About The Graduate Junction
Hello and thank you for visiting The Graduate Junction. The Graduate Junction was originally launched in May 2008 by two graduate researchers at the University of Durham (UK), Dan and Esther. We have been really encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive response from fellow researchers and academics alike. The Graduate Junction Team has now expanded and includes a number of volunteers who share our vision and are giving up their time to help The Graduate Junction succeed in its mission.
Our Vision
The Graduate Junction has a bold vision to bring together Masters, Doctoral and Postdoctoral researchers from across disciplines and around the world to create an online global research community. The Graduate Junction has two central aims:
- To provide researchers with an easy way of meeting and discussing their research interests with others in a global and multi-disciplinary environment.
- To provide comprehensive searchable listings of information relevant to the graduate research community.
We created The Graduate Junction because it was something we ourselves perceived a need for. At the same time, we were put off by too many sites which include unnecessary functionality and which, because they are profit-driven, are plastered with banner advertising. We have designed The Graduate Junction to be simple and to provide only information which is relevant to the research community.
How it all started
We set up the Graduate Junction to reach out to colleagues beyond our own research projects. We wanted to know who, if anyone, was doing research similar to ours.
Currently researchers have three sources of information about work done in their chosen field: published literature, conferences and seminars, their supervisor. Literature reviews can only ever reveal completed work, relevant conferences do not happen every week and supervisors mostly rely on these same sources. It is very easy to become overly focused on the specifics of your own work and to lose a sense of what other related work is currently being done, including by other graduate researchers
We also noticed that very distinct and separate literatures and conferences exist for different subject areas despite the large overlap between some disciplines. For example, while Dan is doing a chemistry PhD, his work as a physical chemist overlaps with areas of physics and chemical engineering. Within Education, experience has shown Esther that there is overlap with many other Social Sciences, such as Human Geography, Sociology and Economics.
Making things easier
Networking is an essential part of the research process: promoting collaboration, generating new ideas and preventing duplication of effort. Consequently, we thought it would be great if there were a common point that brought together Masters, Doctoral and Postdoctoral researchers from all disciplines across the world. By making ‘Research Keywords’ rather than ‘discipline’ central to The Graduate Junction, we hope to break down existing disciplinary boundaries so that it will be possible to find others with similar research interests regardless of which department, institutions or country they are in.
Providing comprehensive listings
Since launching The Graduate Junction in May 2008, we have become aware of a number of other websites offering listing services. However because these websites charge institutions high rates, creating a barrier to entry, they do not provide comprehensive coverage. Colleagues at the end of their current research projects complained about the time it took to search and register with numerous websites which advertise different studentships or jobs. We recognised the vital importance of full information when making important decisions. Unlike websites which are profit-driven, The Graduate Junction was developed with the intention of benefiting our community. We realize that in order to develop and maintain its global exchange platform to the highest possible standard, The Graduate Junction will have to be self-sustaining. Therefore listing services are provided for only for a nominal administration fee. All the listings are searchable so that you only find the information most relevant to you.
Be part of the global research community....
The Graduate Junction has only recently been launched. We would really appreciate your help to build the global research community. Please spread the news around your university. Either invite other researchers or contact us and tell us who we should send information to at your institution.
It is important to us that The Graduate Junction grows from suggestions from the community itself. We have just implemented some major changes in mid-August 2008 in response to early suggestions. You can expect to see The Graduate Junction continue to develop and grow. If you have any suggestions please let us know.
We hope you enjoy and benefit from The Graduate Junction.
Best Wishes,
Daniel, Esther and Candice
The Graduate Junction