The RSA is delighted to launch RSA Reflections, a brand-new space on our website dedicated to RSA member reports from RSA events, networks and research grants. Reflections joins the RSA Blog as a sister page, giving our community two complementary ways to share knowledge and experiences.
RSA Reflections is a collection of personal reflections and reports from those with first-hand experience, whether from conferences, network events or research funding reports; the new space brings together the many different voices and perspectives that make up the RSA community.
Where the RSA Blog tends to showcase academic research and policy-facing analysis, Reflections is more informal and experiential. It is the place for a conference attendee to capture what a keynote made them think about, for an early career researcher to write about their first RSA event, or for a network organiser to reflect on what a workshop achieved. Together, the two pages offer a fuller picture of RSA life, of the ideas being debated, and the experience of being part of the conversation.
Why we have launched it
RSA events, networking activities and research reports generate a wealth of insights that often remain out of sight. The Reflections page gives that insight a permanent, shareable home, helping to recognise that valuable perspectives are not only found in formal papers and blog commentary but also in the lived experience of participating in RSA activities.
It’s also a chance to spotlight voices that might not otherwise have a platform — students and early career researchers attending their first conference, network members reporting back to colleagues who couldn’t be there, and attendees whose reflections might not fit the more analytical tone of the Blog but are no less valuable.
How it complements the RSA Blog
Both pages sit within the News section of the RSA website, alongside News articles, and are designed to work together rather than compete:
- RSA Blogs are longer-form commentary, research-led analysis, and policy discussion from across the regional studies community.
- RSA Reflections are shorter, more personal write-ups capturing the experience of RSA events, networks and grant research.
If the Blog is where the RSA community thinks out loud, Reflections is where it looks back and shares what an experience meant.
Get involved
RSA Reflections is built on contributions from the community, so if you have recently taken part in an RSA conference, workshop, or network meeting, and would like to share, we would love to hear from you. We are looking forward to sharing forthcoming research grant reports and if you are interested in applying for a future grant, you will be able to find examples of recent research on the Reflections page soon. Whether it’s a few paragraphs or a longer report, the perspectives you will find on the Reflections page help build a richer picture of what it means to be part of the RSA.
Got a reflection to share, or a question about contributing? Please email Alex