So far, starting a blog has been a really fulfilling process. It’s somewhat cathartic to spew my thoughts and feelings about maps, codes, and science in a colloquial way. This week is another random thought post that is more related to science communication than it is to maps.
For the past three years that I have been in academia, I noticed that more researchers are leaning into including science communication as an integral part of their roster. Noticeably, solely publishing findings in a journal-paper format can make information inaccessible and may even be perceived as ‘elite’ by the public. Oftentimes, journal articles are only available if you are a member of staff or a student using campus internet, otherwise they may be locked behind a paywall. This year I have noticed an increase in the number of open access (i.e. free) journal articles available, which may be a result of the pandemic, and is great news. However, even free access to these articles does not mean that the articles are comprehensibly accessible. They can be long and filled with jargon, and sometimes fail to write down the findings as a basic thesis statement, even in the abstract. Breaking down these barriers and making information digestible by any audience is so important. I came across this comic while I was writing this post that really highlights this point:
Personally, no one I know would use ‘idiot’ to describe someone who didn’t understand the science, but I empathize with people who want to learn more but struggle with the barriers they come across. Not to mention feelings of gatekeeping, perceived or real, it doesn’t matter, science needs to be a welcoming and exciting thing to participate in.
We can even expand this discussion from public understanding into government acknowledgment, specifically about turning research into a call to action. How can we inform government policy with our research? How can an entire thesis be condensed into a 3-minute pitch or a tweet to grab the attention of the people who make the decisions?
Over the past decade, there has been an explosion on academic Twitter where people are making short posts about their findings and hyping up their research. This happens more frequently around conference time when people are promoting their talks and posters and building interest in their work so that people will come to see them talk and maybe start a dialogue. Twitter as a communication device is incredibly useful to spark public, academic, and even governmental interest in upcoming research. A longer form version of this is blog writing!
Blogs can provide a platform where ideas can be expanded on and more pictures can be included to tell a story.
The University of Waterloo Writing and Communication Centre combined with the Waterloo Centre for German Studies hosted a webinar this past June (2020) that discusses the importance and possibilities that come from turning research into blog posts. The casual nature of language used in blog posts makes information accessible and can bring more public attention to new research in a way that journal publications simply can’t.
If you have some research that you’re sitting on that you really want people to know about, writing a blog is a great idea! If you’re interested, follow the link through to the University of Waterloo webinar recording for some great advice on how to get started (skip ahead to 8:40 if you want to skip the introduction).
If you want to keep reading more blogs, here is a blog I came across recently written by “Groundwater”, the person. This is a really awesome initiative to spread awareness about the harms of road salt on groundwater, check it out for inspiration, or for some fun reading!
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