10 Places You Wouldn't Think Of to Share Your Research
More and more researchers are saying "yes" when it comes to engaging with the public and sharing their research more broadly. Check out these easy and accessible venues to make a bigger impact.
What impact does any one researcher have? Although every contribution to our growing body of knowledge is important, these successes may not always inspire the intrinsic reward most researchers seek. Nearly every publication co-exists with some presentation, whether it’s a discussion with one’s lab, a public talk, or a lifetime of lectures based on the new idea. Although scientists often take the time to promote their work within their field of expertise, far fewer find the time to share their findings more broadly.
In this edition of The Scoop, we hope to convince you that there are countless easy and rewarding venues to quickly share your work and expertise, beyond your inner circle of experts. Researchers have enormous impact when they bring their work directly into the public sphere, serving to build trust and inspire the next generation of scientists. Whether it’s only five minutes a week or a lifetime career, we’d argue any contribution here makes an impact.
Why “say yes”?
One of the key motivating factors for sharing research is simple: to make an impact. The most prominent scientists in the public space cite impact as their key motivating factor for their science communication work. This especially holds true when it comes to shaping public policy, which is a key reason behind why researchers are inspired to share their findings. It follows the oft quoted phrase, “If not you, then who?”.
The kind of impact varies, but at the core, researchers can help bridge gaps and solve widespread issues. Take science literacy, for example. Most scientists agree that the public’s limited knowledge of science is a major problem. Surveys make it easy to see why. For example, in 2015, 37% of respondents in a recent PEW survey believed that scientists generally didn’t agree about climate change. That number generally decreased in the past decade, although it had a small bump upwards this year, at around 31%. In reality, the vast majority of scientists do agree on climate change, somewhere around 97%. Bringing scientists and their work into the public sphere helps bridge gaps like these.
10 Unique Ways to Share Research
There are countless ways to share your work — whether it’s a one-time occurrence or embedded in the very way you publish and move through your project lifecycle. Ultimately, the following suggestions follow a few basic principles: be aware of opportunities and jump on those that work for you.
We put an especially strong focus on in-person events and community-centred opportunities, as these tend to have an outsized impact. Such events are intrinsically rewarding and give an immediate feeling of impact and meaning for our socially wired minds. Many of these in-person events exist as grass-root efforts, meaning you can always take the initiative to start one in your own area.
Check out Pint of Science. These meetups, often in bars, enable researchers to casually share their work with a broader audience. They occur routinely across many European countries, and beyond.
Search for “Science on Tap” in your area, which may reveal local versions of Pint of Science, like Milwaukee Public Museum’s Science on Tap or Tucon’s Astronomy on Tap.
Join your local Science Cafe. This global trend brings people together in casual venues (pubs, coffee shops, etc.) to learn and share scientific topics. They have a strong presence in the U.S., and exist across Europe, Africa and Asia.
Nerd Nite hosts fascinating talks across the world, with upcoming events in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Attend one locally or request to present your own work.
Pecha Kucha is a well-known global trend in knowledge sharing among local groups. There’s a specific and swift presentation style involved to help guide and structure how information is shared. Use their site to find meetups in your area, or take the initiative to organise your own.
Monitor Meetup, Eventbrite, and your local community centres, libraries, museums, etc. to discover relevant events and groups you can join. Take care to look out for science festivals and book fairs in particular.
There are also various ways to share your research and expertise to online audiences, journalists, and media. These include:
Sign up for HARO to receive daily solicitations directly from journalists seeking subject matter experts. You can have outsized and swift impact, dropping in your expertise on current news regarding your domain.
Know the media and press outlets you can rely on when it comes to sharing your work with journalists. New Zealand, for example, has the Science Media Centre. Scientists can reach out directly to seek support in promoting their recent work.
Contribute to newsletters, podcasts, etc. to debunk misinformation or share the newest research. Follow newsletters and accounts where your research and expertise might fit in. For example, medical researchers may effectively weigh in on mainstream longevity, which are increasingly popular with the public.
Online Q&A - Answer questions on Quora, Reddit and similar platforms. In a knowledge economy fuelled by trust, these platforms have a significant impact on public opinion. Researchers can make a real impact here by contributing their evidence-based expertise.
Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to experience a live interview with world-renowned film producer and environmentalist, James Cameron, as well as an inspiring talk by restoration ecologist, Danielle Shanahan. Although the two speakers differed in how they spoke and their topics of focus, both shared a clear and common thread: the importance of engaging with the community to discuss current topics of scientific interest. Their choices to “say yes” in their recent talks inspired this newsletter. What might you inspire with your own public engagement?
We're always seeking fascinating stories and interviews to feature in The Scoop. If you're interested in sharing your research, how you use Litmaps, or your thoughts on our previous editions of The Scoop, please reach out to us here.