Methods North West / Home / Activities / Past Events 2016/17 to 2019/20

Past Events

The below is just some of the events that have been run at Methods North West and our associated teams at our partner Universities.

You can find new events on our upcoming events page.

2016/17 to 2019/20

 

MethodsX 2019/20 Stream Meeting – Archives, Collections and Documents of Life

The first meetings of each of the five MethodsX streams are scheduled for early December 2019.

Archives, Collections and Documents of Life: Thursday 12 December 2019, University of Manchester, 11.00-16.00

All new ESRC-funded NWSSDTP postgraduate students are expected to attend one of these meetings and will be sent an email asking which stream they wish to join, with further details of the event to follow. Students who signed up to a stream last year will hear shortly from the stream coordinator with further details.

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MethodsX 2019/20 Stream Meeting – Interview-based Qualitative Research

The first meetings of each of the five MethodsX streams are scheduled for early December 2019.

Interview-based Qualitative Research: Tuesday 10 December 2019, University of Manchester, 11.00-14.00

All new ESRC-funded NWSSDTP postgraduate students are expected to attend one of these meetings and will be sent an email asking which stream they wish to join, with further details of the event to follow. Students who signed up to a stream last year will hear shortly from the stream coordinator with further details.

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Critical ethnographies of green transition

Call for participation: Critical ethnographies of green transition

Manchester (Friends’ Meeting House) / 21 & 22 November 2019

https://criticalethnographies.wordpress.com/

A growing technosphere, drastic biodiversity loss and increasing climate chaos contribute to dramatic socio-ecological changes across the planet. Droughts, floods, resource shortages, mega-infrastructure, shifting species distributions, soil degradation and other phenomena impact livelihoods and indeed survival opportunities.

Experienced and comprehended in many different ways, these changes provoke a variety of different responses. Whether top-down or bottom-up,  initiatives for transitions to sustainability are mushrooming. From ‘green economy’ strategies and high-tech fixes to grassroots initiatives and social movements, envisioned sustainability transitions and their material realisations take on various forms, at different scales, all over the world: offshore wind farms, biorefineries, carbon markets, geoengineering, tax cuts for electric cars, photovoltaic roof tiles, guerrilla gardening, ecosystem restoration camps, permaculture conventions, off-grid communities, indigenous uprisings, to name but a few. These different initiatives embody conflicting visions of a ‘green’ future and the pathways to get there and may have uneven effects.

This workshop will provide an opportunity to exchange research experiences and visions with regard to ethnographically studying “green transition initiatives” in a variety of fields (e.g. energy, transport, food production), at different scales (e.g. neighbourhood, watershed, intercontinental), and led by different actors (e.g. government,
industry, civil society). Our intention is to create the foundation for a network of support and exchange.

Keynotes-

Deepa Joshi (Gender, Youth and Inclusion Lead: International Water Management Institute);

Sarah Marie Hall (Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, ISRF Political Economy Research Fellow: University of Manchester);

Patrick Bigger (Lecturer, Critical Geographies Group, Lancaster Environment Centre: University of Lancaster)

A virtual Q&A session with Prof Gillian Hart (UC Berkeley)

–

Participation is free, but numbers are limited (maximum 20) – full call and short application form: https://criticalethnographies.wordpress.com/ – Please apply by 25 October 2019!

Non-academic practitioners, PhD students and early career researchers are particularly encouraged to apply, especially (but not exclusively) those from the North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership universities. Some financial support is available for participants without institutional funding.

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methods@manchester Methods Fair 2019

methods@manchester is delighted to announce their annual Methods Fair: Creativity in Social Science Research, will be held on 28th October 2019 at The University of Manchester from 10.30am to 4.45pm.

Building on the success of the 2017 Methods Fair, which focused on creative ways of presenting research findings and engaging audiences, this year’s theme explores creativity in the methods researchers use and how creativity can enhance research practices, including data generation and recording, analysis and data presentation.

Creative research methods have developed and multiplied in recent decades, providing alternative ways of knowing and understanding the world, as well as answering complex research questions that cannot be achieved by traditional methods alone. However, researchers are also being creative with conventional research methods and approaches to analysis. We aim to showcase the various ways creativity drives all kinds of social science research and methodologies, from the conception of an idea, to creative ways of generating, collecting, recording, analysing and presenting data.

The methods@manchester Methods Fair 2019 is a free event, however, registration is required.

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Methodological innovations to meet 21st Century societal challenges

Registration is now open for this joint conference organised by the Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research and methods@manchester.

Date: 10 June 2019

Time: 9am-5pm

Fee: full day fee of £5 postgrad students or £10 non-postgrad students/other

Registration closes: 31 May 2019

Location: Roscoe Building, The University of Manchester, UK, M13 9PL

Conference outline

The conference is multi-disciplinary and focuses on methodological innovation in a wide range of fields including sociology, economics, criminology, health and geography. The methods showcased are diverse and range from new automated approaches to dealing with large scale ‘noisy’ forms of big data to more personalised strategies that centre on co-production and citizen involvement. A key theme of the conference is highlighting methodological innovation across the stages of the research process, i.e. from initial research design to data collection, the use of extant data sources, analysis, the presentation and dissemination of results, and engaging with the public.

Structure to the day

The morning will begin with a keynote presentation, ‘Reflections on Methodological innovation: Challenges and opportunities’ from Professor Jane Elliott, University of Exeter.

