Introduction

We will now move on from the discussion of current issues to examine what we understand by research and the people we describe as researchers. We will also look at some of the key developments in the nature of and environment for research, especially in the UK. We have included four case studies of very different researchers to illustrate the diversity of career paths, status and reasons for undertaking research, as a way of illuminating these discussions of definitions, history and policy. These are based on real researchers, but their names have been changed to preserve their anonymity.

The aims of this chapter are:

• ■ to define research and researchers

• ■ to examine the history of the PhD

• ■ to consider the impact of the Roberts Review, the Concordat and the RAE on research in the UK and on researchers, making international comparisons where possible.

What is research?

As a starting point, we felt that it was important to actually uncover and unpick what we meant by the term research. We searched a selection of resources to explore the different dimensions of our definition. The main phrase which recurred during this examination was ‘systematic investigation’. Such an investigation is made to discover, interpret or revise facts or theories. Another recurring description of research is that of developing or contributing to ‘generalizable knowledge’. So research activity primarily involves the discovery of knowledge not previously known or understood or the development of a new way of organizing or structuring known material that provides a new understanding about its subject matter. Scholarly research, therefore, is systematic or methodical, involves the discovery and interpretation of facts or the revision of accepted theories in the light of new facts. It may also involve the practical application of new or revised theories.

Although many students undertake research projects during the course of their academic careers and there are many researchers outside formal education – ranging from passionate amateurs to literary biographers – this book has restricted its consideration to scholarly research in academia. We define this as commencing with the doctor of philosophy (PhD or DPhil) degree, widely recognized as the most important postgraduate qualification for graduates wishing to pursue academic and research careers.