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Congratulations to Karl Gustafsson and Linus Hagström of the Swedish Defence University on winning the 2024 Jacqui Briggs EPS Prize for their article The insecurity of doing research and the ‘so what question’ in political science: how to develop more compelling research problems by facing anxiety, published in EPS Volume 23, Issue 4.
Our Jacqui Briggs EPS Prize celebrates remarkable contributions to political science. Specifically, it recognises articles that enhance our understanding of emerging trends in political science or innovative approaches to teaching and learning in the profession.
View their winning piece, which is free to read via SpringerLink.
The paper provides an original contribution about one key aspect of scientific research, namely the formulation of the research question. The originality of the contribution lies in the exploration of the emotional dynamics that are triggered by the formulation of a research question, especially for early-stage researchers. This study paves the way to a better understanding of the importance of emotions in the research process, by highlighting their potential, as well as the need to develop sounding strategies to effectively managing them.
I am honored to have been awarded such a prestigious prize. The topic of the article is one that I am passionate about and I am therefore delighted that it receives this kind of attention.’
Karl Gustafsson is professor of international relations at Stockholm University and senior lecturer in political science at the Swedish Defence University. He has previously held positions at Lund University and the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.
Read moreI too am very pleased to have received news of the prize—and genuinely surprised, as I wasn’t aware the article had been nominated, or even that the prize existed. I hope the recognition draws more readers to the piece and sparks much-needed discussions on how to craft research problems amid anxiety
Linus Hagström is a Professor of Political Science at the Swedish Defence University in Stockholm, Sweden. His research revolves around security and great power politics, with empirical attention to East Asia and Sweden, and a theoretical emphasis on narratives, emotions and power.
Read moreThis article convincingly shows that it is good if we as researchers, have anxiety and doubt about the research process. In fact, according to Gustafsson and Hagström, having uncertainties, feeling doubtful or anxious might actually be necessary to have a good research design and afterwards credible results. Aside from highlighting that anxiety is healthy in the research process, the article provides valuable advice on how to construct a research design. This research design can offer guidance to early-career researchers on how to approach the research process and provide valuable advice for how advisors can support students when dealing with these fundamental insecurities.
The 2024 prize jury members were:
On behalf of the 2024 Prize Committee and Editors of EPS, our congratulations to our 2024 Jacqui Briggs EPS Prize winners.