Social Sciences and Humanities Research as a Public Good: Identifying Research Prospects for Advancing Research Among Academic and Non-Academic Discourse Communities

May 27, 2010 - Concordia University, Montreal

This SSHRC-funded workshop organized by John Willinsky, Johanne Provençal and Rowland Lorimer will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss possibilities, partnerships and projects to extend the reach of social sciences and humanities research as a public good.

John Willinsky's opening address - "Increasing the public status of research and scholarship" - will be followed by brief presentations and workshop discussions and activities by the following confirmed participants:

• Peggy Berkowitz, Editor, University Affairs
• Barbara Crutchley, President, Canadian Association of University Research Administrators
• Robert Greenwood, Director, Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, Memorial University
• Budd Hall, Director, Office of Community-Based Research, University of Victoria
• Rowland Lorimer, Director, Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing, Simon Fraser University
• Tim Lougheed, Past-president, Canadian Science Writers’ Association
• Kathryn O’Hara, CTV Chair in Science Broadcast Journalism, Carleton University
• Anthony Paré and Doreen Starke-Meyerring, Integrated Studies in Education, Faculty of Education, McGill University
• David Phipps, Director, Research Services & Knowledge Exchange, York University
• Johanne Provençal, Research Associate, Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing
• Robyn Stockand, President, Canadian Association of Special Libraries and Information Services
• Christian Vandendorpe, VP of Research Dissemination, Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences

Some of the questions to be taken up in the workshop discussions/activities:

• What ways are there of identifying, demonstrating or measuring the value and consequences of research as public good?
• What are some of the main challenges (for the research community or otherwise) in forming the partnerships needed to extend the reach of research as a public good and how could these overcome (or would they remain necessary challenges of this kind of work)?
• For the partnerships and projects identified in and arising from this workshop, what are the concrete next steps to be taken to move them forward?

There are plans to publish an edited proceedings of this event. If you wish to be notified when the proceedings are published or if you have any other questions, please contact johanne_provencal 'at' sfu.ca