Author: journalofimaginaryresearch

The Journal of Imaginary Research Vol 5 is now open for new fictional pieces!

We publish imaginary research abstracts.

What do we mean imaginary research abstracts? We mean short works of fiction, that take a format that is familiar to us as researchers and academics. An abstract is the summary of an academic paper, that gives us a succinct overview of the research that has been done, and the new outcomes or ideas that the research has generated.

We publish imagined research abstracts as works of fiction firstly because writing for enjoyment is a good thing to encourage. We spend a lot of time trying to reduce our anxiety about writing, so writing just for fun is a good way to reshape our relationship with writing into something enjoyable.

Secondly, writing fiction in a familiar format, helps us to reflect on how we can creatively communicate real research projects, and how we can find the joy of creativity within the grind of productivity.

Creativity is a property of all writers and the privilege of all researchers.

The imaginary abstracts we have published in volumes 1-4 were written by real academic staff, research staff, and research students each November, during Global Academic Writing Month.

To have your creative work included, use a copyright free image as a prompt to produce:

• A title
• A 200-300 word imagined research abstract and 
• A 100 word imagined researcher biography. 
• You also need to send a high resolution copy of the copyright free image you used — see these resources if you don’t have a stash of your own: https://pixabay.com, https://unsplash.com, https://broadlygenderphotos.vice.com (gender inclusive) and https://affecttheverb.com/collection/ (disabled, Black, Indigenous, People of Color)

The first 4 volumes of the Journal are available here as free downloads and provide plenty of examples of the different approaches and styles.

Submit these four things for consideration to kay.guccione@gcu.ac.uk by Friday 6th December.

EDITED TO ADD:

Due to the volume of submissions we are now receiving, we have a fast and simple editorial process. We will:
(a) accept and publish your submission without edits,
(b) send your submission back with some suggestions on how to resubmit for next year’s edition or
(c) go ahead and edit your work and publish it in this year’s edition. That means that your piece may be published with minor edits that you have not seen. If you would prefer that this doesn’t happen, then let us know when you submit. We haven’t had any writers disappointed yet, but we want you to be aware of our editorial processes so you can make an informed decision.

Just so you know, in all cases you maintain the copyright on your submission, and no money is made by the sale of your writing.

The Journal of Imaginary Research publishes short works of fiction in the academic genre of the Research Abstract. Find and download all of our volumes to date here.

The imagined research abstracts, and their imagined researchers were constructed by real academic staff, research staff, and research students. We, Dr Kay Guccione (connect on LinkedIn here) and Dr Matthew Cheeseman, produce a new Volume of the Journal of Imaginary Research each November, as November is Global Academic Writing Month.

In the early phases we used a workshop of imaginative writing practices (download the workshop materials here) to support writers to construct and refine fictional abstracts and biographies that are freed from the confines of day-to-day research projects. Each piece is rooted in a real image, carried into the workshop by a real researcher.

In developing this workshop we wanted to introduce creative writing concepts to researchers working in any and all disciplines, as a way to support people who felt tense, anxious, about writing, or had fallen into a negative relationship with their writing.

The pieces in these volumes were by-products of our workshop, helping researchers reflect on how they can creatively communicate their own research projects, and how they can find the joy of creativity within the grind of productivity. Creativity is a property of all writers and the privilege of all researchers.

We now accept submissions each November from any writer who sees the value of using creative processes, and writing for fun. Our next call will be announced on this blog site, when we are ready to receive new submissions.

Below, Kay presents a paper on the origin story and pedagogical underpinnings of the Journal at the Creative Experiment in the Classroom Conference, GCU London, June 2020.

Dr Kay Guccione (@kayguccione) Head of Researcher Development, and Dr Matthew Cheeseman (@eine) Associate Professor in Creative Writing — Editors.