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Research Mentoring

• Introduction
• Background
• Identification of Research Active Staff
• The Role of a Mentor
• Identification of Mentors
• Allocation of Mentors
• Associated Forms of Support

The Role of a Mentor

The role of mentor is a developmental one and not a managerial one. The management of research activity within the School is a joint responsibility of the Associate Dean for Research and the School Research Committee in conjunction with Heads of Department, whereas the mentoring role is one of supporting and developing the capacity of the researcher to undertake quality research and write it up for publication. In this context the role of a mentor is to:

• Offer support and encouragement
• Draw on their own expertise to help the researcher to develop their research and publications
• Advise and support the researcher in drawing up a personal research plan including the setting of targets
• Act as a sounding board or a mirror for the exploration of ideas and issues arising from the research being carried out
• Give constructive feedback on the research being undertaken
• Read and comment on draft papers for publication
• Offer advice and guidance on suitable journals for papers to be submitted to
• Engage in mutual monitoring of the achievement of targets and projected outcomes with the researcher
• Act as suitable role model in their capacity as both a researcher and a mentor