More and more researchers are turning to blogs to get their ideas and opinions to a wide audience quickly. It’s even good for your academic writing!
But what makes a good academic blog? Here’s 5 top tips for writing for the HES blog
Keep It Simple Scholar
You don’t have a huge word count for a blog post. We’re looking for pieces of no more than 800 words, so don’t try to cram too much into one blog post. Focus on one key idea, or one argument, or one source.
Blogs can also reach a different audience than other forms of academic writing, and people are probably reading because they are genuinely interested, not because they need references for a journal article. So slim down on jargon and use a conversational writing style.
It’s All About You
The great thing about blogs is that you can get straight to your point. There is no space for an in-depth theoretical, methodological or historiographical background so don’t be afraid to immediately focus on what you find interesting or important- and let your personality come through!
Your Audience is Probably Reading it on a Phone
Some/most of the readers of our blog find it through social media, which means they are very possibly scrolling through their phone. Big chunks of text can be laborious to read on a smart phone so break it up in different ways with:
- Small paragraphs
- Subheadings
- Bullet points
Your Imagination is the Limit*
Blogs can present your research in ways a printed piece cannot. It doesn’t have to be just text or images. You can embed videos or sound, make interactive maps, or incorporate a clickable timeline. Think outside the box!
*And the technical capabilities of WordPress
Get in Touch
Still unsure if your idea is blogworthy? Drop a line to Katie Carpenter to discuss ideas.
Got a top tip for academic blogging? Comment below or tag us in a Tweet @HistEdSocUK
For more details on submitting a blog to HES, see here.
-Katie Carpenter
Dr Katie Carpenter is currently an AHRC Creative Economy Engagement Fellow working with Royal Holloway, University of London and the Parliamentary Archives. She also teaches at the University of Highlands and Islands. Katie has written for a range of academic blogs, and she is currently managing the HES blog and social media. Follow her on Twitter @ktrcarpenter.