News 10 February 2026

The Service “Meeting with Experts” Greatly Enhances the Quality of Your Research

Laura Righi (Bologna) is a researcher in Medieval History. Her work focuses on the theological reflection and the activities of the Latin Church in relation to the economic sphere. She also specializes in digital methods for analysing and publishing medieval papal documents. What does the Fscire service "Meeting with Experts in Religious Studies" mean to her?

One of the services that Fscire will offer within the future RESILIENCE Services Catalogue is called: “Meeting with Experts in Religious Studies.” The service allows scholars to connect directly with specialists in Religious Studies. But what exactly is this service?

What is “Meeting with Experts”?

Laura: “Fscire’s Meeting with Experts service is an opportunity for scholars, early‑career researchers, PhD students, and professionals in cultural heritage to gain direct access to leading experts in various areas of Religious Studies. Religious Studies is an interdisciplinary and very broad field. It spans numerous disciplines, rare languages, diverse geographical areas, and many historical periods. For someone entering Religious Studies for the first time – or embarking on interdisciplinary research – it is often difficult to know which experts to contact and where to find them. This service aims to solve exactly that problem.

How Does it Work?

The service connects you with the specialists you need for your specific research question. Very often, when starting work in a new field, you first need to understand which books and sources are essential, who are the leading scholars and which experts can help you avoid methodological mistakes?

Finding these people is not always easy. Experts are spread across universities and research centers all over the world. From my experience, even a short conversation with the right expert can completely change your understanding of a topic. You gain insights that you will never obtain simply by reading books, catalogues, or online tools. It is genuinely transformative for your research.

A Personal Example

A few years ago, I began an interdisciplinary research project on the ban on usury in both the medieval Latin Church and Islamic thought. The latter was not my field of expertise, and finding the right collaborators, sources, and bibliographies was extremely challenging. I spent months searching online, combing through university catalogues, and writing to scholars – an extremely slow and uncertain process.

This experience made me truly understand the importance of having a structured way to reach experts quickly. A service like Meeting the Experts not only saves time—it greatly enhances the quality of your research.

What Kinds of Expert Interactions are Useful for You?

I benefit from different types of interactions, such as:

  1. Learning about current research projects, especially in Digital Humanities, where methods and tools are constantly evolving.
  2. Receiving methodological advice from leading scholars, helping me avoid errors and refine my approach.
  3. Guidance on sources, especially medieval ones, which are often difficult to locate and access.

Talking to experts can reshape your research questions, improve your understanding, and accelerate your progress. Personal contact adds a dimension no digital or physical source alone can offer.

Why Should this Service be Part of RESILIENCE?

For all these reasons, I believe this service should be included in the RESILIENCE Service Catalogue. It could serve as a model for other institutions, expanding access to knowledge across the entire RESILIENCE community.

This service becomes even more valuable within RESILIENCE, which brings together a large community of researchers and a broad network of expertise. Through RESILIENCE, users will be able to access an even wider and richer pool of specialists.”