In the afternoon, Dr Tom Smith, Managing Director of the new ONS Data Science Campus will deliver his keynote, ‘New forms of data for official statistics’.

The afternoon will provide two optional activities for attendees, which will be confirmed once conference registration closes on 31 May 2019:

  1. A data hackathon organised by the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM). In the hack, those participating will be given a set of datasets and asked to perform an analysis which requires information from some of the datasets.  The datasets are imperfect and participants will have to manage those imperfections.
  2. A screening of a documentary film of an arts-based project about the process of recovery from substance use introduced by Professor Amanda Ravetz, Manchester Metropolitan University.

Presentations throughout the day

Presentations will take place in concurrent sessions that will run across the whole day. Presenters and paper titles are listed below:

  • Alastair Roy – A critical discussion of the use of film in participatory research projects with homeless young people: an international case-case based analysis
  • Charlotte De Kock – Monitoring migration-related indicators in European drug treatment: Identifying pitfalls and challenges in registration, data collection and database coupling methods 
  • Emma Heron – Listening Matters!: The Challenge of Genuine Listening in a Higher Education Setting for the Purpose of Change
  • Hanako Smith – Experience Sampling Method in a Living Labs approach: How to connect with millennials in a real-world setting
  • Jerome Turner – The Community Panel method: working collaboratively with participants in Facebook Groups.
  • Josephine Biglin – ‘Participatory Epistemology and Non-representational Theory: Initial Experiences of Working with Migrant Populations
  • Karina Williams – ONS social media analysis of YouTube data
  • Kirsty Fife – Challenging Voices: Methods for Documenting and Archiving UK DIY Music Spaces
  • Martin Greenwood – Reading the signals: Capturing the meanings of pedestrian crossings practice in Manchester using participant observation and dual-perspective GoPro ethnography
  • Matthew Sanderson – Can existing, cross-sectoral community engagements better inform the development of power network design and planning?
  • Michelle Van Impe – What do we want and where are we now? Critical methodological reflections on participatory action research with people who use illegal drugs
  • Miriam Trzeciak – ‘Tell us something about yourself, too’ – Reflections on Collaborative Research as a Reflexive Tool for Social Research.
  • Oana Petcu – What features impact engagement with missing people appeals on twitter?
  • Peter Barbrook-Johnson – Participatory Systems Mapping for understanding complex societal issues
  • Peter Smyth – Processing Large Datasets using Columnar Datastores on the Desktop
  • Ratna Ghosh – A reflexive account of participatory video action research: The stories that middle-class women in urban India don’t want to share
  • Rosalind Edwards – Big data, qualitative style: a breadth-and-depth method for working with large amounts of secondary qualitative data
  • Sally Ruth Fergusson-Wormley – “Embedding the voice” – Co-producing a PhD

Registering for the event

This is a not-for-profit conference. We are making a small charge to attendees as a contribution to some of the costs.

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Methods X 2019

The Third Annual ESRC North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership and Methods North West Methods X Conference
17th May 2019, University of Liverpool

Overview

The Third Annual Methods X Conference is being held in the University of Liverpool on Friday the 17th May 2019. It represents an opportunity for postgraduate researchers from across the region to come together to showcase and discuss the methods and methodologies at the centre of their research and exchange ideas, experiences and insights. It is also an opportunity to enjoy Light Night in Liverpool, the city’s annual free one-night arts festival, with a large number of arts and cultural events taking place across the city from the late afternoon onwards.

Dr Faiza Shaheen

We are extremely pleased to announce that the morning programme will include a keynote by Dr Faiza Shaheen, Director of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies, and an economist by training, who undertook her PhD in the North West, discussing the importance of social research in the contemporary world, as well as talks by three post-doctoral researchers recently awarded their PhDs in the North West – Dr Cat Mahoney, Dr Kirsty Morrin and Dr Eileen Turnbull – on innovation and impact in and through research and how method helps underpin it.

The afternoon programme will involve paper sessions involving contributions from current PGRs organised around the four main North West methods exchanges – the Archives, Collections and Documents of Life Methods Exchange, the Fieldwork Methods Exchange, the New Forms of Data Methods Exchange and the Quantitative Methods Exchange.

The Methods X 2019 Programme can be downloaded here.

Registration and Call for Papers

All PGRs in the NW are welcome to attend the conference and we invite attendees to submit paper proposals for the afternoon sessions. Please register here.

If you want to submit a paper, along with your contact details, please indicate which stream you’d like to contribute to, and provide a provisional title and a short abstract using the Methods X Paper Submission Form.

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Interdisciplinary seminar series: ‘Evaluation, measurement and assessment’ January 2019

You are invited to the first seminar of the interdisciplinary seminar series: ‘Evaluation, Measurement and Assessment’ organised by The University of Manchester and Lancaster University. This initiative is funded by Methods North West with support from the ESRC and North West Social Science DTP. The aim of the seminars is to bring together researchers from various fields in Social Sciences to present and discuss issues around evaluation studies in different areas and advancements in the assessment of cognitive and social skills (e.g. performance, attitudes, dispositions, etc.).

