Y2IG Lesson 1: Basics of a Research Group

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.

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 has 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 similarly 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 of supreme importance.

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.)

Better yet, 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.

No matter which path you pick, your Group’s selection of topics should have an impact on it’s name. Additionally, it’s wise if the name also in someway alludes to it’s location or the institution on which it’s based.