By Jessica Crosbie and Dr Juliet Coates
(August 22, 2026)On the 22nd of June, Dr Juliet Coates ran a session at the University of Leicester for the department of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy titled ‘When Research Gets Heavy’. This explored the role of the nervous system in trauma-informed research practice. Dr Juliet Coates, an Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham, first gave a detailed overview of the nervous system before connecting this to researcher/participant wellbeing.
By Madeleine Ingham and Adam Chen
(December 16, 2025)This Research Day was a fantastic space for PGRs and ECRs to come together around the challenges of emotionally demanding research. Across panel discussions, practical strategies for preparation and self‑care, a reflexivity workshop, and a research showcase, the day highlighted how vital community, reflection, and wellbeing are when working with sensitive topics. It was great to see such openness, shared learning, and support among researchers at different stages—reminding us that we’re not navigating EDR alone. Huge thanks to the speakers, organisers, and attendees for creating such an encouraging and thoughtful environment.
By Adam Chen
(June 25, 2025)It's been a hectic few months! You may have seen our commentary, you may not, but it was great to see some updates in the guidelines for researchers working in emotionally demanding research! The Sprint Project team have added two additional guides - one regarding individual research wellbeing and another for conference organisers and delegates.
Alongside this, we were very fortunate to have Dr Georgia Bird come along and host a workshop focusing on EDR and highlighting the potential support and areas that need addressing. Dr Bird guided us through some reflective activities in understanding how our research is demanding, how we can best support ourselves and talked us through the best practices guidelines.
There's still a fair bit of work to be done around this area, but it is a great starting point. I'm very pleased to see what has been developed and look forward to seeing what else comes from this in the future.
By SRN Midlands
(June 09, 2025)This commentary critically engages with Quinton et al.’s (2025) article, "Best practices for supporting researchers’ mental health in emotionally demanding research across academic and non-academic contexts." The original article offers a valuable framework to address the mental health toll of emotionally demanding research (EDR), emphasizing psychological culture, actionable practices, and boundary-setting. While these recommendations are both timely and important, this commentary argues that their practical implementation may be limited without deeper structural reform. It highlights the need for more robust engagement with institutional, cultural, and policy-level barriers that shape researchers’ mental health outcomes. Furthermore, it underscores the risks of over-relying on individual resilience in contexts marked by resource inequity and precarity. The commentary calls for clearer accountability mechanisms and a stronger whole-systems approach to ensure that researcher well-being is treated not as a personal responsibility, but as a collective, institutional imperative.
Cite as: Chen, AHC. and Ingham, M. (2025) 'Commentary on Quinton et al. (2025): A Step Towards a Framework for Supporting Researchers in Emotionally Demanding Research', 09 June. Available at: blog.srnmidlands.com