The first seminar focusing on the theme of ‘Evaluation research and the What Works agenda’ will take place on Wednesday 16 January, 12.00 – 3.00pm Room 2.07, Humanities Bridgeford Street, The University of Manchester

Speakers

Dr Gemma Derrick, Senior Lecturer in Higher Education, Lancaster University – Looking at the peer review processes as an evaluative practice in academia

Prof Julian Williams, Professor of Mathematics, Manchester Institute of Education, The University of Manchester – Why the ‘what works’ policy isn’t working and what we can do about it

The seminar is open to academics, researchers and PhD students.

Lunch will be provided between 12.00-1.00pm. For more information or questions please contact Sofia Eleftheriadou, sofia.eleftheriadou@manchester.ac.uk

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Conference Clarity from the PhD complexity? – Methods North West Annual Methods X Conference 2018

The ESRC’s North West Doctoral Training Programme and its MethodsNW teams are joining forces to provide the region’s students with an opportunity to explore their research and underpinning methodology in a supportive and interdisciplinary environment. The conference aims to stimulate the sharing of ideas and to help students build up methods-related networks with researchers working in complimentary areas.

If you are interested in getting involved, or simply submitting a paper (abstract up to 500 words by 5pm, 3 September 2018), please email the contact in the relevant stream. To register please follow website link at bottom of page (under ‘Details’).

New Forms of Data (Emerging forms & codification)
Contact: Michael Mair (michael.mair@liverpool.ac.uk)

Archives & Collections (On all things secondary)
Contact: humanities-training@manchester.ac.uk

Fieldwork [On all things observable]
Contact: Geoff Pearson (geoff.pearson@manchester.ac.uk)

Quantitative Methods [On all things countable]
Contact: humanities-training@manchester.ac.uk

Organised and managed by students with support from experienced staff, we are calling for participants to help our existing teams with the running of the conference and, of course, to present papers. For example:

  • You may wish to join forces with your supervisor to present an exciting new technique
  • You may feel passionate about the problems of particular methods and wish to debate with others using those techniques
  • You might like to run your initial methodology and/or findings past a mutually supportive audience
  • You may wish to invite scholars whose work you have long admired and wish to engage in dialogue with.

Participating in the conference provides you with the possibility of helping to manage or even organising your own conference stream with like-minded researchers. Let us have your ideas, become involved and help design and run a conference to meet your needs. You are limited only by your own imagination!

If you are interested in getting involved, or simply submitting a paper (abstract up to 500 words by 5pm, 3 September 2018), please email the contact in the relevant stream.  Enquiries regarding funding should be sent to A.Hesketh@lancaster.ac.uk.

Details of each stream

New forms of data/digital methods

We live in increasingly digital worlds and that has major implications for the social sciences. Indeed, social science is itself increasingly going digital too. Whether you are developing methods and methodologies for coming to terms with these new digital worlds or harnessing new tools, technologies and forms of data to study familiar subjects from distinctive angles or engaging with new forms of data of whatever kind, this stream will be an opportunity to explore the possibilities in both studies with digital (data, methods, devices) as well as studies of digital (societies, cultures, economies, etc.). If you are involved in either or both, submit an abstract to join the discussion in this exciting area of contemporary research.

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Archives and collections

This strand focuses on the practical challenges facing students when using archives and collections, but will also reflect on some theoretical aspects. Themes to expand upon include (but are not limited to): Personal experiences of working with archives/collections, for “good” or “bad”; How best to prepare ahead of engaging with archives/collections – the things to know; Do you have a collection to bring along and discuss? – How did you/others use it, etc; Having to create your own archive/collection in the course of your studies – pros/cons; Can the provenance of archives/collections shape the way we use them? Should it?; Does digitisation affect engagement? How will digital information shape future sources?

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Fieldwork

This stream is a home for all papers considering the practice, methods, ethics, and politics of using fieldwork to gather research data. Covering fieldwork that is quantitative and based on external observations or in-field structured interviews, through to long-term immersive ethnographic methods such as participant observation, this stream will enable you to debate different fieldwork approaches, dynamics, and dilemmas arising from many different disciplines. Fieldwork can be mentally or physically challenging and exhilarating in equal measure, as well as throwing up dilemmas that even the best methods textbooks cannot predict or provide solutions to. So join us for what promises to be a stimulating and illuminating afternoon!

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Quantitative methods

Quantitative Methodologies represent a powerful method in Social Science that can contribute to both generalised theory testing and to exploratory analysis. However, they can also be highly technical and jargon heavy and can appear intimidating, impenetrable and insular to those who lack familiarity or experience in data analysis. This theme draws together doctoral students and researchers from across many disciplines who are using quantitative methodologies. It addresses the benefits and limitations of these methods, and provides a support network for those grappling with quantitative research methods to discuss common challenges and issues.

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Open Stream

Still struggling to nail your methodological position? Why not tackle this issue head on? Submit your abstract and use the conference to work through your methodological challenges. You could start by drafting a 500 words abstract covering the following: your research questions and why you think they are important; what other research has contributed to date and how your research builds on and develops previous work; the methods and underpinning methodology you are using/considering using; what attracts you/makes you uneasy about such approaches; how you hope to analyse your data and build theory from your empirical work. Or anything else currently on your mind …

We will publish a timetable for the conference sessions closer to the 19 September. We are very much looking forward to seeing you in Lancaster!

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methods@manchester Summer School 2018

The sixth methods@manchester Summer School will be held at The University of Manchester from 2 July to 13 July 2018. Each course at the school will run for one week, offering four days of content to a five-day timetable (Monday afternoon to Friday lunch-time), building on successful methods@manchester and CMIST short-courses given throughout the year.

