Recently a professor/mentor of mine noted that I seem to spend more time writing on my blog rather than writing for academic journals. She noted that I will not get tenure or be promoted for my blog posts but that I will for publishing in peer-reviewed journals.
I’ll admit, she made a good point. I use my blog space to reflect on ideas for “proper” articles. In many cases I receive useful feedback that helps me tighten my argument or consider alternate or opposing viewpoints. In this light, my blog serves as a handy testbed and sandbox which allows me room to play.
Often when I am fleshing out ideas for submission, I find myself uncovering fresh and relevant ideas in the blogosphere that I have not seen in academic journals. Does citing a blog post from an anonymous author lessen my argument’s credibility?
For many tenured academics, it appears that blogging is less than credible. Is a cogent argument made in a public forum less than credible if the author lacks a credentialed doctorate degree?
Advantages of blog posts
James McConvill and Liz Lawley offer several points to ponder regarding the advantages of blog posts:
Blog writing requires concise writing skills. Journal articles often run over 2000 words. If you cannot express your novel idea in 1000 words or less, then you are probably trying to say too much (brevity being the soul of wit).
Blogging allows ideas to circulate quickly. By the time many journal articles are published, the ideas contained within have aged and risk possible irrelavance. Blogging creates buzz, and buzz gets people talking and ideas have an opportunity to be analyzed and refined.
More often than not, blog posts are written in a pedestrian or conversational tone. They invite comments and feedback and are readily accessible to a lay-audience. They often involve sharing opinions and offer a perspective rather than the “law.” Perhaps this a major reason why they are not considered academically rigorous and consequentially dismissed.
Blog posts have the potential of reaching a wider audience than academic journals. How many practitioners do you know spend hours reading academic journals relevant to their field? How many practitioners regularly read relevant blogs? Academic research journals are written for academic researchers. How can we expect the perceived theory-to-practice gap to be adequately bridged? Blogs are written for whoever’s attention they grab; they come with a take-it-or-leave-it flavor. If a blogs information is meaningful and relevant to you, then it has real value. Many academic journals exist to provide professors a place to publish and validate what they do for a living. Whether their research has meaning or adds value is secondary.
Disadvantages to blogging
When blog posts do not cite from where they get their information, punditry/pedantry rules. I liken this to what I call the “Fox Effect,” plenty of sizzle, but no steak; lots of deafening opinion, little support or evidence for opinions.
The digital divide. Those without access to the World Wide Web are left out of the conversation. In effect, power laws work against a diversity of opinion and the roar of the masses is reduced to a whisper at best.
Ignorance. This concept threatens many useful ventures and good ideas. As long as academics remain ignorant to the value that blogging can serve, then blogs will continue to exist as second rate publishing venues.
The fact remains, university’s are and will always be slow to change. They are built on medieval traditions that support their existence. This is not say they are useless agencies; plenty of important, cutting edge work happens on a daily basis. However, to paraphrase McConvill, if academics want to be perceived as being “progressive, relevant, and dynamic,” then you would think blogging in the academy would be embraced.
I can imagine publishing houses are feeling the heat. Similar to the recording industry, they are becoming more and more threatened by the DIY ethos of open publishing. And as textbooks are closer to becoming rendered obsolete, publishers will need to develop a new business model to remain economically viable.
So while I may not receive tenure for this blog post today, perhaps tomorrow offers us food for thought.
Keywords: academic research, blogging, blogs, digital divide, higher education, many-to-many, open, publications, publishing, writing
Comments
I would argue that the disadvantages for blogging that you propose are mirrored in the commercial publishing world:
"When [articles] do not cite from where they get their information, punditry/pedantry rules. I liken this to what I call the “Fox Effect,” plenty of sizzle, but no steak; lots of deafening opinion, little support or evidence for opinions."
The difference between this and blog posting is that articles in journals have an editor who makes sure the citing happens. With blogs, the reader is left to decide whether a blog is simply punditry or proper argument.
The digital divide. Those without access to the [journals] are left out of the conversation.
Where can the majority of practioners gain access to academic journals? Their local library? In theory, yes. But in practice, not likely. In fact publishing on the web (whether in a blog format or not) widens access. Given the right licences, there is nothing stopping a publisher creating a printed version for distribution.
"Ignorance. This concept threatens many useful ventures and good ideas. As long as academics remain ignorant to the value that blogging can serve, then blogs will continue to exist as second rate publishing venues."
In my practice the opposite is true - blogs & the web are my main source of academic information. Even though I do have access to academic journals via Athens, I very rarely go to them as they're hidden away in an system that search engines cannot get to. In which case I am left ignorant of the published journals.
Mark,
Thank you for your comments. When you say commercial publishing world, I take that to be different from the academic publishing world, or am I reading you wrong?
Since I work for a large uni, I have online access to a number of academic journals when I'm linked into the uni library network. Since I do occupy myself with a good bit of meta-research, I can access academic journals relatively easily. And I have to. My professors insist on it. The academic journals I want to publish in insist on it. That's not to say I don't surf via search engines, but many times the information I need to support my thesis is not available via the WWW.
I find that blogs provide me excellent reflections on current research. They provide clues which then shift my attention in often helpful ways. Blogs also provide me access to the latest buzz, the latest applications, what's hot and what's not. Sometimes I find a quote that's relevant to what I'm researching and gladly cite it. Terry Anderson's Virtual Canuck site is a good example of a blog I might quote directly in a research paper. Terry has authority in the realm of teaching and learning via technology so it often makes sense to cite him. I guess the context in which one cites a blog post for research determines a blogs relevance and authority. What do you think?
-cds
Hi Christopher,
I was equating commercial publishing with academic publishing - in that the academic publishers tend to be commercial organisations.
I'm doing my Masters at the moment, but, because I'm doing it entirely online, I have to access academic journals through the (entirely impenetrable) Athens system. I have the same problem with what my tutors feel are "proper" references - but in the end I tend to use peer-reviewed publications that I find on the web, rather than try to find stuff from inside Athens.
There is an argument that all academic publications - since they're publicly funded - should appear in the public domain anyway.
I agree that the context of a blog post - and the relative authority of the author - does count for a lot. How is that authority measured though?
Mark
I learned a long time ago that unless a few people say something is a "stupid idea" then I am too late. In order to be on the bleeding edge we must sacrifice other's views of us until they "catch up."
Funny how, however, when the catch up that they seem to forget the frisbees of condemnation they cast our direction.
I saw this in the early 1970's when farmers questioned my father's sanity as he computerized his accounting system. I saw it in the 80's as he began to computerize his equipment and in the 90's again when he put GPS locators in the combines and planters.
Now, he is hailed as a visionary and has received much recognition. Then, he received nothing but grief.
Teachers tell me I am wasting my time as I blog and see no benefit. I too am receiving nothing but grief. I hope the nut doesn't fall too far from the tree as I feel blogging is vital to the future of education.
I view it as this -- "When you're green you're growing, when you're ripe you rot!" I'd rather be green!
I do agree we have to limit our time on blogs and use our time wisely covering issues important to us. I'm constantly culling out blogs that do not suit my needs and adding those that do.
Keep blogging!