published in print and preserved in libraries for the use of researchers and members of the public, but which are now often issued only in electronic form on government web sites, where their presence is transitory. We have designed a short survey for researchers from the academic, government and other sectors in order to gather information from research communities about the potential market for such a service, including current practice by individual researchers in identifying, finding and using official publications (both print and electronic). If you are a researcher with an interest in using current and historic official publications from the United Kingdom, we would be grateful if you could take the time to complete our survey at this web address http://www.efc.co.uk/projects/magic/researchers_survey.jsp . Thank you for your assistance in this research Seminar Presentations If you would like to view the presentations from the Making Policy in Theory and Practice Seminar held on Monday 10th March 2008, they are available here SRA e-Bulletin If you would like to view the SRA e-bulletin for March 2008, it is available for download here (.pdf 129k) SRA Ethics Forum The SRA will be launching an "Ethics Forum" on 29th January 2008 designed to support members confronting ethical dilemmas in their research work. Ethical scrutiny of research has grown rapidly in all areas of enquiry – academic, government, and health. There has been less emphasis on ethical practice and there is continuing and growing need to maintain awareness of the ethical implications of social research. The SRA is responding to a need for ongoing mentoring support. Full details available here (doc 31k) 2011 UK Census Outputs Consultation - Online Survey and Blog The UK Census offices (ONS, GROS, and NISRA) invite you to participate in a 2011 Census output consultation through response to an online survey. The consultation is open from 25th February 2008 for 12 weeks. It aims to find out what users of the 2011 Census want from the data we gather. Your answers will help us to prioritise user needs. The survey is supplemented by a blog, run in conjunction with the Hansard Sociey.This provides an opportunity to elaborate on issues raised in the survey and discuss your views with other users. More information is available from the consultation website at http://www.ukcensusoutputs.net The Journal of Voluntary Sector Research: Call for Papers You are invited to submit an article to be considered for publication in The Journal of Voluntary Sector Research (ISSN 1755-3083) – a new quarterly journal, commencing in 2008, aimed at practitioners and academics with an interest in voluntary sector research. Editorial Policy We aim to publish the best research carried out by or for the voluntary sector in a way that is accessible and credible. The Journal will disseminate key research findings as widely as possible to those seeking to learn from or to better understand the voluntary sector. The Journal will help meet the need for research evidence to inform and underpin good practice and performance improvement. Publication decisions will be based solely upon the quality and interest of the submission and close relevance to the work of the voluntary sector. Key Journal Audiences Universities Voluntary sector organisations Statutory agencies Further education colleges Consultants Submissions Articles should be between 3,000 and 6,000 words with a short summary of 100-200 words. Authors should submit three printed copies of their manuscript together with one copy in electronic form to: Dr Gary Kitchen, Editor, Journal of Voluntary Sector Research, Get Heard Consultancy, 37b New Cavendish Street, London W1G 8JR, Email: gkitchen@getheard.org.uk, Web: www.getheard.org.uk/journal.php The Journal will consider only work that has not been previously published in journal or book form. Submissions must not be under consideration anywhere else. Please contact the Editor for more detailed Guidelines for Authors. Editorial Board The Journal aims at high standards both of academic excellence and accessibility underpinned by an established Editorial Board of relevant practitioners and scholars.