Research plays a vital role in development of science, thereby deserving a considerable degree of attention. The Research Skills development Programme (RSDP) at LCSS is designed to offer a platform for developing, exchanging and promoting ideas on research skills. It includes a range of academic activities to promote intellectual discussion and exchange of ideas between students, current practitioners and prominent scientists.
Structure of RSDP:
The RSDP is mainly based on four pillars.
1. Research Methods in Social Sciences: Social science focuses on the human aspects of the world. It observes and examines the social developments of the society through an in-depth exploration of human behaviour by utilising scientific methods, such as quantitative or qualitative research. This part of the RSDP is therefore devoted to undertake activities revolving around the philosophy of science, social research methodology and presentation of research findings.
2. Transferable Skills: Since science is a human endeavour, the skills that researchers possess will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the quality of the scientific activity being undertaken. Under this part of the RSDP, many seminars and presentations are organised where experts equipped with the following skills can pass their knowledge and experience to young researchers. These sessions covers a range of topics including academic writing, literature review, ethics, presentation skills, networking, funding applications etc.
3. Research Workshops: The RSDP sessions are first offered training-like activities under its “research in social science” and “transferable skills” sections, and then intended to create opportunities for early career researchers to present their own research before their peers to gain experience on presentation skills and practical feedback. The research workshops are held separately for social science and natural science students.
4. Research Career Talks: The aim of Research Career Talks is to bring together early career researchers stages with senior academics from various disciplines for informal discussions on developing and international research/academic career. These talks are expected to be beneficial particularly in terms of attaining practical research tips and implications of research, in the short and long –term.