From big data to big reach: the future of research

Presented by New Mandala and the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs

With data forming an integral part of daily life and readily at our finger tips – whether it be on smart phones, televisions or computers – it is also reshaping how scholars and researchers conduct and communicate their work.

In this seminar we explore the issue from a range of perspectives. Specifically we look at the current state of research conduct and its distribution and how both aspects are changing in the online era.

Panellists will look at the how academics conduct research, how it is gathered, how quantitative and qualitative analysis is changing in the humanities and social sciences disciplines, and whether academic journals are still the best place to host this information and the key discoveries it reveals.

The seminar will also examine what online research and big data means for academics, how we can do it better, and the future of our research habits and practices.

This event is free to the public and will be preceded by a light lunch at 12pm. Registration is essential.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Dr Andrew Carr will introduce the session and speak on the need for new approaches, as well as the changing nature of qualitative research.

Amanda Lawrence (alawrence@swin.edu.au) will discuss new avenues of distribution, drawing on her experience helping to run Australian Policy Online.

Professor Margaret Thornton (margaret.thornton@anu.edu.au) will discuss the opportunities of open access, and the need to move academic publishing beyond the world of commercial publishers and high subscription fees for libraries.

Professor Nick Bisley (n.bisley@latrobe.edu.au), editor of the Australian Journal of International Affairs will speak on the role of journals, how they are changing in the digital era, and why journals should remain central to the practice of academia.

ABOUT HORIZONS

Hosted each year by the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, the Horizons seminar series aims to enhance research innovation by supporting and showcasing collaborative, interdisciplinary, innovative and accessible thinking and work in Asia-Pacific affairs.

The 2016 series, 'Digital vision: agency, power and the future of Asia-Pacific affairs', explores how and why academics need to take scholarly debate and knowledge to wider audiences.