From 2024-25 Research in Practice became an assessed part of the SCDTP training programme. It comprises a suite of opportunities aimed at developing your skills in core areas relating to professional practice and employability.
From the outset, the SCDTP will work with you on your Development Needs Analysis which acts as the platform to help you understand what skills you already have and where your development needs lie.
The training, activities and resources that come under the Research in Practice umbrella are about developing your ability to:
- Apply research skills in different research contexts.
- Collaborate across sectoral and disciplinary boundaries.
- Communicate with impact, develop networks and gain entrepreneurship and leadership skills.
- Proactively engage in your own personal development and career direction.
Every student is required to include a Research in Practice placement in their PhD training. Your Research in Practice placement will be a 3-month (or part-time equivalent) work-based learning opportunity with an organisation that can offer a suitable project which enables you to both apply your current research skills in a new context and develop the skills you have identified through your Development Needs Analysis.
Reflective practice is another vital component of personal and professional learning in Research in Practice. Students will engage in reflective learning before, during and after their placement so that skills learned through practice in an authentic, supportive, mentored work environment can be enhanced and the benefits multiplied. Options include reflective journaling, blogging, critical incident analysis and research conversations with guided prompts. The resulting Assignment for Research in Practice completed during your placement will be assessed.
Key things to consider before you start planning your placement
Although the skills and networks you develop may support your PhD and future career, you cannot use the placement to generate PhD data, nor can you use your PhD fieldwork site as your placement setting. You also cannot undertake a placement with your current supervisors, your research team, or within your home department.
When you go on placement will depend on several factors and will be different for every student. As part of your on-going Development Needs Analysis you will reflect on what skills you are looking to develop and the best placement opportunity and timing to help support that development requirement. You will also need to discuss the timing of your placement with your supervisors, depending on your PhD project commitments. The only timing restrictions are:
- You should not do your Research in Practice placement within the masters year or first few months of the PhD, and you would normally need to have passed your first progression review.
- You will need to complete your Research in Practice placement at least 3-months before the end of your candidature (or 6 months if you are part-time).
Placements can be:
- Full-time or part-time equivalent.
- In-person, remote or hybrid.
- Split across up to three placement hosts (minimum duration per placement is one month (or part-time equivalent). The total time on placement must add up to 3 months (13 weeks)
The organisation you do your Research in Practice placement with can be one of your choosing from the wide variety of opportunities posted in the Placement Host Organisation Directory, or the Research in Practice team can help find a suitable organisation. If you wish to arrange your own placement you should discuss your plans with the Research in Practice team at an early stage to ensure the proposed placement is viable.
Three months (or full-time equivalent) of the funding stipend is dedicated to this component. Training focused on budgeting will be available and we will also support students to negotiate with their host organisation to cover reasonable expenses incurred during the placement, where possible. If the host organisation is unable to provide financial support, then SCDTP can fund up to £1,000 to cover placement travel and accommodation expenses.
Placements will normally be undertaken in the UK.
It is possible to do your placement overseas, but key considerations are (1) the proposed placement clearly meets the requirements of your DNA; (2) there is clear evidence that you cannot develop equivalent skills / experience / networks, which will be central to your development as a social scientist and your future career goals, in the UK; and (3) the cost to the SCDTP does not exceed £1,000. If you are considering undertaking your placement with an overseas host, please refer to the Guidance for International RiP Applications and discuss your proposal with the Research in Practice team at an early stage to ensure the placement can be approved.
Further detailed information about Research in Practice and answers to frequently asked questions can be found in the Research In Practice Placement FAQs
To get started on applying for a placement visit How to apply for your Research in Practice Placement.
Students beginning their SCDTP studentship before 2024/2025 can apply to do an internship rather than the Research in Practice placement.
