CERS Research

Doctoral research training

CERS works across Middlesex University to provide training for doctoral students from all disciplines, in collaboration with colleagues from other departments. The following are examples of sessions led by CERS team members.
Developing research questions (Lee Jerome)

• It is important that research questions are appropriate and clear. Crafting a set of research questions is a skill that develops over the life of a research study. An initial set of questions will help to orientate your research but they will need further refinement as your research unfolds. We offer guidance on how to craft and refine research questions that are shaped by your theoretical orientation and will in turn determine the most appropriate methods for your study.

Interview recording and transcription (Leena Robertson)

• The practicalities of gathering qualitative data and transcribing that data into a form that can be subjected to analysis is an important stage of any research study. We address the practical as well as ethical issues involved in recording qualitative interviews. Transcription is also a crucial part of any small-scale study, whilst incredibly time consuming the opportunities to re-engage with your data when typing up interviews represents the first stage of the analytic process and should be recognised as such.

Writing and editing a doctoral thesis (Professor Jayne Osgood)

• Writing and editing a thesis is always a more challenging task than first imagined. Bringing together years of research and reading in to a coherent form requires tenacity, stamina and lots of redrafting. We introduce some useful writing habits, strategies and approaches that can assist you in the task. Successful PhD students offer insights from their experiences of ‘writing up’ their doctorates.

Researcher development

Seeking ethical approval

All education research at Middlesex University needs ethical approval through the university ethics committee.

All ethics applications should now be made online.

For more information please contact Russel Freedman. 

Publishing educational events

This is a selection of some of the best education journals to get published in, ranked by their impact factor.

Review of Educational Research (RER)

The number one ranked journal in education and educational research, RER publishes reviews of research literature, only accepting original empirical work if it is incorporated into a broader review. It accepts integrative reviews (pulling together existing work across a topic), theoretical reviews, methodological reviews and historical reviews (situating literature in a historical context).

Learning and Instruction (L&I)

L&I is concerned with research in the areas of learning, development, instruction and teaching. It has a broad remit (any age level, from infants to adults and to a diversity of learning and instructional settings, from laboratory experiments to field studies).

Educational Researcher

Educational Researcher is focused on education research of broad or general significance and is particularly concerned with new research results or developments.

Sociology of Education

Concerned with studies in the sociology of education and human social development, it publishes research that examines how social institutions and individuals’ experiences within these institutions affect educational processes and social development.

Journal of Teacher Education

Revolving around issues in teacher education, including: preparing teachers to effectively address the needs of marginalized youth, their families and communities; program design and impact; selection, recruitment and retention of teachers from underrepresented groups; local and national policy; accountability; and routes to certification.

Teaching and Teacher Education

Concerned primarily with teachers, teaching, or teacher education, it publishes both primary research and review papers.

Studies in Higher Education

One of the highest ranked HE journals, it is focused on research-based articles that seek to enhance understanding of higher education policy, institutional management and performance, teaching and learning, and the contribution of higher education to society and the economy.

Journal of Education Policy

This journal publishes research that discusses, analyses and debates policymaking, policy implementation and the impact of policy.

School Effectiveness and School Improvement

Covers a range of subjects within the area of educational effectiveness within the classroom/school/system, including, but not limited to: effective pedagogy; classroom climate; school ethos and leadership; school improvement and reform programmes; and system-wide policy and reform.

British Educational Research Journal

A broad remit, encapsulating all educational research. Can include reports of case studies, experiments and surveys, discussions of conceptual and methodological issues and of underlying assumptions in educational research, or accounts of research in progress.

Early Years: An International Research Journal

Early Years publishes research papers and scholarly critiques on all issues associated with early childhood education and care.

Gender and Education

Gender and Education grew out of feminist politics and a social justice agenda and is committed to developing multi-disciplinary and critical discussions of gender and education. The journal is particularly interested in the place of gender in relation to other key differences and seeks to further feminist knowledge, philosophies, theory, action and debate.

Applying for research funding

This is a general list of major education funders.