Directory Guidelines

Criteria for Inclusion in the Community Outreach Directory

The purpose of the Community Outreach Directory is to signpost the University’s expertise in supporting the community.  This will usually be the community in a local or national context but may also include global contexts such as those in developing countries.  In particular, the Community Outreach Directory will provide local policy makers with evidence that Queen’s is contributing in many different ways to the community around us.  A separate research directory will complement the Community Outreach Directory by indicating that vast range of research and development support, most notably through research project commissions, in which the University also takes part.

For projects to be included in the Community Outreach Directory, the following criteria should be addressed.  The list also sets out exclusions.

Criteria for Inclusion

1. Work with government bodies, commissions and review groups, etc.; and non-government organisations, charities, voluntary and community organisations (including schools) will be eligible for consideration for the Directory if it:
   1. Uses the member of staff’s expertise (academic or administrative support expertise) in a manner that reflects the University’s mission and goals;
   2. And is agreed with the Head of School as not conflicting with the member of staff’s contribution to the working of the School.

Eligible contributions may include sustained activity related to the remits of committees and working parties etc.  Note that membership per se is deemed to be a relatively passive ‘service’ contribution and not eligible for inclusion.

Programmes of liaison with primary and secondary schools, and training or other teaching programmes, will also be eligible.  Often these will be a University school-based programme coordinated by one or two members of staff but contributed to, by colleagues throughout the school.   The directory will list a contact person’s details but arrangements will be made to ensure all contributors are recognised on the Directory for internal purposes.  Faculties and Directorates will hold a list of their respective programmes and the names of those associated with each.

‘Good citizen’ roles, in which the member of staff is not using University-based expertise, are excluded.

Work that is considered the normal role of a member of staff is also excluded.

2. Research work is eligible:
   1. If the member of staff would not reasonably be expected to do it as part of their normal work; and
   2. It has been agreed with the Head of School as not conflicting with the member of staff’s contribution to the research work of the school.

Most Science Shop activities will therefore be eligible.

The main exclusions are research projects that are funded and are a required part of a member of staff’s normal work.

In setting these criteria it is recognised that much research undertaken by member of staff is de facto a contribution to the community, particularly in the dissemination phase but often also in the research process itself.  The Research Directory is the best place for this information.