The school offers a range of specialised courses covering a variety of topics that are particularly relevant to postgraduate and ECR research in humanities and social sciences. The selection includes software training, qualitative and quantitative analysis, area studies, and research design. The course content is based on approaches from across the various schools in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Manchester.

Courses running in 2018:

  • Generalized Linear Models: a comprehensive system of analysis and graphics using R and the Rcommander
  • Getting Started in R: an introduction to data analysis and visualisation
  • Structural Equation Modelling with MPlus
  • Introduction to social network analysis using UCINET and Netdraw
  • Statistical analysis of social networks
  • Social Media Analysis
  • Quantitative Longitudinal Data Analysis

Each course will deliver four days of content to a five-day timetable unless otherwise stated (Monday afternoon to Friday lunch-time).  Places are limited, so please book early to secure your place. The course fee is for a single course and includes 28 hours of face-to-face teaching over five days, and lunch on four days.

Further details of courses may be found at the methods@manchester website.

Bursaries

We have a small number of bursaries available for University of Manchester PhD Students (reducing the cost of a week-long course to £300) and UK wide PhD Students (reducing the cost of a week-long course to £400).

If you would like to apply for a bursary, please email methods@manchester.ac.uk for an application form.

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Methods Fair 2017

This year’s Methods Fair will be held on 1 November at The University of Manchester. The theme is creative data presentation and visualisation.  The event will be held in the Roscoe Building on the University of Manchester Oxford Road Campus.

Researchers use a range of methodologies, some which automatically lend themselves to presenting data in creative ways and others, less so. At the annual Methods Fair methods@manchester are celebrating the inventive ways research findings are presented and communicated. Researchers use different medium and formats to present their data triggering a variety of our senses.  They explore these from a range of perspectives across the Humanities. They aim to bring together and inspire postgraduate researchers and academics, as well as those working in industry.

The keynote will be delivered by Simon Ruding, Director of Theatre in Prison and Probation (TiPP) and Dr Jo Deakin, School of Law, University of Manchester.

This year, methods@manchester invite postgraduate researchers to enter a photography competition. They ask that participants capture their research or an issue related to it in one photographic image.  Blackwell’s vouchers will be awarded to those in 1st (£150), 2nd (£100) and 3rd (£50) places. Shortlisted images will be displayed at the Fair.

What to expect

  • Methods-rated plenaries and workshops from leading academics and PhD candidates
  • opportunities to find out more about methods training
  • the chance to meet and network with researchers in your field
  • exhibitions.

Booking for Methods Fair 2017 is open via eventbrite.

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The challenges and opportunities for collaborating with substance testing services

A free event for local authorities, public health teams, police, event organizers, promoters, media, clubbers, drug users and interested others.

Under global prohibition, users of illegal drugs cannot be assured of the content of the drugs they take.  Services that provide forensic testing of substances submitted by users are leading the way in allowing drug users to make more informed choices.  But what are the legal, moral and practical challenges of providing this kind of service?  We find out from three leading European testing services.

Confirmed speakers:

  • Monica Barratt (Drug Policy Modelling Program, UNSW, Australia)
  • Mireia Ventura (Energy Control testing service, Spain)
  • Tibor Brunt (DIMS testing service, the Netherlands)
  • Fiona Measham (Co-founder of The Loop, UK)
  • Henry Fisher (Policy Director, VolteFace POlicy Innovation Hub)
  • Oliver Sutcliffe (Manchester Metropolitan University)

 

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methods@manchester Summer School: Creative Approaches to Qualitative Researching

The Creative Approaches to Qualitative Researching course forms a part of the methods@manchester Summer School 2017, taking place 26-30 June and 3-7 July 2017.  The Summer School features a number of qualitative researching, quantitative research and software courses.

Course content overview

This intermediate level course offers a hands-on introduction to creative approaches to doing qualitative research. The various stages of research will be covered, from data collection and analysis through to writing with qualitative data. We begin by introducing what we mean by doing qualitative research creatively, before moving on to consider ‘Facet methodology’, an inventive orientation to researching the multidimensionality of everyday lives, which puts the researcher’s creativity and imagination at the heart of methodological practice. The course also explores some of the practical and ethical issues in using creative methods. Participants will be given a practical and hands-on introduction to a range of creative qualitative methods, including visual methods and ‘material methods’. The course will also cover key principles in qualitative data analysis, and how these can be put into practice. Finally, we discuss practical and intellectual strategies for writing with qualitative data, and consider how it is possible to theorise, or write conceptually, with such data. The course includes several practical workshop exercises involving creating and analysing qualitative data, where participants will have the opportunity to work with their own data.

Course objectives:

This course will

  • Introduce students to creative methods both as an approach, and as a means of generating social science research data
  • Introduce students to a range of creative methods
  • Give students practical experience in the use of creative methods
  • Introduce students to analytical strategies appropriate to creative methods
  • Introduce students to strategies for writing with qualitative data

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methods@manchester Summer School: Getting Started in R – an introduction to data analysis and visualisation

The Getting Started in R – an introduction to data analysis and visualisation course forms a part of the methods@manchester Summer School 2017, taking place 26-30 June and 3-7 July 2017.  The Summer School features a number of qualitative researching, quantitative research and software courses.

