Research Writing Via Blog
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012No matter how mundane and innocuous one’s research may be, there is a reticence to post it online for anyone to view prior to publication. Researchers may fear that others will steal their ideas and publish something before they are able. They may also worry that blogging about research will result in ridicule from peers, exposing under developed ideas before they are ready. Or perhaps blogging could reduce the chances of fair review, as reviewers may be more likely to know who the author is.
On the other hand, the act of blogging for many people is an ideal time to take under-formed ideas and write them up in a logical way. it’s a chance for exploration, and the possibility of reader feedback is an added bonus. Researchers should seek a broader audience for their work, even at the risk of potential downsides. And for me, as I embark on work on my dissertation, the challenge is to find a way to write substantially every day. What better forum for this task than the only place I’ve managed to write regularly and with great volume?
The question then is to know what to share, not whether to share. For researchers struggling with this question, here are my initial rules.
1. No talk of one’s own methods, data, or results. This kind of information should be saved for publication. Obviously, if something has already been published, then this information is fine to write about. But overstating one’s data prior to peer review may be presumptuous and could reduce the changes of publication. Methods are also a creative part of the research process and are easier for other people to borrow.
2. More explication and discussion than conclusions. One should share the thought process leading to an idea, but save the actual idea for a journal publication. Imagine, for example, trying to synthesize several areas of research into a more parsimonious model. The initial thinking is ideal content for blog posts, but the model should only be blogged about after it is published.
3. Short posts with limited ideas. There’s no reason to put half a dissertation proposal into one blog post. Each post should represent a unique idea that can be developed in five or six paragraphs. This also helps reduce reader fatigue as many ideas may not be of general interest.
4. Keep the reader engaged with questions. An outsider view is often helpful for turning certain research questions on their heads. A fresh set of eyes may more easily recognize hidden assumptions that keep a certain concept from being fully developed. Allowing the reader to engage with the research should result in overall improvements.
I don’t plan to inundate anyone with ideas from my dissertation, but when I’m struggling with a difficult puzzle, I’m looking forward to using this blog as a place to do my thinking out loud, as it were. With any luck, I’ll soon be making substantial progress each and every day, demonstrating once again a unique value in blogging.