Gatecrashing the Research Paradigm: Effective Integration of Online Technologies in Maximising Research Impact and Engagement in Legal Education

(2013) 6(1/2) Journal of the Australasian Law Teachers Association 83.

Monash University Faculty of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2013/37

14 Pages Posted: 10 Jan 2014 Last revised: 14 Jan 2014

See all articles by Kate Galloway

Kate Galloway

Griffith Law School; Australian Catholic University

Kristoffer Greaves

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Melissa Castan

Monash University - Faculty of Law

Date Written: December 27, 2013

Abstract

Legal academics are not only teachers but also creators of knowledge. The role of an academic includes a responsibility to share this knowledge through engagement not just of their students,but also of the wider community. In addition, there is increasing emphasis on legal academics having to account for the so-called ‘impact’ of research. In selecting both the topic of their research and the mode of publication of their knowledge, legal academics act as gatekeepers. There is an increasing critique of the existing paradigm of research publication and its emphasis on the metrics of impact. This critique recognises the limitations of the commercial publication paradigm in the present context of open access and the vast array of citizen-mediated platforms for dissemination of legal knowledge and innovation. Susskind (Tomorrow’s Lawyers 2013) for example identifies expert crowd-sourced legal information as breaking down barriers to access to justice. Tracking their experience with publication of a paper on social media in legal education from the ALTA conference in 2012, the authors share an auto-ethnographic account of their insights into the potential for both impact and engagement of a diverse audience in their research. This highlights the ways in which various media can be used strategically to redefine the role of the gatekeeper.

Keywords: legal education, social media, research, impact, engagement, metrics, altmetrics

Suggested Citation

Galloway, Kate and Greaves, Kristoffer and Castan, Melissa, Gatecrashing the Research Paradigm: Effective Integration of Online Technologies in Maximising Research Impact and Engagement in Legal Education (December 27, 2013). (2013) 6(1/2) Journal of the Australasian Law Teachers Association 83., Monash University Faculty of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2013/37, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2376103

Kate Galloway (Contact Author)

Griffith Law School ( email )

Nathan Campus, GU
Nathan 4111
Australia

Australian Catholic University ( email )

115 Victoria Parade,
Fitzroy, Victoria 3065
Australia

Kristoffer Greaves

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Melissa Castan

Monash University - Faculty of Law ( email )

Wellington Road
Clayton, Victoria 3800
Australia

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