The Case for Writing a Blog Post Based on Your Journal Article

Having poured your heart and soul into your research and organized it into a paper ready for journal publication, you probably just want to be done with it. You have already exhausted this topic, at least for now, and you’re pining for a much-needed break before you move on to the next research challenge. 

However, before you slam the door shut on your article, you might want to ask yourself whether it would do well in blog form. Blogs are no longer just online personal diaries—they have become a viable form of digital publishing. The internet is brimming with blogs on various topics, including niche ones, so there’s surely an online community interested in what your article has to say. 

It makes sense for you to have a bit of creative control over how your research is presented to the public, and blog posts that you write and share offer the easiest way to achieve that. Not only can you build a following with a niche blog of your own, but you can also publish guest posts on other blogs and share the links on your social media. Below, we present rebuttals to some common protestations against academic blogging. Take a look, find answers to your questions, and don’t forget to get a quote for our proofreading service so your work is reviewed by an expert before you hit that publish button—even if it’s just a blog post, you want it to be in tip-top shape since it still attests to your academic prowess. 

But I don’t have a blog! 

Maintaining a blog with a dedicated following can be a great way to support your academic career, but if you simply don’t have the time to wade through templates on WordPress or Weebly, rest assured that you’re not alone. You can whip up a short-form version of your scholarly article, include some graphics, and send it to any of the myriad academic blogs populating the internet. 

Some of those websites boast a sizable readership. It’s nowhere near as arduous as submitting to a journal, and you have already done that, so this should be a cinch. Of course, just as when you submit to an academic journal, you will want to research the different blog sites out there to find the best ones for you, but the barriers are much lower. If you would rather not publish on an existing academic website, you can try a blogging platform such as Medium and promote yourself online. This is a good middle ground—you don’t need to run your own website, yet all your material is independently published, and you can attract fans.

But blogging takes time!

If you aren’t considering cranking out even a short blog post based on your academic article, you might be making a mistake. Don’t overthink blogging: Contrary to the belief of many perfectionist scholars, it doesn’t have to take all week—or even all day—and it’s worth it to get your research out there in a way that’s far more accessible to the public than a highly specialized journal article. Plus, you can ensure that the condensed version of your article is accurate—unfortunately, journalists reporting on scientific studies often have a tendency to misunderstand the material and inadvertently misrepresent the results. 

Brevity is key in blogging. Since your post could be anywhere from 500 to 1,200 words, you could write it in a couple of hours. Obviously, you want to ensure your text is polished and professional, just like your academic article, so use our combined proofreading and editing service.

But no one will cite a blog, so what’s the point?

However rarely, blog posts can be cited, especially if they’re written professionally and have proper citations themselves. There are many other reasons to put your work out there besides hoping to eventually be cited. Blogs make your work accessible to people who might not have stumbled across it otherwise and allow new audiences to get acquainted with your research without having to wade through complex journal articles. The larger the number of people who read your paper, the more impactful it can be.

Your blog post introduces your complicated topic to a non-academic audience, offering you a way to get your research before people who will never read your scholarly article. Think outside the box and consider who you want your audience to be. Government officials? Leaders of organizations related to your field in a different part of the world? The general public? In case your blog post (and/or original article) needs to be translated into a different language, contact our team to get a quote for a high-quality academic translation.

When you expand your reach, you can draw more researchers and academics who might be curious about your research but lack the time or specialized knowledge to do a deep dive. If your blog post is intriguing enough, maybe you can even entice them to read the journal article it’s based on. Make an impression so that they circle back to your work, and, of course, cite yourself extensively. Hyperlink an open-access version of your article to let people know where to find you and your work. 

Your goal is to draw attention to your research, and in the age of social media, people in your scholarly circle can more easily share your post than an academic article, and that leads to citations further down the road. The internet is fundamentally transforming how academia works, and scholars who take advantage of the digital tools at their disposal set themselves up for greater success.

Okay, I’ll give it a try. What should it look like?

Condensing your research doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Remember: Brevity is key. If your journal article has 10,000 words, try cutting out 9,000 of them (take a look at how we can help you adjust your word count). This can be difficult—it’s a skill you may need to hone, but it is worth it for the potential boost to your academic career.

Copy the text of your article, put your word-processing program in “track changes” or “suggesting” mode, and take a digital red pen to your work so that only the most vital information is left. Cut anything overly complex, including academic jargon and details about your methodology, strategy, or data gathering. Imagine that you’re reading about something you are largely unfamiliar with. What bullet points would be necessary to give you a basic understanding of the topic? You can think of it as a significantly expanded version of your abstract—a text that communicates the most important points of your study without the finer details.

Simplify as much as possible and briefly (but clearly) explain any graphics, charts, or data. Including visuals will certainly make your blog post easier for your audience to digest (as long as they aren’t too technical), so take advantage of whatever visual materials you have. If you need help making your blog post pop, see how we can help with image enhancement. Don’t forget to include your bio (with your other work hyperlinked) and a catchy title of about 140 characters to make it easily tweetable. 

There is no valid reason not to pen a quick blog post based on your research. Investing just a few hours of your time could lead to introducing your important work to a large audience and increasing the impact of your research. As long as you make your blog post accessible, engaging, and accurate, you’ll be reaping the rewards for a long, long time. If you get stuck at any point during the process, check out the services in our deluxe academic package.