Y2IG Lesson 1: Basics of a Research Group

In this lesson of Portal:Y2IG project, we'll offer a rough overview of the process of creating your group while aiming to answer the most pressing questions.

All of these topics, here exposed in just a few paragraphs, will be the subject of later Lessons.

Definition and Objectives

A Research Group (RG) is, in it’s broadest terms, an organized union of individuals who systematically study, research and produce content on a given subject or set of subjects. RGs are particularly adapted to an university environment and can, without great difficulty, be built either by students and faculty. While faculty often enjoy benefits and advantages in this process, students can do it on their own and, indeed, the first Research Group created through this methodology was founded and is still managed by students.

Typically, the main goal of a RG is producing and publishing research through articles in peer-reviewed magazines and in books. In order to achieve this, though, a RG and it’s researchers will have to organize themselves, collectively study and debate Internet Governance topics, and conduct workshops and roundtables. This process teaches the researchers important practical and academic skills that will facilitate research, which culminate in a publication and, eventually, valuable professional skills.

While continued research and publication are the explicit goal of a RG, it’s greatest product and asset is actually it’s researchers. Research and publication is merely a particularly effective means by which young Internet Governance agents can be recruited, trained, developed and graduated so that they may go on to base careers around maintaining the internet’s integrity.

Can I Create a Research Group?

Research Groups can be created either by academic faculty and by proactive students. Faculty often is granted institutional tools that assist the creation of a Group, such as funding and the capacity to formalize them, but proactive, well-intentioned students are perfectly capable of creating and managing excellent groups.

It is not necessary that a student have extensive, systematic knowledge of IG or that he or she has gone through an IG School. In fact, the process of creating and developing a group will be the very experience through which the student will become knowledgeable on IG, and in so building a curriculum that’ll take him to greater heights.

The only absolutely indispensable asset anyone must have in order to create a RG is the presence of people who might be interested in composing the Group. Nothing else is necessary. This is something that, arguably, can be found in all institutions of higher learning in the world.

So, as a rule of thumb, if you currently are studying or working in an university or similar environment (such as a technical school), you’re capable of creating a RG.

How can I Create a Research Group?

If you intend to found a Group, the first thing you must accomplish is assembling a small group of compromised individuals. These founding members, who can be just one or two colleagues, will compose what we call the Group's Hard Core.

Although your Group may grow and, eventually, contain a large team of individuals, most of the work and decision-making will always be executed by the Hard Core. As such, picking the right people for the job is very important. The method we recommend, and which has yielded good results, is seeking out events that either directly discuss Internet Governance or broach related topics. These events can be local, such as courses and lectures offered on your university, or may be national, large-scale events such as a National Internet Governance Forum.

If you seek out local events, participate actively by asking questions and stimulating further debate. When possible, publicly mention that you’re trying to create a study group on the topic and that you're seeking interested individuals. Given that there are enough people attending, you’ll likely be sought out after the event by potential researchers.

You don’t have to be picky about the event’s topics. Just go wherever there is any debate that might relate to an Internet Governance issue, such as net neutrality, and be on the lookout. If you’re in a large-scale event you’ll be surrounded by people originating from all sorts of places who are already committed to Internet Governance. In this case your goal should be finding people who originate from the same place as you, which can be accomplished through socializing and by open mic sessions.

Through these methods you’ll, hopefully, find well-intentioned and focused individuals. But you must also be on the lookout for people who, although seemingly interested, fail to actually put in significant work. Although these people may be useful later on (which is why you should maintain contact), currently you need people who intensely want to make this work. You may need to go to a handful of events before you are satisfied with your team.

When you have found one or two people who share similar interests and compromise, you’ll have established your Hard Core. After this, your next goal should be Defining your Group and, later on, Recruitment.

Defining your Group

A defining trait of a Group is it’s selection of research topics — that is, which subjects and disciplines it focuses on. This is both a practical matter, that’ll define how research will be conducted, and a branding issue, since this’ll probably have an impact on the name you adopt for your group.

An obvious option is, of course, explicitly basing your RG around Internet Governance — and nothing more. Although academically honest, this option brings up some problems that might significantly hinder your success. Since there are few institutions that offer systematized courses on Internet Governance, most interested people originally stem from Courses who might have only a tangential relation to this subject. Because of that, they might be unwilling or intimidated by the prospect of dedicating their research exclusively to IG.

In these cases it is wise to base your group around the intersection of your Course and Internet Governance (for example, Law students seeking to study Internet Governance might base their group around Internet Law.) This is approach that allows for easier recruitment in your Course's environment at the cost of restricting the diversity of researchers you'll attract.

Alternatively, you may adopt a group definition that is pliable enough to encompass a wide array of potential researchers from different fields. We suggest the adoption of the “Internet and Society,” which has become a catch all term associated with initiatives who are related, but not exclusively linked, to Internet Governance. Adopting your selection of research topics as “Internet and Society” brings a very practical advantages: it’s a broad term that encompasses many possible topics, which will facilitate the recruitment of a diverse, multidisciplinary team. An alternative to this term is "Information and Communication Technologies."

Fostering Debate and Recruitment

By now you should have one, perhaps two colleagues with whom you share goals. This is the time, then, to start organizing a public debate in your university to spark interest and spread the word of your project. Through this you'll come in contact with more interested individuals who might come to integrate your Research Group. Here are a few pointers.

• Pick an accessible Internet Governance topic, relevant to the real life problems people face around you.
• Together with your colleagues, study the topic and plan a public debate.
• Secure an adequate space in which you can talk and debate the issue with the people around you. A classroom in your university is a particularly good option.
• Share the news in social media and physically, through flyers and posters.
• During the event, make sure you allow the audience to intervene, participate and comment freely on the issue. Make it accessible and friendly.
• Take note on the people who show interest and potential. After the event seek them out and invite them to the Research Group.