Ted Rogers School researchers collaborate the write way
Writing research papers can be a lonely process, but the Research Writing Group at the Ted Rogers School of Management has helped make writing a team sport, creating a sense of community among faculty members and making the process more enjoyable and productive.
The group was originally formed in 2017 when Dr. Julie Kellershohn, Assistant Professor, Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, reached out to Dr. Kelly McKay (the Associate Dean of Research at the time), to see if she would support weekly research writing sessions with resources such as room bookings, beverages and snacks. Dr. Kellershohn got the idea from her time as a PhD student at Harper Adams University where they hosted “Shut Up and Write” Wednesdays.
Dr. McKay was on board with this idea, and the first Research Writing Group session was held on March 17, 2017. The group was small to start off with, but grew in size as the months went on. By the end of the first term of writing, the group enjoyed it so much that members wanted to continue to meet weekly throughout the summer too.
“The writing group provides dedicated time to focus on research writing,” says Dr. Kellershohn. “It can be tempting to push writing to the side during the teaching weeks of the term. This group helps to ensure that you make consistent progress on it.”
Writing sessions
The Research Writing Group runs during most of the year -- even during Reading Weeks and exam periods -- but usually takes August off. And when the pandemic hit in March 2020, the group wanted to continue to meet, so they pivoted and connected online over Zoom.
In the beginning, the writing sessions were two hours per week, but they have since grown to their current state of three and a half hours weekly, running from 9:30am to 1pm. The sessions have a consistent structure every week. In the first half-hour, participants log in, bring their own coffee and snacks and have 30 minutes of socialization. Then at 10am, the writing begins.
“We begin with stated intent. Everyone shares what they are planning to work on that day,” says Dr. Kellershohn. “For example, I will share the topic of a research paper that I am working on, what stage of the process I’m in and what I hope to focus on that day. There is a sense of accountability when you share with the group your research plans for the day.”
“We also celebrate successes. If we hear that someone has received a Revise & Resubmit from a journal, we celebrate,” she points out. “This is one step closer to a publication, and we are happy when any of us makes progress. And if someone has a paper accepted, we really celebrate!”
The Research Writing Group uses a modified Pomodoro method, which consists of 30 minutes of writing, and then a seven-minute break. They continue with five rounds of writing/break until 1pm. There are currently over 20 members in the group, and while the composition varies from week to week, on average six to ten people join for part of the writing session every week.
Group benefits
Dr. Kellershohn says that some of her favourite moments in the writing sessions are during the seven-minute breaks. Not only does it provide people with a chance to clear their heads so that they can return to their writing with a renewed focus, but it also provides moments of socialization. “It’s like a virtual faculty lounge where you might have a coffee and talk to a colleague,” she explains. “As people socialize, sometimes research problems get solved or new collaborations occur. Ideas move forward faster when you can bounce them off of someone with a different lens.”
“You learn who is working on what research, who uses what approaches and who might be helpful to talk to when you get stuck,” she adds. “These are the moments that help to push our research forward, help us find new promising pathways or approaches or help to motivate us when the task of research writing is feeling daunting. It is in the moments of community, when we support and build each other up as writers, that are my favourite moments of research writing.”
The Research Writing Group also provides an informal opportunity to connect with members of other departments at the Ted Rogers School. Some of the school’s newest tenure-track faculty members have never taught on campus, so being part of this group allows them to form connections with members outside their department.
Building our research culture
The development of the Research Writing Group is just one aspect of the Ted Rogers School’s transformation as a business research hive of activity. In recent years, the school has made several notable international rankings. The 2021 QS World University Rankings by Subject (external link, opens in new window) placed Business Management Studies at Ryerson top 100 globally for citations per paper, and Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) at Ryerson was ranked among the Top 100 worldwide in the 2021 Shanghai Ranking of academic subjects (external link, opens in new window) .
“The Ted Rogers School research culture is in a process of rapid transformation. Our researchers are engaged in numerous projects in a variety of areas, and are mobilizing the knowledge generated from these projects in diverse outlets,” says Dr. Ozgur Turetken, Associate Dean, Research.
“Regardless of type of outlet, research writing is a crucial component in effectively communicating research ideas and findings,” he explains. “In this light, I am very excited to see the ongoing success and engagement of our Research Writing Group spearheaded by Julie, and attended by a steady number of our researchers. We will be supporting the needs of this group with the hopes of engaging more and more of our researchers in this important activity.”