The blog was very much of its time. Before SEO, before the professionalisation of blogs, having a catchy name was the game. If you could have a pun even better. After a few years, the blog was renamed ‘The RED Alert’. Still pun-tastic, but reflecting a platform that was reaching far beyond just ‘writing’. RED initiatives, personal research stories, and the wide range of workshops and events at La Trobe were all now in scope.  

Over the next decade, hundreds of blog posts were written by RED team members, graduate researchers, and experienced researchers from across La Trobe’s campuses and schools. Some of our most-read posts included ‘Industry mentoring? What’s that about?’, (2017) ‘Tackling illness and a PhD’ (2018), and ‘What I wish I’d known when starting my PhD’ (2025).  

In 2026, we are delighted to continue the work of the blog, with a full refresh. So much has changed on the web in the last 13 years. We launched at the dawn of the wide-spread smartphone era, when universities weren’t sure about all this interactive social content. We blogged through the rise and fall of academic Twitter (RIP). We blogged through multiple seismic changes in research culture, funding and policy-settings in Australia and globally. But we’re still here. And blogs are back (again).  

To reflect where we are now, we’ve made some changes. We have moved platforms (farewell Blogger, hello WordPress), and are now fully integrated into the La Trobe web infrastructure. We now have a modern, visual, responsive and more mobile-friendly design. We’ve updated the name to the Research Education and Development (RED) blog – it does what it says on the tin.

But, just as importantly, we have moved over every post from the old website, ensuring that those 13 years of contributions remain fully accessible into the future. This was no small effort and huge thanks must go the folks in Web Operations who made this possible (and to Katherine who was determined to see this done, down to even writing most of this blog post, except the bit Meagan has edited to add this in).

If you are reading this post on the old RED Alert site, this will be the last update at this location. Head over to our new blog site at: https://red.blogs.latrobe.edu.au

If you are joining us at our new location, welcome, or welcome back! Use the tags archive to browse through our back catalogue, or use the search function to find something specific. Sign up to our weekly Shut Up And Write (SUAW) email reminder for regular RED and SUAW news – including about new blog posts, here.

Goodbye RED Alert, you served us well! Welcome RED blog, here’s to more of the same!

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We know that supervisors bring extensive knowledge to their role and are universally short of time. Recognising this, we have reorganised our suite of supervisor development activities to include a new self-paced module and shorter, more focused discussions and workshops. Read more about these changes, below.

What’s new?

Online module: Graduate research supervision at La Trobe 

Whether you are new to supervision, or new to La Trobe, all supervisors must complete this module as a condition of registration for graduate research supervision. In an engaging, interactive format, we’ll lead you through the specific responsibilities of LTU supervisors and make sure you know who is here to help you navigate the joys and challenges of graduate supervision. The module is online, accessed via My Knowledge Nest.

Welcome to research supervision at LTU (2 hours) 

We welcome graduate research supervisors into a supportive community of researchers at LTU who are focused on doing the job well and have lots of valuable experience to share. Whether you are new to supervision or new to La Trobe, this session is designed to help you find your footing in the context of this university. Yes, we’ll cover off on some of the policy and requirements; but equally importantly, you’ll meet colleagues and start building a supportive peer network to aid in the rewarding and challenging work of research supervision. 

New look enhancing supervision series (1 hour per workshop) 

This series of bite-sized interactive lunchtime sessions is designed for both new and experienced graduate research supervisors. Participants are invited to share their knowledge, questions and insights as we work our way through the key issues facing supervisors today. Topics include: 

• Establishing effective supervision relationships 
• Negotiating expectations 
• Communicating with clarity 
• Getting the most out of team supervision 
• Developing research writers 
• Providing constructive, actionable feedback 
• Completing the project: planning for the final year 
• Thinking beyond this project: post-degree employment 

You are invited to register for all sessions or join only those that suit your schedule or particular interests. Bring your lunch and join the stimulating conversation! 

Supervision Forum (1 hour) 

Each semester we hold a lunchtime forum for supervisors to share ideas and insights into good supervision practices with those who are grappling with the same concerns as you are. We focus on current hot topics in research supervision, including updates on what’s going on in other universities and what recent research into doctoral education has revealed. We also draw on the experience and insights of other La Trobe supervisors who understand how this plays out in our local context.  

Managing graduate research progress (2 hours) 

This session focuses on the evergreen topic of how to keep graduate researchers on track – or how to get them back on track if a milestone review indicates that a project is at risk of running over time. What are our obligations and responsibilities? How can the policies and procedures help navigate tricky situations? Invaluable for Progress Committee Chairs, this session is open to all supervisors. 

For more information and to register, please visit our workshops and seminars page.

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Photo by Arnaud Padallé on Unsplash

What can you do?

Plan ahead. We release our timetables by semester, which means you can plan weeks, or even months, in advance. We repeat most sessions in semesters one and two (and try to run these at different times / days, each time) to give you the best chance of attending. After you register, block out the time in your calendar so you can avoid double-booking yourself (few things make our hearts sink as much as hearing “I’m also in a meeting right now, so I can’t speak”). Remember, you can’t get anywhere near as much from a session with us if you miss chunks. Without the framing and introduction at the beginning it can be difficult to make sense of the content that follows and, similarly, leaving before the wrap-up means you won’t always understand the purpose of activities or recommendations.

