Research in Practice: From Discovery to Impact

Morning session

Overview: Research foundations

Using published research to find, evaluate, and inform professional practice. It will cover the different sources for research and different journal and article types and their various purposes.

Overview of conducting our own research, covering areas such as

• choosing a topic,
• finding mentors and collaborators,
• selecting an appropriate method and methodology,
• the steps in conducting the research,
• how to apply findings,
• judging when to share or publish it and when it is just for internal purposes,
• overview of publishing process.

Afternoon session 

Overview: Practical research implementation

• Ethics, covering the ethical principles that guide research and strategies for navigating ethical issues in research, including when is approval required from management?
• Data collection instrument design, covering the importance of well-structured data collection instruments, practical tips for instrument design and using existing data
• Application of research findings, covering strategies for translating research findings into practical solutions followed by some examples of successful application of research findings.
• Research communication and dissemination, covering the difference between research outcomes and research outputs, creating actionable research dissemination plans, effective strategies for manuscript preparation and publication (including publishing process, the roles, and responsibilities for authors, peer reviewers and editors, what makes a good practice-based paper, including how to consider implications for library and information professionals and researchers beyond your organisation), disseminating beyond publications.

Bio

Dr Ellie Sayyad Abdi is a Senior Lecturer at Curtin University. Ellie is a highly experienced information scholar, educator and practitioner with more than nine years of research, teaching, supervision, learning design and leadership experience in higher education in Australia and internationally. 

Ellie is an applied researcher with diverse research interests that sit at the nexus of information, people, technology and learning. She has extensive experience in designing and implementing research projects, leading grant applications, publishing in high-quality journals and conferences, and reviewing and examining research work. 

Bio

Emilia Bell is a library practitioner, researcher, and PhD candidate. They currently lead the Evidence Based Practice library team at the University of Southern Queensland, where they contribute to developing an evidence-based culture to support service improvement, decision-making, and value and impact. Emilia’s doctoral research delves into open knowledge diplomacy, exploring the role of Australian university libraries in fostering open practices for climate scholarship. Emilia is committed to advancing inclusive and impactful initiatives within library and academic communities. They are the co-Founder of ANDPA (Association of Neurodivergent and Disabled GLAMR Professionals Australia) and serve as a member of various committees and groups, including ALIA LARK (Library Applied Research Kollektive).

Bio

Professor Tina Du is the Head of the School of Information and Communication Studies and a full Professor of Information Sciences at Charles Sturt University in New South Wales, Australia. Prior to this role, she was an Associate Professor and Professorial Lead at the University of South Australia, where she now serves as an Adjunct Professor. Tina is also a Fellow of the Governor’s Leadership Foundation of South Australia. Her research interests are interdisciplinary, focusing on user-technology interactions, community engagement, marginalized communities, the information journey, public libraries, and the social impacts of emerging technologies. She currently serves as a Director-at-Large on the Board of Directors of ASIS&T, the international society for information science and technology.

Bio

Dr Mary Anne Kennan is Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Information and communication Studies, Charles Sturt University. Mary Anne researches and publishes mainly in the areas of scholarly communication, changing academic library services (including research data management), and education for library and information managers. Prior to becoming an academic Mary Anne worked mainly in academic libraries, including as Director of the Frank Lowy Library at the Australian Graduate School of Management. Mary Anne is Editor of the Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association (JALIA), the flagship journal of the Australian Library and Information Association and a Fellow of ALIA.

Bio

Edward Luca is a library practitioner and researcher. He is currently Associate Director, Academic Services at the University of Sydney Library. Edward writes and speaks on topics including design thinking, academic librarianship and scholarly publishing. He is also undertaking his PhD in the discipline of Business Information Systems at the University of Sydney Business School. Edward has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Information and Media) and an MBA from UTS. He is an Associate Editor at the Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association (JALIA)

Bio

Dr. Bhuva Narayan is an Associate Professor, Digital Social Media in the School of Communication, and Director of Graduate Research at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Bhuva is the Associate Editor of the Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association and on the Editorial Board of ARIST, Education for Information, and DOCAM. Bhuva is a transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary researcher across Information Science, Internet Studies, Digital Media Studies, and Privacy Literacy, with additional expertise in IT, HCI, and UX, and applies this expertise in the context of human-centred information issues.

As an Australian LIS educator with an MLIS from the iSchool at the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. in Human Information Behaviours from the Queensland University of Technology, Bhuva brings broad perspective to LIS Research and Practice.

Bio

Dr. Katherine Howard is a Digital Research Analyst with Intersect Australasia, working at UniSA, where she manages the High Performance Computer service for UniSA researchers. Katherine supports UniSA researchers by providing expertise in various digital tools and technologies, and coordinating Intersect’s training program for UniSA staff and students. Katherine’s background is in Information Science, and she has extensive national and international experience as a researcher and academic, having delivered guest lectures and conference presentations across Europe, Asia and Africa. She was a Research Fellow with the ARC-funded LISRA project, aimed at enabling and encouraging research in Australia’s library and information profession. Katherine’s research focuses on new and emerging roles for information professionals, particularly around data science, research data management, and in the GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) sector. She also has a keen interest in the Digital Humanities.

Bio

Liz Walkley Hall is Associate Director, Engagement and Scholarly Communication at Flinders University Library. Prior to this, Liz has held several other key positions at Flinders University including Associate Librarian, Collections, College and Research Services and Manager, eResearch@Flinders. During her 25+ years as an ALIA member, Liz has served across various committees including as a current member of the Research Advisory Committee, past convenor of ALIA SA, and ALIA National Conference Program Committee. She has also supported the profession as a guest editor, peer reviewer, and as a Mentor in the ALIA Mentoring Program. Liz has contributed to CAUL (Council of Australian University Librarians) in serving on the 2022 CAUL Conference Committee and the OER Governance Board (2023-). She has published and presented locally, nationally and internationally including as Keynote Speaker. Liz is a graduate of the CAUDIT Leadership Institute and holds a Bachelor of Arts and post graduate qualification in Library and Information Management.