Sometimes you’ve just got to be in the right place at the right time. Sometimes, though, you can increase your odds of being in the right place at the right time if you constantly hang around the right place. (Did you follow that? If not, read it again.) At any rate, I recently realized how beneficial it is to be in the right place a lot of the time concerning research. It just so happens that I’m lucky: I really love the subject I choose to study. In addition to it being my academic job it is also my personal hobby. The problems with that aside (I know, I know, I always carry my work around with me), there are some benefits. The things I do to “have fun” happen to put me in the digital places and circles that allow me to communicate with people who will certainly help me find relevant material and point me to relevant ideas for my own research on certain topics. I was never more certain of this than a few days ago when I read a relatively brief blog post, saw a comment I didn’t agree with, said I didn’t agree with the comment and why, and was replied to by the comment author with something interesting.
It turns out that this particular commenter was, in fact, a prominent scholar at a prestigious university who had recently written a book about the topic itself. (And, for the bashful among you, having civil arguments with the scholars among you will teach you — and often them — a whole lot… so don’t worry about it). At any rate, I was pointed to this very new book (that I probably wouldn’t have come across so soon otherwise) and I’m currently enjoying reading it, learning a lot, and it is very much a part of my research for the work I am doing. Will I contact this professor again? Yes. I will. Not only to thank them, but perhaps also to ask questions about some of the things in their research (clarifications, direct challenges, etc.) So, if you ever wondered about being in the right place at the right time… find the right place first and hang out a while. It pays off.