Editorial

Abstract

Welcome to this first issue of Spark - The journal of postgraduate research. This journal has been established to showcase the best in post graduate research here at Sheffield Hallam University.

Here at SHU we understand the importance of purpose. We strive to stretch our students, encouraging and facilitating their growth and development. Our teaching is research lead and we have always encouraged our students to get involved with research. Unfortunately, in the past, the students had no means of showcasing their work and in terms of the research cycle the final step was always missing as they had no easily accessible means of publishing their work and gaining the credit and recognition that comes with being a published academic.

Spark has been developed to satisfy this need. It is a platform which will showcase the very best work from the postgraduates within the university. Whether working alone or in conjunction with their tutor's, postgraduate students now have a recognised way to get their work exposed to a wider audience and claim the credit that our students deserve.

In creating this journal we have embraced the rigor of the publication process. All of our articles are peer reviewed and the overall governance of the journal is guided by an editorial board made up of both students and academics. Our aim is to maintain a very high standard thereby reflecting the high quality work undertaken within the university and providing something for our postgraduates to aim for. The journal will comprise work taken from across the faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences and we hope that this wide variety of subjects will give rise to a publication full of diverse and interesting articles.

Steve Lofthouse