Course content overview

R is an open source programming language and software environment for performing statistical calculations and creating data visualisations. It is rapidly becoming the tool of choice for data analysts with a growing number of employers seeking candidates with R programming skills.

This course will provide you with all the tools you need to get started with data analysis and visualisation with R. We will introduce the tidyverse, a collection of R packages created by Hadley Wickham and others which provides an intuitive framework for using R for data analysis. Students will learn the basics of R programming and how to use R for effective data analysis. Practical examples of data analysis on social science topics will be provided.

Course outline
1. R and the ‘tidyverse’
This session will introduce R & RStudio and cover the basics of R programming and good coding practice. We will also discuss R packages and how to use them, with a particular focus on those that make up the ‘tidyverse’. We also introduce R Markdown which will be used to report our analyses throughout the course.
2. Import and Tidy
Data scientists spend about 60% of their time cleaning and organizing data (CrowdFlower Data Science Report 2016: 6). This session will show you how to ‘tidy’ your data ready for analysis in R. In particular, we’ll show you how to take data stored in a flat file, database, or web API, and load it into a dataframe in R. We will also talk about consistent data structures, and how to achieve them.
3. Transform
Together with importing and tidying, transforming data is one of the key element of data analysis. We will cover subsetting your data (to narrow your focus), creating new variables from existing ones, and calculating summary statistics.
4. Visualise
Data visualisation is what brings your data to life. This session will provide you with the skills and tools to create the perfect (static and interactive) visualisation for your data.
5. Bringing it all together
In this last session we review all we have learned on this course, and think about how we can bring it all together in dynamic outputs, such as interactive documents, plots, and Shiny applications.

Course objectives:

After this course, users should be able to:

  • implement the basic operations of R;
  • read data in multiple forms;
  • clean, manipulate, explor and visualise data in R

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methods@manchester Summer School: Structural Equation Modelling with MPlus

The Structural Equation Modelling with MPlus course forms a part of the methods@manchester Summer School 2017, taking place 26-30 June and 3-7 July 2017 at the University of Manchester.  The Summer School features a number of qualitative researching, quantitative research and software courses.

Course content overview

This course gives a hands on introduction to what is possible in a latent variable analysis framework using Mplus. Building up the different sides of latent variable modelling and structural equation modeling step by step, eight different types of analysis are tackled.

Regression, Path Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Item Response Theory, Measurement modelling, Latent Class Analysis, Longitudinal Analysis and lastly, hybrids of these are all topics of the course covered in lectures and practical analysis in Mplus.

Bringing your own data and research questions is highly recommended!

Course objectives:

  1. Distinguish and understand different types of latent variable analysis;
  2. Learn how to do basic and advanced structural equation modelling;
  3. Understand how to combine different techniques in one model; and
  4. Learn how to use Mplus

Course timetable

Day one
Afternoon – Regression

Day two
Morning – Path Analysis
Afternoon – Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Day three
Morning – Item Repsonse Theory
Afternoon – Measurement Modelling.

Day four
Morning – Latent Class Analysis
Afternoon – Longitudinal Modelling

Day five
Morning – Model Building

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methods@manchester Summer School: Generalized Linear Models: a comprehensive system of analysis and graphics using R and the Rcommander

The Generalized Linear Models: a comprehensive system of analysis and graphics using R and the Rcommander course forms a part of the methods@manchester Summer School 2017, taking place 26-30 June and 3-7 July 2017.  The Summer School features a number of qualitative researching, quantitative research and software courses.

Course content overview

This is a general course in data analysis using generalized linear models.  It is designed to provide a relatively complete course in data analysis for post-graduate students.  Analyses for many different types data are included; OLS, logistic, Poisson, proportional-odds and multinomial logit models, enabling a wide range of data to be modelled.  Graphical displays are extensively used, making the task of interpretation much simpler.

A general approach is used which deals with data (coding and manipulation), the formulation of research hypotheses, the analysis process and the interpretation of results.  Participants will also learn about the use of contrast coding for categorical variables, interpreting and visualising interactions, regression diagnostics and data transformation and issues related to multicollinearity and variable selection.

The software package R is used in conjunction with the R-commander and the R-studio.  These packages provide a simple yet powerful system for data analysis.  No previous experience of using R is required for this course, nor is any previous experience of coding or using other statistical packages.

This course provides a number of practical sessions where participants are encouraged to analyse a variety of data and produce their own analyses.  Analyses may be conducted on the networked computers provided, or participants may use their own computers; the initial sessions cover setting up the software on lap-tops (all operating systems are allowed).

Course objectives:

The main objective of this course is to provide a general method for modelling a wide range of data using regression-based techniques.  Participant will be able to select, run and interpret models for continuous, ordered and unordered data using modern graphical techniques.

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methods@manchester Summer School: Introduction to social network analysis using UCINET and Netdraw

The Introduction to social network analysis using UCINET and Netdraw course forms a part of the methods@manchester Summer School 2017, taking place 26-30 June and 3-7 July 2017.  The Summer School features a number of qualitative researching, quantitative research and software courses.

Course content overview

This is an introductory course, covering the concepts, methods and data analysis techniques of social network analysis. The course is based on the book “Analyzing Social Networks” by Borgatti et al. (Sage) and all participants will be issued with a copy of the book. The course begins with a general introduction to the distinct goals and perspectives of social network analysis, followed by a practical discussion of network data, covering issues of collection, validity, visualization, and mathematical/computer representation. We then take up the methods of detection and description of structural properties, such as centrality, cohesion, subgroups and positional analysis techniques. This is a hands on course largely based around the use of UCINET software, and will give participants experience of analyzing real social network data using the techniques covered in the workshop. No prior knowledge of social network analysis is assumed for this course.

