Thank you for the replies. Well at this stage its just an idea, but one I think is worth pursuing. In answer to Hazy Jane - the suggestions for revision I received (from quite a few journals) would have compromised the articles I submitted to the extent that it would have been a white wash of the institutions that my research found to be culpable for the many development problems of the subject. That is just something that I'm not willing to do. My research does not toe the line and I'm kind of happy with that:-) At this stage I have about 6 months to wait for my defense so applying for post-docs and other jobs is kind of soul destroying. I'm really not sure that I want to continue in a system that I'm increasingly disillusioned with anyway. I love research and see its importance but I just cant deal with the constraints placed on it by the vested interests that don't make it a free and fair pursuit (definitely in my field and in higher education in general).I've become so cynical of the higher education industry over the last few years that I want to shake it up and help to bring it back to what it should be rather than the money making enterprise that I sadly think it has become (for the most part). DocInsanity - we don't necessarily want it to be different from a blog, but a blog that would have many people contributing and a space where research that might otherwise not get any attention would be discussed and hopefully have an impact. I hope ultimately that it would become a community space that challenges the norm and brings new answer to many different questions in different fields. I think that's my 5 a day responses so thanks again for your replies. Much appreciated.

Not in the traditional sense but perhaps some sort of open feedback or comment mechanism by members would useful. The wider idea is to get the research out there and to get people talking about the issues, so I think a forum or discussion would be really useful.

pretty much....kind of along the lines of 'that's a bit incendiary'

Indeed! I just thought I would throw it out there to see what the reaction would be.My field is sociology of education - focusing on international development. Since the get go there has been lots of opposition to it - seems like it upsets quite a few of those who hold the purse strings. I don't want my research to be in vain and I'm pretty sure there are many others out there who are facing an uphill struggle to publish their research and have it make an impact. Mine has got quite a bit of attention in the media but traditional academia runs a mile from it. Fortunately my supervisor has been great but the constant journal rejection is a bit overwhelming...especially considering the revisions generally suggested!

Hi, I am a disgruntled Phd student whose thesis is deemed a bit too 'controversial', 'challenging' and 'non-traditional' for mainstream journal publication. I have zero interest in modifying any of it in order to have it published and after months of job searching I dont think this would help anyway (my research is extremely critical of the powers that be in my field). So myself and a friend, who is in a similar situation, have decided to set up a free online journal that publishes theses and articles that challenge modern academic research publishing norms. My question is do people think it is a bit hair brained to cut my losses with traditional academic research and the university system and does anyone think this is a something they could benefit from?