Events

Summer of Independent Scholarship 2026

Call for Contributions

The Ronin Institute invites contributions that advance the theory, practice, and infrastructure of independent scholarship. We are building a collective body of work that defines what independent scholarship is, how it maintains rigour without institutional scaffolding, and how it produces knowledge that institutional structures cannot. The Ronin Summer of Independent Scholarship  is going to gather the field and engage with independent scholars throughout the summer, Contributions can be virtual or in person or hybrid *at the discretion of the proponents.

Please read the Submission Guidelines below,  then submit your contribution via the form 

What we are looking for

Every contribution must address one or more core questions in the areas listed below, essentially aiming to open up the views around what does it mean to do serious scholarly work independently, and how does this work contribute to knowledge -- individually and collectively?

Contributions should fall within or across the following areas:

1. The Dual-Career Scholar. Most independent scholars sustain their research alongside other work -- teaching, administration, entrepreneurship, trades, caregiving, creative practice. We are looking for contributions that treat this not as a limitation but as a distinctive epistemic position. How does situated professional experience inform and enrich scholarly inquiry? What are the practical structures (time management, documentation habits, integration of professional and scholarly knowledge) that make dual-career scholarship sustainable?

2. What Counts as Scholarship. The traditional model privileges peer-reviewed journal articles, university affiliation, and grant funding. We seek contributions that articulate and defend expanded forms of scholarly work: citizen science, open datasets, reproducibility studies, public scholarship, standards contributions, investigative research, artistic inquiry, contemplative inquiry, software and tool development, community-based participatory research, translation and knowledge bridging. The key criterion is not format but rigour, transparency, and contribution to knowledge.

3. Open Science and Metascience. Independent scholarship sits at the convergence of open science and metascience. Open science practices -- preregistration, open data, open access publishing, reproducible workflows -- are not optional extras for independent scholars but the infrastructure that makes independent work possible and verifiable. Metascience -- the empirical study of how research is produced, evaluated, and disseminated -- is a natural domain for scholars who operate outside the institutional structures that metascience investigates. We seek contributions that explore this convergence: how open science tools and practices enable independent scholarship, how independent scholars can contribute to metascientific research (including replication studies, peer review analysis, and publication bias detection), and how the Ronin model itself can serve as a case study in alternative research organisation.

4. Ethics Beyond Compliance. Standard academic ethics frameworks assume institutional employment, departmental oversight, and compliance structures that independent scholars do not have. We seek contributions addressing the ethics specific to independent work: responsible use of AI in research, obligations to non-academic communities, the ethics of open scholarship in practice, navigating conflicts between professional employment and scholarly independence, and the responsible use of knowledge from contemplative, Indigenous, or other traditions.

5. Building a Scholarly Profile. How does an independent scholar establish credibility, build a citation and collaboration network, secure funding, and develop professional presence without university affiliation? We are looking for practical, evidence-based guidance -- not motivational advice.

6. Scholarship Training. How do independent scholars develop and maintain research skills without a department? Contributions on reading practices, documentation standards, self-directed learning, peer mentorship models, and the use of community structures (including the Ronin community itself) for scholarly development.

7. Making Unique Contributions to Knowledge. What can independent scholars do that institutional scholars cannot? Interdisciplinary work unconstrained by departmental boundaries, long-duration projects, unfashionable or high-risk questions, work that requires independence from commercial or political sponsors. We want contributions that identify these advantages concretely and demonstrate how to exploit them.

Open topics are welcome provided the contributor clearly articulates how the work pertains to independent scholarship, what constitutes scholarship within the proposed framing, and how it contributes to the individual and collective development of the Ronin scholarly community.

Format

Contributions may take the form of essays, case studies, methodological notes, practical guides, position papers, or non-verbal scholarly work. Length should be appropriate to the content. All contributions will be reviewed by the Ronin community and published on the Institute site, with selected work featured in Kitsune.

The Independent Scholar Checklist

Alongside the summer contributions, we are developing an interactive self-assessment tool for prospective and current Ronin Scholars. The checklist is not a gate but a mirror -- it helps scholars articulate their own position across the areas above: their research identity, their methods and validation approach, their ethical commitments, their professional context, and their contribution to knowledge. Summer contributors are encouraged to consider how their work informs and is informed by this tool.

Submit via the contribution form or contact admin@ronin-institute.org