Course objectives:

This course will

  • Introduce the idea of Social Network Analysis
  • Explain how to describe and visualise networks using specialist software (UCINET)
  • Explain key concepts of Social Network Analysis (e.g. Cohesion, Brokerage).
  • Provide hands-on training to use software to investigate social network structure

Course timetable

Day one
Introduction to Social Network Analysis, terminology and the software UCINET/Netdraw.  Chapters 1 and 2

Day two
Morning – Collecting social network data and research design. Chapters 3 and 4
Afternoon – Data management and visualisation. Chapters 5 and 7

Day three
Morning – Multivariate techniques and whole networks. Chapters 6 and 9.
Afternoon – Centrality and ego networks. Chapters 10 and 15.

Day four
Morning – Equivalence and core-periphery. Chapter 12
Afternoon – Subgroups and two-mode networks. Chapters 11 and 13

Day five
Morning – Testing hypothesis and large networks. Chapters 8 and 14.
Chapter numbers refer to the book “Analyzing Social Networks) by Borgatti et al. (Sage).  Timetable is subject to change.

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methods@manchester Summer School: Statistical analysis of social networks

The Statistical Analysis of Social Networks course forms a part of the methods@manchester Summer School 2017, taking place 26-30 June and 3-7 July 2017.  The Summer School features a number of qualitative researching, quantitative research and software courses.

Course content overview

This is an introduction to statistical analysis of networks. While no strict prerequisites are assumed, you might find it helpful to have some basic knowledge of social network analysis beforehand. To benefit fully from the course requires a basic knowledge of standard statistical methods, such regression analysis. The course aims to give a basic understanding of and working handle on drawing inference for structure and attributes, both cross-sectionally as well as longitudinally. A fundamental notion of the course will be how the structure of observed graphs relate to various forms of random graphs. This will be developed in the context of non-parametric approaches and elaborated to analysis of networks using exponential random graph models (ERGM) and stochastic actor-oriented models. The main focus will be on explaining structure but an outlook to explaining individual-level outcomes will be provided.

The participant will be provided with several hands-on exercises, applying the approaches to a suite of real world data sets. We will use the stand-alone graphical user interface package MPNet and R. In R we will learn how to use the packages ‘sna’, ‘statnet’, and ‘RSiena’. No familiarity with R is assumed but preparatory exercises will be provided ahead of the course.

Course objectives:

This course will

  • Introduce how statistical evidence relates to social networks
  • Explain how to draw inference about key network mechanisms from observations
  • Provide hands-on training to use software to investigate
    • social network structure
    • tie-formation in cross-sectional data
    • tie-formation in longitudinal data
    • take into account network dependencies between individuals

Course timetable

Day one
Introduction to working with networks in R

Day two
Morning – Subgraphs and null distributions and ERGM rationale
Afternoon – ERGMs and dependence

Day three
Morning – ERGM: Issues and technicalities
Afternoon – SAOM: introduction to longitudinal modelling

Day four
Morning – SAOM: introduction to longitudinal modelling
Afternoon – Extensions and further issues

Day five
Morning – Influence, contagion, and outlook to further issues.
Timetable is subject to change.

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methods@manchester Summer School: Integrated Mixed-Methods Research including QCA

The Integrated Mixed-Methods Research including QCA course forms a part of the methods@manchester Summer School 2017, taking place 26-30 June and 3-7 July 2017.  The Summer School features a number of qualitative researching, quantitative research and software courses.

Course content overview

This summer school strand approaches mixed methods from the viewpoint that methods can be integrated not separated at the analysis stage.  It focuses on the use of case-studies and the case-study comparative method in mixed-methods research contexts.  The content focuses on four topics –

  • mixed methods data management;
  • qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and the comparative method;
  • fuzzy set analysis of pathways of causality; and
  • methods of using qualitative data to strengthen an argument and make the analysis rigorous and transparent.

The school offers unique new training, developed specifically for this outlet, in several of these areas. This one-week event involves 28 hours of contact time of which about 5-6 hours are computer practicals led by the experienced tutors, Wendy Olsen and Steph Thomson, based on previous experiences with similar kinds of materials. The computer practicals for QCA include applications of NVIVO, fsQCA, SPSS, and Excel software.  We have a partial overlap with the Factor Analysis Mixed Methods Stream.  The Factor Analysis students are using SPSS AMOS, STATA, and MPLUS software as well as learning about multiple methods for gaining original knowledge. There is 7/16 overlap of the two streams (7 sessions out of 16).

The organisation of the course involves lectures, active learning and a project.  Each day up to two lectures and one ‘lectorial’ occur.  A lectorial is active learning led from the front with guided small group work.  The project is individually done and will lead to the creation of a poster display with hot links.  Participants may want to bring their own laptops (but it’s optional).

