{"word_count": 1625, "character_count": 11178}
You will join a community of doctoral students in the History Department at the Open University, but will be based primarily in one of the national library partners (all of whom have existing sets of crowdsourced data) and will have access to advice and collections from all three partner institutions.For advice prior to a formal application, please contact:Dr Paul Lawrence, Associate Dean Research,The Open University (paul.lawrence@open.ac.uk)For advice related to the Library at which you might wish to base your studentship:Lorna Hughes, Chair in Digital Collections, National Library of Wales (Lorna.Hughes@llgc.org.uk);Mathew Shaw, Curator North American History (Mathew.Shaw@bl.uk);or Robin Smith, Head of Collections and Interpretation, National Library of Scotland (r.smith@nls.uk).Studentship 1: AHRC Doctoral Studentships (PhD), History (Digital Heritage/Crowdsourced Data)Preparing a research proposalIn addition to completing an application form you will need to supply a research proposal. This should set out (maximum 1500 words) your ideas for the research you would like to undertake during your doctoral studies. The outcome of the research could take the form of a conventional PhD thesis, but the University is prepared to consider supervising work which investigates and reflects more broadly on the opportunities and challenges raised by digital heritage and crowdsourced data. The &#8216;thesis&#8217; would then be likely to consist of a physical or practical output pertaining to the collections investigated, along with a commentary (shorter than the conventional PhD thesis) on the methodologies and strategies that have been used to create it. In allowing this type of output The Open University and its collaborating partners hope that the studentship will produce new knowledge pertinent to research in History, and new ways of understanding crowdsourcing techniques and their importance to academic and non-academic audiences, media professionals and amateur interest groups.In framing a proposal, candidates are strongly advised first to contact the library partner they would wish to work most closely with, but broad general guidance is given below.There is no set format for a proposal but you should initially conduct a survey of existing work in your chosen field, and make sure you include:1. The title of your project2. &#160;A clear summary of the proposed research. Drawing on your own review of the literature already existing in your field, you need to set out the questions you wish to pose and answer.Your summary should also cover the following points:Why is this an important subject? (A thesis needs to add something to the sum of our knowledge &#8211; how would yours do this?)What is new about your thesis (this could be new questions posed, new sources previously not used, a new approach etc.)How does your thesis relate to other publications in the field? Do you plan to confirm certain points of view, or to refute them?What sources might you need to use?Can you give an indication of the methodology and time frame you will propose for your research?3. A Bibliography. You need not have read everything you list here, but you should give an indication of your awareness of the primary and secondary sources available to you.4. In addition, your proposal should indicate how you feel your project might add value to or expose the collections of the library you propose to work most closely with.Stipend, expenses and facilitiesThis AHRC studentship covers tuition fees for UK/EU students and will pay a maintenance grant at the national standard level, which in 2012-13 is &#163;13,590 per year. Training and project-related research expenses are available up to normal limit of &#163;1000 per year and subject to approval of specific plans.The successful candidate will have desk space in the Faculty of Arts in Milton Keynes and will be provided with a notebook computer. The Open University has exceptional collections of online and digital library resources, as well as access to all the usual facilities of a research-intensive University. As noted other resources may be provided by the library partners as appropriate to the proposed project.Working placeFor studentship 1 (History): In one of the national library partners (all of which have large e-manuscript/e-archive collections)The Library partners are: The British Library (London), The National Library of Scotland (Edinburgh) and the National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth)RequirementsIt is essential that the successful candidate has:&#8226; &#160;Good academic qualifications in an Arts and Humanities subject (ie a 1st&#160; or 2:i degree from a UK institution or equivalent from a non-UK institution and/or a Masters degree)&#8226; Demonstrable ability to produce high-level academic writing&#8226; Evidence of the self-discipline and organizational skills required to complete a major academic project in three, or at most four, years&#8226; Willingness to participate in the broader intellectual communities of The Open University and its collaborative library partnersIn addition, it is desirable that the successful candidate has:&#8226; a Masters degree in a relevant Arts and Humanities subject.How to applyApplications are through The Open University research degree application form online at&#160;&#160; http://www.open.