Supporting academic development in public output: Reflections and propositions

Challenges arose in UK higher education (HE) in 1992 with mergers and the creation of universities from polytechnics. One of these challenges was to address tension over public output: should new academics write for scholarly journals or not? Staff in universities with a commitment to research must produce public output in refereed journals. Experience indicates that some academics have litde public output, may have to learn skills for writing, and may benefit from support as they develop new forms of public output. A body of knowledge exists on such issues (Boice 1987, 1990; Elbow 1973, 1981; Torrance et al., 1993). This paper describes a ‘Research Writers’ Support Group’, a 6‐month workshop, adapting Boice's framework for a group of volunteers who had recendy joined HE. Group processes are described. Evaluation shows that all participants in the group achieved public output goals defined at the start of six months. In addition, participants, recorded a broad range of affective gains, such as feeling more integrated in the academic community. They had also become comfortable with the additional professional demand for public output in new forms. In conclusion, we propose that Boice's framework can be adapted for the UK, with local contexts shaping this adaptation.