Course objectives:

The aims of the course are:

  • To examine seminal papers using mixed methods and discuss rigour in comparative research. To learn more about Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA).
  • To experience in practical settings how to use NVIVO for systematic data handling.
  • To introduce Boolean algebra and Venn diagrams.
  • To apply QCA ideas to personal projects, either using data offered in the course or the data you bring to the course.  We show you how to use Excel software and fsQCA freeware.
  • To examine fuzzy set histograms and scattergrams.
  • To link NVIVO with SPSS for qualitative+demographic or survey data.
  • To Practice making presentations using students’ own data and well-constructed logical arguments.
  • To practice debating-format and/or panel discussion about knowledge construction.

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methods@manchester Summer School: Factor Analysis for Integrated Mixed Methods Research

The Factor Analysis for Integrated Mixed Methods Research course forms a part of the methods@manchester Summer School 2017, taking place 26-30 June and 3-7 July 2017.  The Summer School features a number of qualitative researching, quantitative research and software courses.

Course content overview

This summer school strand approaches mixed methods from the viewpoint that methods can be integrated not separated at the analysis stage.  It focuses on the use of case-studies and the case-study comparative method in mixed-methods research contexts.  The content focuses on the topics:

  • mixed methods data management;
  • factor analysis using both confirmatory methods, and latent factor analysis within structural equation modelling; and
  • methods of using qualitative data to strengthen an argument and make the analysis rigorous and transparent.

The school offers unique new training, developed specifically for this outlet, in several of these areas. This one-week event involves 28 hours of contact time of which about 5-6 hours are computer practicals led by the experienced tutor, Wendy Olsen, based on previous experiences with similar kinds of materials. The computer practicals for factor analysis include applications of SPSS AMOS which has a graphical interface (nice pathway diagrams), STATA which from version 15 also has such an interface, and Excel software.  There is 7/16 overlap of a comparative research stream (“QCA and Fuzzy Sets”) with this Factor Analysis mixed-methods stream (7 sessions out of 16).  Thus, you will meet people who also use qualitative research and do comparative projects.  Your knowledge of epistemology and realist philosophy of science will grow, giving a good underpinning to your statistical and survey research.

The organisation of the course involves lectures, active learning and a project.  Each day up to two lectures and one ‘lectorial’ occur.  A lectorial is active learning led from the front with guided small group work.  The project is individually done and will lead to the creation of a poster display with hot links.  Participants may want to bring their own laptops (but it’s optional).

Course objectives:

The aims of the course are:

  • To examine seminal papers using mixed methods and discuss rigour in comparative research.
  • To introduce the idea of measurement error and measurement models, and contrast confirmatory with exploratory factor analysis.
  • To use STATA and SPSS AMOS, and some students may use MPLUS. Both STATA and SPSS AMOS have graphical windows for planning a factor analysis model.
  • To examine latent factor histograms and scattergrams, and interpret them from sociological and social-theory angles.
  • To apply factor analysis.
  • To Practice making presentations using students’ own data and well-constructed logical arguments.
  • To practice debating-format and/or panel discussion about knowledge construction.

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Manchester Methods Exchanges Conference 2017

Manchester Methods Exchanges Conference is a student-led event which provides postgraduate researchers with the invaluable opportunity to present their research method ideas and experiences to a supportive and interdisciplinary audience. The conference brings together researchers from universities across the North West, which provides attendees with a fantastic opportunity to meet and gain advice from fellow academics from varied institutions and disciplines.

For further details of the events taking places throughout the day, please see the MNW Conference Programme 2017

Call for Papers:

MethodsNW are looking for PGR students at Lancaster, Manchester, Liverpool and Keele universities to take part in the conference-launch event of the new student-led Methods Exchanges programme in Manchester on 10 May 2017.

There are four conference themes that have separate call for papers and specific contacts to send your abstracts. Please read the descriptions carefully and apply to the specified email listed in the call.

Theme One: Archives and Collections

This strand focuses on the practical challenges facing students when using archives and collections, but will also reflect on some theoretical aspects. Themes to expand upon include (but are not limited to):

  • Personal experiences of working with archives/collections, for “good” or “bad”.
  • How best to prepare ahead of engaging with archives/collections – the things to know.
  • Do you have a collection to bring along and discuss? – How did you/others use it, etc.
  • Having to create your own archive/collection in the course of your studies – pros/cons.
  • Can the provenance of archives/collections shape the way we use them? Should it?
  • Does digitisation affect engagement? How will digital information shape future sources?

Proposals for papers exploring these themes (or others) are welcome from any disciplinary perspective, in relation to any academic experience. Abstracts of no more than 250 words must be sent by 5pm on 10 April, 2017 to Dalinder Sall (dalinder.sall@manchester.ac.uk).

This is an ideal opportunity for doctoral students to present on their research methods and/or personal experience, to an interdisciplinary audience of PGRs and invited academic staff, in an informal, workshop-style environment. Presentations will be ten minutes long, and will be followed by questions and discussion.

Theme Two: Fieldwork

We invite papers from postgraduate researchers who are planning to, or have experience with, conducting fieldwork. As a central component of ethnographic study, fieldwork approaches involve the researcher immersing themselves in a variety of settings, and collecting data about a social group of interest using a range of techniques including, but not limited to, participant observation, interviews, photography, videography, and netnography. We invite papers which relate to, but are not limited to, the following key topics:

  • Managing the ‘messiness’ of fieldwork
  • The interpretive gap between researcher and researched
  • Researcher positionality and related ethical concerns
  • Experiences of researcher vulnerability when conducting fieldwork
  • Managing and maintaining field relations (during and after leaving the field)
  • Recording, analysing, and disseminating nuanced and complex fieldnotes.

