

YOUR RESEARCH
Support for independent researchers
Perhaps you are writing a book and need some support, or you are working on an independent project or research investigation – a project that you may be undertaking for very personal reasons. It can be quite daunting to undertake this on your own and it can really help to have the support of someone who has published their own research as an independent scholar and who also works with distinguished academic and research institutions.
Orton Academy and Research creator and Director Dr. Jane Orton has three research degrees in Politics, Himalayan Studies, Classics, Philosophy, Anthropology and Religious Studies and has conducted her own research projects across the world. Read on to find out about how she can help you, case studies of independent projects she’s supported, commonly asked questions, or click here to listen to Dr. Orton’s lectures on her own research.
Working With Dr. Orton
“I love working with independent researchers who have a ‘passion project’ – a book or research project that someone feels is ‘in’ them for personal reasons, or something they feel they can uniquely contribute to the world. These are the kind of projects that can’t be done with a textbook approach or going through the kind of checklist you might find on wikihow – passion projects like this require an adaptable, organic approach that develops alongside you. You might need to read more papers at one point – ideas might need revising at another – at different stages you might need to begin to write, edit, or even take a step back and let part of your work ‘breathe’ before returning to it.

“Dr Orton is a scholar of ability and intellectual integrity, with an enquiring and wide ranging mind and a flair for imaginative and original research across various fields in the humanities”
- Dr R.W. Dyson (Author and Translator of Augustine’s City of God, Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)
My role is to be your research ‘teammate’ - someone to bounce ideas around with, discuss academic research, plan book chapters or simply give a series of informal tutorials directed towards your interests. I don’t think of myself as a ‘consultant’; independent projects like these are personal – and they deserve a personal approach, not a commercial one. I’ve done my own projects that are both fieldwork-orientated and heavily library-based and I understand the process of going on research journeys like these. It can feel lonely at times but I can offer real, human interaction and support to keep you moving towards your goal."
- Dr. Jane Orton (Director, Orton Academy and Research)
Read more about Dr. Orton's background and approach here, listen to lectures she's given about her own research here, or read on for case studies of independent projects she's supported.