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2023 Research Methods e-Festival: Call for Contributions

The second Research Methods e-Festival will take place between 7 and 9 November 2023. The event will be a celebration of research methods with an interdisciplinary focus. As in 2021, the event will be delivered wholly online.

In keeping with the concept of a festival, we are seeking contributions of sessions that are more interactive than those of a traditional conference format.

Sessions could cover particular methods or methodological frameworks, research design and approaches, epistemology, research infrastructure, data and data services, or ethics. There is no restriction on the type of method or discipline.

Please note, this call can be downloaded as a PDF document.


Format

The following are our standard session formats. We welcome submissions that fit into these categories, as well as creative format suggestions:

  • "What is" and "How to" talks: The classic research methods festival format, this is an intro to a topic by an expert on that topic. Usually made up of 35 minutes’ input with 15 minutes for questions. (50 minutes)
  • "In conversation with": A dynamic discussion in the spirit of a literary festival focused on a book or seminal paper of one or more of the contributors. Normally 35 minutes of conversation followed by 15 minutes for audience questions. (50 minutes)
  • Webinars: We are open to variation in format but a standard webinar would be a talk (30-45 minutes) and then the chair opens up a discussion. (50 minutes)
  • Panel sessions: Four to five experts each provide a 5-minute talk on their views on a particular topic then 30 minutes of questions and exploration from the audience. (50 minutes)
  • Workshops: Intended to be more interactive with a deeper dive into a topic. We are open to variations in format. A typical format might be two speakers speaking for 20 minutes each, then participants split into break-out groups lasting for 50 minutes before returning to plenary to compare notes. Another format might be a mini-hackathon, with participants given a data problem and asked to work in groups to solve it. (2 hours)
  • Something else! We are also very open to creative format suggestions. For example, this could be a game show format, extreme streaming, sessions using gamification, impact reels or ‘sprint and gate’. Left field ideas welcome!

Please note: There will be a separate call for a video poster competition. The best 10 submitted will be available to watch during the festival. Participants will be invited to vote on their favourite. A prize of £100 will be given to the most popular.


Festival structure and logistics

We will be using Whova to host the event. This is a dedicated online event platform that allows for networking, easy document sharing, polls, gamification, poster competitions and one-to-one meetings. Whova integrates with the contributor’s platform of choice so your delivery mode will be the same as usual.

We will be marketing the event and will be looking to target not just those in academia but also the private sector, third sector and government from the UK and worldwide.


Session convener fees

We offer the following fees for session conveners. You can choose for these to be paid either in vouchers or via a fee form, which will be sent after the event.

  • Workshops: £250
  • Other session types: £125

How to apply

The call for contributions has now closed.


Timeline

  • Call for sessions opens: 21 November 2022
  • Application deadline – extended: 20 February 2023 (16:00)
  • Applicants informed of outcome: 28 February 2023
  • Participant registration opens: 17 April 2023
  • Participant registration closes: 15 August 2023
  • Festival takes place: 7-9 November 2023

Further information

Updates about the festival will be posted on the NCRM website as further details are confirmed.

For more information about the call for contributions, contact: claire.spencer@manchester.ac.uk