Short presentation to explain why academics should blog

1. Blogging for Scholarship

2. What is a blog?
Blogs are good for telling people about work you’re doing; showcasing your findings; roughing out ideas
that will turn into articles or even books; contributing to the policy or public conversation; and keeping
yourself in the public eye. Unlike with journals, you can turn an idea into published content quickly.
• Is blogging actual research? No, but it can help improve your work and build your profile.
• Should you be blogging? Yes, if you want to maximise the impact of your work in academia and
beyond.
There are three basic kinds of academic blog post:
• Blogging for content tells people about research you’re doing, or what you found.
• Blogging for comment contributes to public conversation and debate, using your research and/or
experience as material.
• Blogging for reportage would include write ups of events you went to, or things you’ve read.
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https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/services/knowledge-exchange-and-impact/kei-guide/academic-blogging

3. What is a blog?
A blog is a site that consists of posts, typically displayed in reverse chronological order. Blogs can be the work of a single individual or multi-
author
• Blogs should be updated regularly (at least once a fortnight)
• Blog content is easy to share via social media and email
• Posts may also contain video and images
• X feeds may be included. As can links to other social media platforms
• People can comment on posts, but may also discuss posts on separate platforms such as X and Facebook
Blogs should not be set-up as an alternative to the main www.glasgow.ac.uk website, and Wordpress should not be used to create stand-
alone websites for groups or centres. The following content types are not appropriate on a blog:
• Staff profiles—staff should always link to their official staff profile, though a brief bio may be acceptable for PhD students
• Course information—this should always be a link to the main University website
• Lots of static pages about a group or centre
https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/brandtoolkit/resources/socialmedia/researchblogs/

4. Blog v Essay
When it comes to audience and purpose, essays and blogs differ significantly. Essays are typically written for an
academic audience and aim to inform or persuade the reader on a specific topic. They are often formal and
structured, with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. On the other hand, blogs are often written for a more
general audience and can serve a variety of purposes, including entertainment, education, or business tools. The
tone and language of blogs can vary greatly depending on the author’s intentions and the target audience.
While both are forms of writing, essays are more formal and academic, while blogs are more personal and
informal.
Essays are typically structured with an introduction, body, and conclusion, while blog posts can be more flexible in
their structure.
https://medium.com/@barjen170/what-is-the-difference-between-an-essay-and-a-blog-a-clear-explanation-ec5aeab5e30
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5. Activity
If you were to write a blog post, what would your topic, title and the
key points be?

6. References and links
General blogging guides
• LSE Impact of Social Sciences blog: Twitter and blogs are not just add-ons to academic research, but a
simple reflection of the passion underpinning it.
• Prof Patrick Dunleavy (LSE) doesn't pull his punches on his Writing for Research blog—
Shorter, better, faster, free: Blogging changes the nature of academic research, not just how it is communicat
ed
• Blog Guidelines - Glasgow City of Science (.docx): some sensible blogging guidelines from Glasgow City of
Science.
• LSE have a good slideshow introduction to blogging
Resource aimed at scientists (but with advice that is broadly applicable to researchers in many fields):
• The Guardian maintains a selection of great advice articles in: secrets of good science writing
• Tim Radford's classic 'manifesto for the simple scribe' – while aimed at journalists, the messages in writing
for a wider audience are clear
• Interested in breaking down research articles for a wider audience? There's a blog post for that.
• The ultimate list of blog post ideas —while aimed at commercial blogs, many of these ideas are equally
suitable for academic blogging