The Australian Academy of the Humanities

Humanities Technologies - Research methods and infrastructure

The Australian Academy of the Humanities has been awarded a grant by the Australian Research Council, under the Linkage – Learned Academies Special Projects program, to undertake a scoping study to determine the nature of research methodologies and infrastructure requirements in the humanities. The project, Humanities Technologies, aims to discover how humanities research is currently conducted in Australia, how important information and communication technologies (ICTs) are to humanities researchers, and how humanities researchers would like to be conducting their research in the future.

The first phase of the project was an online survey of humanities researchers, conducted in April, the results of which are currently being analysed. The results of the survey will be tested and further developed in a second phase, through short interviews conducted by telephone or email (or in person, where possible). All humanities researchers interested in this research project are invited to participate in the online survey and/or by contacting us to propose a discussion.

The online survey asks about your current research methods, including your use of ICT (information and communications technology) and your future needs. There are 43 short questions, mostly easy-to-complete tick boxes, and it should take 10 minutes to complete. To take the survey, please click this link.

Interviews will take about 15-30 minutes, depending on the time available, and will cover problems, opportunities, achievements and frustrations in incorporating new technologies in humanities research.  If you would like to participate in an interview, please contact the Academy.

Digitisation Scoping Study

The Academy is also about to conduct a separate (but related) scoping study to determine which resources Australian humanities researchers believe would be the most suitable for digitisation. The aim of this scoping study is for the Academy to compile a sound evidence base for a prioritised, scaleable list of proposed resources for digitisation, to guide any potential future investment in this area.

For further information please contact Phoebe Garrett at the Academy.