Pros and Cons to Academic Papers for Online Consumption

Pros and Cons to Academic Papers for Online Consumption
Whether you think the trend toward short online scholarship a good or evil turn in the motorway of advanced research, it is certainly a reality. The single-page format of most online articles is welcomed by some scholars as liberating and democratic, but resented by others as constraining and simplistic. In fact, short and informal internet documents can be all of these things, and ensuring that the online dissemination of your scholarly writing will be successful in achieving what you intend is very much a matter of attitude and approach.

Understanding what a blog about your research can and cannot do in a way that will appeal to the broad readership busy on the web is essential. Blog posts and other short online articles are usually and necessarily only part of a much larger research picture that is far too complex to communicate in its entirety. They tend to be written to share high (or low) points of a scholar’s research and its findings, to garner interest and win support, and to lead readers to more complete and often formally published reports of the same research. Take the time to reflect on what your readers might need to be aware of the larger picture, and be sure to make it clear that your blog or web site consists of short snippets and synopses of your work. That will free you of any worries about simplifying or ‘dummying down’ your research and ensure that anyone who is interested will easily find their way to the longer, more formal and more complete reports of your work.

One of the appealing aspects of short documents for busy scholars is their brevity. They can be born of a single idea and written very quickly indeed. However, just because they are short does not mean that they should always be produced and posted quickly. Yes, there are times when information must be shared with great haste, and there are also times when a spontaneous rant can be instantaneously posted to good or at least not bad effect. Yet it remains wise to treat every piece of text you intend to share under your scholarly cap as a professional document. Write with care, consider everything you say and how it might affect readers, and then proofread and edit all your text before you post it. Do not be one of those ‘professional’ authors who seem unable to throw together even an important heading without introducing errors.

The fact that online articles are often very short means that there is always time, even amidst busy schedules, to reread and polish both your thinking and your style. Drafting even very short pieces a day early and setting them aside to read through the next day before you post them online is an excellent strategy. The rereading only takes a few minutes and more often than you might expect you will find yourself adjusting your text in minor and sometimes major ways. Keep in mind whenever you are about to push that final button that intellectual and textual excellence are among your skills as a publishing academic or scientist, and every bit of writing you share online should showcase those skills, not compromise them in your readers’ eyes.