This document provides tips on writing engaging blog posts for academics, emphasizing the importance of audience awareness, choosing relevant topics, and maintaining brevity. It suggests incorporating examples and illustrations, crafting compelling titles, and addressing writer's block by writing first and editing later. Additional advice includes ensuring accessibility for readers and sharing social media experiences.

1. How to write
a kick-ass blog post
For academics

2. 1. Write for your audience
Who are you writing for?
• You and your coworkers
o
Most of your terminology will be understood
• The academic world
o
Discipline-specific terminology and concepts need clarifying
• A wider audience
o
Both general and specific scientific terminology, concepts and
methods need clarifying

3. Explain concepts like these:
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Multivariate analysis
Dotblot
Normative
Eusociality
Mouse model
Nanites
Phenomology
Reproducibility
Methodology

4. http://usefulscience.org/

5. 2. Pick your topic
Not every blog post has to be a big thing. Pace yourself!
• Your research
Your reseach set-up, your research question
o Your mistakes (and how you fixed them)
Your experiences as a PhD
Conference visits
Subjects related to your discipline
Corrections on popular media coverage about your
discipline
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7. 3. Get to the point!
• Keep your posts short and to-the-point
• Drop the nuance, but do add references

8. 4. Add examples (if you can)

9. Add examples (if you can)

10. 5. Use illustrations

11. 6. Write a good title and introduction
• It may be all people see of your post
• Make clear what your post is about and why
people would want to read it
• Don’t write a mysterious title –
give the conclusion away!
• Write your post first, add your title and intro last

15. Source: London School of Economics

16. 7. Writer’s block?
Start writing first, edit later

17. 8. Made an impression?
Make sure people know who you are and can reach you with
comments

18. About.me

19. 8 tips
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Write for your audience
Pick your topic
Get to the point!
Add examples
Use illustrations
Start your article with a good title and introduction - but write them last
Writer’s block? Start writing first, edit later
Make sure people know who you are and can reach you with comments

20. Happy blogging!
Keep us posted on your social media experiences:
@julianienaber
@SarahSomers
@ManuelSintubin