Hi Brendan, can you summarise your research focus for someone unfamiliar with the field, and how your interest in open research has developed alongside your wider research career?

My research focuses on contemporary masculinities, with particular reference to lifestyle, consumption and wellbeing, which means I have been involved in a range of research projects covering mental health, alcohol intake, diet, body image and relationships.

Recent work includes an analysis of interactions in the ‘manosphere’ as well as a study of men’s experiences when they volunteer to have their nails painted. In general, my work considers how men might resist and rework traditional masculinity norms which can cause harm. A good summary can be found in my short book, Contemporary Masculinities: Embodiment, emotion and wellbeing.

Open research has been a preoccupation for Psychology, my home discipline, for some years. Until recently, it was confined to quantitative researchers, who have been concerned about the ‘replicability crisis’ and, consequently, have advocated for research to be more transparent, for example by pre-registering study designs and making data available online. As a qualitative researcher, myself and peers have been outside these debates, since ‘replicability’ is not an issue for us. However, qualitative research has long had an interest in ‘thick description’ i.e. providing sufficient detail about research context and processes.

What does open research mean to you in practice, particularly within qualitative and critical social science research?

For qualitative researchers, open research is important, and one way this has been demonstrated over the years is via reflexivity. In other words, qualitative researchers have committed themselves to openness about their ‘positionality’ i.e. the various investments which shape any research project, including personal/political views, sociodemographic background and intellectual attachments.

There are many ways in which reflexivity can be actioned, including keeping a research journal and generally ‘writing yourself in’ to any given project – providing valuable context. This is something I have written about before, including in an edited book, Reflexivity: A Practical Guide for Researchers in Health and Social Sciences, (now quite old!).

As Leeds Beckett’s institutional lead for the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN), what opportunities do you see open research creating for researchers and universities more broadly?

I have been working with UKRN for about two years now, while my colleague Dr Sofia Persson has been involved for a bit longer as Local Network Lead. It is important for LBU to be represented at UKRN, who have been at the forefront of promoting open research for nearly a decade via diverse initiatives and resources. There are regular meetings and an annual retreat, and it is a great opportunity to find out about open research activity at other institutions and to learn about best practice.

I have encountered great ideas for training staff and PGR students on open research practices, and we are starting to offer sessions for different communities within LBU. Recently, we hosted a regional open research event (organised by Sofia) supported by UKRN where different initiatives and ideas for collaboration were shared. One of the positive aspects of Open Research is the central involvement of ‘research enablers’, including colleagues from library, research and technical support.

Open research can look quite different across disciplines. How do approaches vary between areas such as qualitative social science, arts research and STEM subjects?

UKRN is a very inclusive community and now has good representation across disciplines, including Arts and Humanities. There is respect for different traditions and terminology, and in fact UKRN has produced a suite of Open Research guides dedicated to particular disciplines. It is acknowledged that the nature of Open Research will vary by the type of research design and data in question; for example, we have to be careful about data sharing when the data involve personal or sensitive details in contrast to, say aggregated numerical data.

At LBU, we recently convened a university-wide Open Research group, with representation from all schools. We are collecting initial information about current practices within the Schools, with a view to sharing best practices and collaborating further within and across disciplines. UKRN also hosts a number of ‘special interest groups’, including one focused on qualitative research, which meet regularly and consider joint publications and conference contributions.

What are some of the common challenges or misconceptions researchers encounter when beginning to engage with open research practices, and how can these be navigated?

Open Research might at first be regarded as an issue for STEM disciplines where there is a preoccupation with reproducibility – so, not an issue for colleagues based in ‘liberal arts’. But as noted, Open Research is practiced (differently) in all disciplines, so exposure to relevant projects and programmes can help colleagues expand their repertoire and do better research.

Training in the Open Science space is available, within LBU and beyond, and organisations like UKRN provide a range of helpful content online. I was really pleased when our first prize in the 2024 LBU Research and Knowledge Exchange Awards for Open Research was awarded to Dr Adele Senior in the Leeds School of Arts – emphasising the point that there is great practice at LBU, not just in STEM.

For colleagues who are new to open research, are there any resources, networks or first steps you would particularly recommend?

As mentioned, the UKRN website is an invaluable resource which provides diverse material for guidance on different Open Research topics, as well as news of training opportunities and other events.

First steps – contact your School Open Research champion to learn more about local initiatives and opportunities for training and collaboration. I am also happy to be contacted to advise further!

Our School Open Research Champions are:

• School of Humanities and Social Sciences: Dr Sofia Persson and Dr Rachel Rich
• Leeds School of Arts: Dr Adele Senior
• School of Health: Professor Louise Warwick-Booth and Dr Jaskaren Kohli
• Leeds Law School - Sarah Waite
• Leeds Business School - Dr Sumona Mukhuty
• Carnegie School of Education - Professor Mhairi Beaton
• Carnegie School of Sport - Professor Susan Backhouse
• School of Built Environment and Computing - Professor Sam Zulu

For further support around open research at LBU, please visit our Library Research Support page, or contact the Open Research Team.

LBU Research Voices is a blog series that celebrates the experiences, journeys, and expertise of our LBU research community. Through this series, we explore the knowledge our researchers have gained, not just from their work, but from their lived experiences, career paths, and the communities they engage with. By sharing their stories, we hope to inspire learning, reflection, and connection across our LBU research culture.

Explore the full LBU Research Voices series to read more stories from across our LBU research community.