2025’s first Let’s Talk session, “The Research World for the Non-Researcher,” with Anastasia Lijadi and Debbie Kramlich, was a wonderful success. Skillfully moderated by Maryam Afnan Ahmad, participants from Southern England, Singapore, Tokyo, Finland, Panama, the Netherlands, and Brazil engaged in a thoughtful discussion, exploring insightful questions and receiving enlightening responses.

During the session, the speakers tackled common misconceptions about research—such as the challenge of accessing academic articles behind paywalls and the mistaken belief that research always yields absolute truths. They reframed research as a process of exploring the world and generating new knowledge, explaining the distinctions between basic and applied research, as well as between quantitative and qualitative methods.

They emphasized that research is woven into everyday life and should be approached with curiosity and openness, rather than simply to validate pre-existing ideas. Their insights highlighted the importance of credible research, how to critically evaluate sources, and what to consider when conducting research. The session offered valuable takeaways not only for those currently engaged in or considering research, but also for anyone looking to better understand and apply research in their personal or professional lives.

Much was discussed, as can be seen in the recording, but among the topics discussed, those which resonated were:

• the challenges, and differences of conducting research within or outside of an academic setting

• the reality that much research is still ‘western’ oriented, lacking the diversity (of people, language, voices, assumptions etc.) our community would expect, prefer – and often need

• the importance of, but also difficulties of, peer reviews – especially in the publishing process

• the intricacies involved when trying to establish the credibility of a paper

Much was learnt, and the discussion following the presentation provided all with an opportunity for further clarifications, but also engagement with one another.

As Maryam said, ‘Let’s Talk’ are safe spaces for hard subjects – and FIGT looks forward to planning more in the very near future – in case not yet done so, do subscribe to the FIGT Newsletter, to be kept informed.

Members of FIGT can watch the recording of this session after logging in.