In addition to the presentations, attendees can expect to listen to a key speaker who will provide insights into the challenges they have personally faced with conducting field research. Furthermore, there will be the opportunity to engage with a panel of researchers who will be providing first-hand insights into their fieldwork experiences.Please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words to fieldworktheme@gmail.com. Presenters should expect to present a 15-minute paper which addresses one or more of the fieldwork-related topics outlined above. Please state which topic(s) your paper addresses and your academic discipline at the top of your abstract.

Important dates:

  • The deadline for abstract submissions is the 7th April 2017.
  • The decision of the outcome will be emailed to applicants by the 14th April 2017.

If you have any queries, please get in contact via: fieldworktheme@gmail.com

Theme Three: Quantitative Methodologies

This theme represent a powerful method in Social Science that can contribute to both generalised theory testing and to exploratory analysis. However, they can also be highly technical and jargon heavy and can appear intimidating, impenetrable and insular to those who lack familiarity or experience in data analysis. This theme draws together doctoral students and researchers from across many disciplines who are using quantitative methodologies. It addresses the benefits and limitations of these methods, and provides a support network for those grappling with quantitative research methods to discuss common challenges and issues.
Themes to expand upon include (but are not limited to):

  • Operationalising concepts in a quantitative analysis.
  • Ensuring that research projects rooted in quantitative methodologies remain theory and topic driven.
  • How to choose between competing analytical techniques and determine the most appropriate approach for your study.
  • Balancing theoretical and pragmatic decisions in your research design.
  • Dealing with imperfect data and the compromises this may entail to the overall research design.
  • Techniques for dealing with missing data.

Proposals for papers exploring these themes (or other quantitative themes) are welcome from any disciplinary perspective, in relation to any academic experience. Abstracts of no more than 250 words must be sent by 5pm on 12 April 2017 to Dalinder Sall (dalinder.sall@manchester.ac.uk).

This is an ideal opportunity for doctoral students to present on their research methods and/or personal experience, to an interdisciplinary audience of PGRs and invited academic staff, in an informal, workshop-style environment. Presentations will be ten minutes long, and will be followed by questions and discussion.

Theme Four: New Forms of Data

This theme focuses on the opportunities opened up by the new forms of data that have become available as a result of technological, computational and social changes in the last decade. As the ESRC (2016) notes, social science researchers across multiple fields are increasingly working with forms of data “created by new technologies, connections and processes” and that these new forms “are rapidly emerging as important to supplement, enhance and in some cases replace datasets collected by traditional means”.
Postgraduate researchers across multiple fields engaging with the ‘digital’ broadly conceived are encouraged to submit proposals for papers describing the current progress of their research, with an emphasis on how it leverages new forms of data. Topics of interest to expand upon include (but are in no way limited to) the following topics of interest:

  • Internet data: derived from social media and other online interactions (including data gathered by connected people and technologies, e.g. mobile devices, wearables, the Internet of Things)
  • Tracking data: monitoring the movement of people and objects (including GPS/geolocation data, traffic and other transport sensor data, CCTV images, etc.)
  • Satellite and aerial data: e.g. Google Earth, landsat, infrared, radar mapping, etc.
  • ‘Big’ archival data: massive repositories of texts, audio, visual and video materials that require machine-assisted navigation and analysis
  • Visualising data: new approaches to aesthetics and analytics of data visualisation (including 3D modelling and printing, virtual reality, geospatial displays).

Presentations will be ten minutes long, and will be followed by questions and discussion. Abstracts of no more than 250 words may be submitted as a Word document no later than 5:00pm on 14 April, 2017 to Loretta Anthony-Okeke (loretta.okeke@manchester.ac.uk).

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NWCDTP/ NWSSDTP Research Impact PGR training event

Research impact has become an integral part of the academic experience, and for those planning a career in academia an early understanding of the basics are essential to ensure students are properly prepared for job applications, funding bids, and the drivers of Universities around research assessment. For those planning careers outside HEIs the benefits of networking, promotion of research and the needs of business are equally relevant.

For those early in their PhDs engagement with the principles of the impact agenda can be of huge benefit in supporting your research directly, building a portfolio of evidence, creating new opportunities and raising your profile. An understanding of the current Research Excellent Framework (REF) can also help you understand better how your University operates. This event will enable students to work in this area, to think carefully about their future research plans and outreach ideas, to become future research leaders.

If you don’t think your own area of research has potential impact, then you need to come to this event. Every discipline in a University provides examples to the government of the practical influence of their research area, and every single subset of every discipline has potential audiences outside of academia. This event will enable students to think in new ways about their own research, and give them tools/vocabulary/ insight into how to develop their own impact activities in future. It will open them up to new opportunities and to networking that will enhance their own research and that of their peers.

The event, tailored for all AHRC DTP students, and open to ESRC NWSSDTP funded students, will give an overview and help you understand just what impact is, and what it means to you and your own research. There will be a brief overview of the REF for context, and practical examples of how engaging with non-academic audiences can help your research and career.

A panel with cultural partners and other PGRs will explore the benefits of interacting with businesses, galleries and museums, including the benefits of placement schemes. There will then be a practical workshop to help you develop a personalised impact plan, to support and maximise the potential of your PhD project

There will be a cap of 50 places available for this event, so priority will be given to students funded through the DTPs.

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