Frontrunners experience on the Ellen Terry project

The University of Essex Frontrunner Scheme (now Essex Interns) provides paid internships for students to gain invaluable work experience. The Research Frontrunner placements are ideally suited to students who are interested in exploring the possibility of research as a future career.

During the spring term, two Research Frontrunners, Isabella Riley and Bliss Thorpe, worked as assistants to Professor Katharine Cockin, in the Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies, on the Ellen Terry (1847-1928) project.

One of the main activities involved searching digitised newspapers for reviews of Ellen Terry’s performances. A vast body of information is now available in digitised newspapers. The Frontrunners gained familiarity with searching online data in a systematic way and logging their findings carefully.

The other tasks involved collating terms to be used in the index of the Collected Letters of Ellen Terry Volume 7 (Routledge, 2023). This book is the penultimate volume in the series edited by Professor Katharine Cockin. The assistance with the creation of the index for this book provided an opportunity to learn about the process of putting a book manuscript together.

At the end of their time in the scheme, Katharine asked both students how they felt the Frontrunner scheme had helped with their career development.

What did you learn from this experience and would you recommend it to others?

Bliss Thorpe

"It is extremely important to give feedback when and where relevant. If there is something you find particularly helpful, or if you feel something is not the best use of your time then being able to discuss with your manager/colleagues is integral for a successful and content workplace. The frontrunner position gives you a chance to experience this first hand. Having regular meetings with Katharine were invaluable to my learning experience during this time. I was able to discuss any queries that had come up during my research.

"Something I was eager to develop was the ability to recognise what research is relevant, and what is not necessarily needed for what I am working on. The newspaper research helped with this. At first, I found myself interested at most of what I was reading, and with it being about Ellen Terry, I felt it was all relevant. However, over time I was able to narrow my view to the specific information that was required for my particular search.

"I am now a lot more familiar with newspaper archives. I know how to check when entering the archives if I can limit my search. By doing so, I can efficiently collect information that is completely relevant, avoiding wasting time by searching through irrelevant texts.

"Being able to pinpoint relevant information within the newspapers proved somewhat difficult at the beginning of my search. Some archives do not highlight relevant words and often have numerous articles, notices and reviews on one page. They are often sometimes difficult to read, due to size or font. As the time went on, I became more familiar with the structure of certain papers and was able to skim read information and pinpoint specific words or dates that might be relevant to my research. However, not every newspaper is the same and you must ensure you are checking thoroughly as to not miss any important information."

Isabella Riley

"I would absolutely recommend that anyone interested in a Research Frontrunner role to pursue the opportunity. Not only did I gain rare subject-specific experience and knowledge, but I also had the opportunity to work in a supportive and collaborative environment. As a result, I have gained confidence in navigating archives and recording specific information, as well as in securely handling large amounts of data.

"In working as part of a small team, I also improved my ability to work on a project alongside other people, maintaining open communication about potential issues or improvements, and ensuring that I was thinking about the project holistically."

How will the Frontrunner experience help with your future career?

Bliss Thorpe

"One skill I wanted to develop was prioritisation, improving my ability to delegate tasks by urgency. Most specifically, what is the best order to complete tasks when working towards a bigger project.

"I also developed a diary of work as I feel it is important to always make a note of important information or tips that may be useful in the future. By keeping a dairy of work, you can regularly update bits of information when you feel it is relevant. This will also help with remembering tasks you have been a part of and valuable skills when applying for jobs or further study."

Isabella Riley

"My future career goals lie in academia, so getting a firsthand look at the process of academic research and publication has been extremely enlightening. Having more specific experience in the processes of archival research and index creation has already aided me when writing my dissertation, and the skills I have gained will undoubtedly be beneficial as I continue to pursue a career in research.

"Many of the skills I gained will also be beneficial even outside of an academic setting, such as my improved computer literacy, attention to detail, and data management."

The Essex Frontrunners Scheme is now known as Essex Interns.