‘Early’ ‘career’ ‘researchers’ in the social sciences: Redefining the terms

This paper draws on the findings of a research study for the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) of the experiences of early career researchers (ECRs) in the social sciences and, in particular, the extent and quality of support for postdoctoral researchers from research organisations, funding bodies and career services (Locke, Freeman and Rose, 2016). The aim of the research study was to gain an insight into the diversity of roles, opportunities and support available for (ECRs) in the social sciences whether they worked in the HE sector or not at the time of the study. A definition of early career researchers was not prescribed and respondents were free to define themselves as such when deciding whether to respond to the survey. This paper will delve further into the respondents’ perceptions of themselves as ‘early career researchers’ and analyse these according to significant variables.