Session 24

Using Blogs to make academic Research more easily and widely accessible

Session Description:

My presentation will discuss the use of a blog format to make the findings of academic research more readily available to my colleagues, the general public and my students. My blog, accessible at http://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/ChristopherLeo/, is self-titled, with the sub-title of “Research-based analysis and commentary”. It presents material on a limited number of clearly defined political topics. The premise of my initiative is that academic articles contain a great deal of useful analysis and information that generally reaches only a very small readership, for two reasons. First, many people who could benefit from academic findings and insights do not have access to the expensive journals and databases in which the material gets published. Secondly, the small number of people who do read the articles rarely get beyond the abstract, and possibly the introduction and conclusion. A great deal of material remains buried.

The primary purpose of my blog is to lift out those largely hidden gems, from my own research and that of colleagues, and display them, explaining their significance, one item at a time. My typical blog entry is about 1000 words, the equivalent of four pages. I draw on my background in journalism to make the blog readable, and adopt a somewhat more informal tone than is typical of academic writing, but take care to maintain a level of decorum and respect for data that is appropriate to serious research. In this regard, my blog is a major departure from the usual practice in blogs, which are generally marked by subjectivity and breezy informality, and often offer strong opinions unsupported by evidence. My initiative is informed by the belief that there is a readership for a better quality blog. In my presentation, I will discuss the blog’s content, my methods for promoting it, and what I have learned by tracking and communicating with its readers.

Presenter: Christopher Leo

Christopher Leo, who holds a PhD in Political Economy from the University of Toronto, has been researching, teaching and writing about urban political and administrative problems for more than 30 years while holding faculty appointments at the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba. He is the author of numerous articles and books, and has been invited to present the results of his research in Canada, the United States, Britain, Denmark, South Africa and Israel.