Demystifying the Academic Research Enterprise

Becoming a Successful Scholar in a Complex and Competitive Environment

Kelvin K. Droegemeier

• Publisher: The MIT Press
• Year: 2023
• eBook ISBN:
  9780262377218
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Counseling

The academic research enterprise is highly complex, involving multiple sectors of society and a vast array of approaches. In Demystifying the Academic Research Enterprise, Kelvin K. Droegemeier shows next-generation scholars across all disciplines how to become more productive earlier in their career, as well as how to help shape the academic research enterprise. The topics covered include public perceptions of scholarly work and its use in policy; understanding the big picture of funding and national priorities as well as identifying funding sources; research methods; collecting data and materials; writing grant proposals; publishing results; ethical conduct; bias and peer review; intellectual property and compliance regulations; partnerships and collaboration; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and the future of research.

Droegemeier's two principal goals are to enhance and accelerate scholars' understanding of the academic research process and to democratize that understanding, particularly at institutions that traditionally are underrepresented or lack robust resources. While intended for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and early career faculty, Demystifying the Academic Research Enterprise is also relevant to mid-career and senior faculty, research administrators, funding organizations, congressional staff, policymakers, and the general public. Droegemeier places scholars in a broader national and international context—not as passive recipients of the existing system but as key actors who actively participate in helping to set priorities, determine policies, drive systemic change, and advance knowledge.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Acronyms
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. Deep in Our Bones: Why and Where We Perform Research and Creative Activity
• 2. The Money Trail: Funding for Research and Creative Activity
• 3. Perception and Reality: Public Attitudes, Understanding, and Use of Research
• 4. Essential Concepts: Performing Research and Creative Activity
• 5. Becoming a Detective: Finding What You Need and Using It Effectively
• 6. Diving into the Pool: Research Proposals, Evaluation Processes, and Project Management
• 7. The Give-and-Take of Criticism: Subjecting Research to Scrutiny via Peer/Merit Review
• 8. We See the World Differently: Bias and Differing Views
• 9. Honesty Is the Best Policy: Ethical Conduct and Research Integrity
• 10. Better Safe than Sorry: Research Compliance
• 11. Show Time: Making Your Work Known to Multiple Audiences
• 12. Yours, Mine, and Ours: Ownership of Research Outcomes
• 13. I Need You and You Need Me: Collaboration, Multidisciplinary Inquiry, and Academic-Corporate Partnerships
• 14. A Glass Half Empty or Half Full: Challenges and Opportunities for the US Academic Research Enterprise
• Afterword
• References
• Author Biography
• Index