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/index.php. For practical advice on the applications procedure, contact the Research Degrees Team (research-degrees-arts@open.ac.uk, 01908 653806). For advice on academic questions, please contact either Dr Paul Lawrence or the library contacts as detailed above.Please note that this studentship is subject to the eligibility regulations for AHRC awards: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Documents/GuidetoStudentFunding.pdfClosing date for applications: 31 March 2013.Interviews anticipated: w/c 22 April 2013.It is expected that the studentship will start in October 2013.Equal Opportunity is University Policy.Studentship 2: AHRC Doctoral Studentships (PhD), English (E-Manuscripts/E-Archives)Preparing a research proposalIn addition to completing an application form you will need to supply a research proposal. This should set out (maximum 1500 words) your ideas for the research you would like to undertake during your doctoral studies. The outcome of the research could take the form of a conventional PhD thesis, but the University is prepared to consider supervising work which investigates and reflects more broadly on the opportunities and challenges raised by e-manuscript/e-archive research. The &#8216;thesis&#8217; would then be likely to consist of a physical or practical output pertaining to the collections investigated, along with a commentary (shorter than the conventional PhD thesis) on the methodologies and strategies that have been used to create it. In allowing this type of output The Open University and its collaborating partners hope that the studentship will produce new knowledge pertinent to research in English, and new ways of understanding e-manuscript/archive collections and their importance to academic and non-academic audiences, media professionals and amateur interest groups. In framing a proposal, candidates are strongly advised first to contact the library partner they would wish to work most closely with, but broad general guidance is given below.There is no set format for a proposal but you should initially conduct a survey of existing work in your chosen field, and make sure you include:1. The title of your project2. A clear summary of the proposed research. Drawing on your own review of the literature already existing in your field, you need to set out the questions you wish to pose and answer.Your summary should also cover the following points:Why is this an important subject? (A thesis needs to add something to the sum of our knowledge &#8211; how would yours do this?)What is new about your thesis (this could be new questions posed, new sources previously not used, a new approach etc.)How does your thesis relate to other publications in the field? Do you plan to confirm certain points of view, or to refute them?What sources might you need to use?Can you give an indication of the methodology and time frame you will propose for your research?3. A Bibliography. You need not have read everything you list here, but you should give an indication of your awareness of the primary and secondary sources available to you.4. In addition, your proposal should indicate how you feel your project might add value to or expose the collections of the library you propose to work most closely with.Stipend, expenses and facilitiesThe studentship carries a maintenance grant at the level set by the research councils (expected to be &#163;13,590 per annum from 12/13) as well as covering tuition fees. There is an allowance for training and project-related research costs subject to a standard &#163;1,000 annual limit, with pre-approval of specific research plans. The successful candidate will have desk space in the Faculty of Arts in Milton Keynes and will be provided with a notebook computer. The Open University has exceptional collections of online and digital library resources, as well as access to all the usual facilities of a research-intensive University.Working placeFor studentship 2 (English): In one of the national library partners (all of whom have existing sets of crowdsourced data)The Library partners are: The British Library (London), The National Library of Scotland (Edinburgh) and the National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth)RequirementsIt is essential that the successful candidate has:Good academic qualifications in an Arts and Humanities subject (ie a 1st&#160; or 2:i degree from a UK institution or equivalent from a non-UK institution and/or a Masters degree)Demonstrable ability to produce high-level academic writingEvidence of the self-discipline and organizational skills required to complete a major academic project in three, or at most four, yearsWillingness to participate in the broader intellectual communities of The Open University and its collaborative library partnersIn addition, it is desirable that the successful candidate has a Masters degree in a relevant Arts and Humanities subject.How to applyApplications are through the standard Open University research degree application form online at&#160;&#160; http://www.open.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/index.php. For practical advice on the applications procedure, contact Michelle McGregor in the Research Degrees Team (research-degrees-arts@open.ac.uk, 01908 653806) or the Faculty of Arts: 01908 652092 (Anne Ford at a.ford@open.ac.uk). For advice on the academic aspects of applying, please contact either Paul Lawrence or the library contacts as detailed above.Please note that this studentship is subject to the eligibility regulations for AHRC awards: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Student-Funding-Guide.pdfClosing date for applications: 31 March 2013.Interviews anticipated: w/c 22 April 2013.It is expected that the studentship will start in October 2013.Equal Opportunity is University Policy.