We welcome contributions to the ESRC Wales DTP Research Methods Blog from students working towards a PhD at any of the institutions that are part of the ESRC Wales DTP. 

You might  

• give an account of a research method and its application 
• critique or explore research methods 
• write a report of a workshop or course you have attended 
• pose a question (or set of questions) on a particular approach or method 
• profile a particular methods champion who has influenced your work/has been informing your research recently. 
• Describe any challenges faced with multi-method/interdisciplinary research 

You are writing for your peers – fellow PhD candidates and masters students – who may be at the very beginning of their course. Don’t be shy of providing some background (or a link to it) where appropriate. Bear in mind, too, that your audience will be drawn from different disciplines, so don’t assume they’ll be as familiar as you are with yours! Avoid jargon. 

As you are writing a blog post, the tone can be informal and friendly without being any less authoritative. You can include references by hyperlinking where your sources are available online. 

We don’t have any strict rules about length, but as a guide, somewhere around 1,000 words would be typical. You shouldn’t feel you need to curtail an irreducible explanation, but on the other hand, don’t make it longer than it needs to be! 

If you need any help or advice, get in touch.