Be prepared for interaction and collaboration. Yes, it can feel awkward and can absolutely be more challenging for some folks than others, for a range of reasons – but it’s also invaluable. Rather than, say, avoiding a breakout room (we do notice if you leave as soon as a breakout room pops up!), think about ways you might be more comfortable contributing – perhaps typing in the chat is easier than talking. Or maybe you’d prefer to ask questions rather than talk about your own experience. If this is something you struggle with, take some time before a workshop to think about how you might feel more comfortable interacting and note any questions you’d like to raise (you can even email them to us in advance, if you like). These things can ease the feeling of being put on the spot. And it can be handy to remind yourself that these activities aren’t small talk: this kind of peer-sharing helps you access the “hidden curriculum” of doctoral education and is a key part of your development as a researcher.

Keep an open mind. Research degrees are very different from coursework and can challenge you in new ways, whether you’ve come straight from another degree, had a wealth of experience in other sectors, or great success in a different career. It’s always useful to take stock of and draw upon your existing skill set, but the strategies that got you here aren’t always the strategies you’ll need to complete a research project at this level. Be prepared to learn (and sometimes unlearn) and to be (gently) challenged. It helps to be open to changing your practice. A research degree is hard work but we want to make sure it’s no harder than it needs to be. Our job is to facilitate you figuring out what works best for you in order to thrive in this environment.

We look forward to welcoming you into more RED things, soon!

—————

The Graduate Research School’s Research Education and Development (RED) Team supports and assists La Trobe academic staff and graduate researchers in:

• quality research practices
• strategies for success in research publication and funding
• insight into researcher career paths and industry sectors
• practising excellent research communication skills

The RED Team is dedicated to providing a diverse, responsive, and forward-looking development program.

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Hello there!

Welcome to the Research Education and Development (RED) Program for 2025. Our first semester offerings are now live on the RED Program webpage [Semester 2 offerings will be available from late June]. If you’re new here, let us talk you through some preliminaries. If you’re already an old friend of the RED Program, scroll down to check out our updates for this year.

I’ve recently enrolled in a graduate research degree. What do I need to know about the RED Program?

The RED Program helps you make the most out of your time as a graduate researcher – whether that’s through honing your skills, coaching you to do your best, finding your way if you feel a bit lost, planning your next steps, or getting connected. Participating in RED activities, workshops, and events lets you find your researcher community at La Trobe, improve your experience, and stay focused.

The Research Education and Development (RED) Team, based in the Graduate Research School (GRS), curates the RED Program – workshops, seminars, and ongoing initiatives to support the development of researchers across all disciplines within the University. The RED Program includes a range of activities around different themes that support researcher development, including: research skills, academic writing and publication, research communication, career planning and development, managing supervision, research funding, engagement and impact. To better understand what’s on offer and how it can help you, scroll through our brochure (requires La Trobe login for SharePoint).

Our Program incorporates offerings from academic members of the RED Team (hopefully you’ll get to know us as you progress through your candidature) as well as wonderful colleagues from across the University and trusted external providers. There are more than 100 workshops and seminars on offer each semester, so it pays to spend some time planning what you want to attend and when.

 

What are workshops like and how do I sign up?

The offerings in the RED Program range from drop-in sessions, to technical training, and development activities. Most of these are offered online, via Zoom, to best accommodate researchers across a vareity of locations. The easiest way for you to get a sense of what’s available is to read the blurbs on the Eventbrite pages for sessions that seem most relevant to you. You should also sign up for the Graduate Research Scholar newsletter which often highlights important upcoming sessions.

Plenty of workshops in the RED Program are designed specifically for graduate researchers and, if you’ve recently enrolled, we should be seeing you at an Orientation session, soon! In 2025, new candidates are automatically included in some of our foundational workshops, so that you can start out right and get a feel for how workshops run. Signing up for other offerings is easy, just follow the “Register” link next to the session you want to attend on the RED Program webpage and follow the prompts. Top tip: remember to register with a University / institutional email.

For workshops run by the RED Team, we emphasise participation and peer-sharing. The time we spend with you is providing structure and space for you to do the work of developing as a researcher. Our workshops are not so much about telling you what to do as giving you context and tools to figure out what you need to do and what works best for you. These workshops are also a vital opportunity for you to meet other graduate researchers, reflect, and ask questions in a supportive environment.

What’s new in 2025?

Even if everything above sounds very familiar, we’re always tweaking and updating RED Program content and delivery, based on participant feedback. So, you might like to know about new workshops like Feedback on Writing or How to be a Good Researcher and the return of refreshed workshops like Social Media for Researchers.

Another new addition for this year is a mid-year writing intensive for first year graduate researchers. If you want to set up good writing habits and smooth your path through to completion, this is for you. The intensive will run from 29 – 31 July, with details to follow (and don’t worry our famed end-of-year, open-to-all RED writing retreat will be returning in the second last week of November – block it out it in your calendars!)

You might also like to know about a few things that will be shaped a slightly differently for 2025. We’ve heard a lot in the last couple of years about how folks miss the togetherness of Shut Up and Write (SUAW) as it existed in the before times, so we’re highlighting our RED-facilitated sessions on Thursday mornings (9:30am – 12 noon, Melbourne time) as an anchor point for SUAW across La Trobe. If you want to join in, or find out more, sign up for our weekly SUAW reminders by emailing: red.grs@latrobe.edu.au with SUAW sign up in the subject line.

Milestone day is coming your way, too! Clear your calendars because our three, core milestone workshops (for Confirmation, Mid-Candidature and Pre-Submission) are now scheduled together, in April and October. Simply register for the session that aligns with where you’re at in your candidature. You’ll also be able to follow up with the Understanding Examination workshop, running the following week.

Last but most definitely not least, if you’ve got any questions related to the RED Program you can pop into one of our shiny new RED drop-in sessions to talk it through. They’ll be running on Zoom from 1-2pm, Melbourne time, on the last Friday of each month.

We look forward to seeing you at RED things, soon!

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