Outside of academia, some academic fields can be difficult to access. Whether its difficult to access the knowledge itself, the educational tools that allow someone to advance a field, or the new research that is being developed, spaces where the general public can become educated on obscure topics and research are limited. But, even for common topics, like those in the humanities, where subjects are discussed in depth on places like YouTube or blogs (Philosophy is one topic that comes to mind in particular), there is little discussion digitally on how/why those fields are changing and new innovations outside of popular journals on those topics.
In this post, we will discuss why scholars should start blogs and the value their insights can bring to the public and to other scholars. Whether you are discussing the fundamentals of your field of study, your personal research, or the ways you see the field evolving, I believe that scholars can contribute greatly to others understanding of their field, as well as their own understanding, through blogging.
Why Scholars Should Start Blogs – 3 Reasons Why
Teaching is the best way to learn.
The most compelling reason to begin blogging as a scholar is that it may help you to hone your skills and discourse within your field of study. There is a common saying that ‘teaching is the best way to learn.’ This is often because as we discuss or write on a topic that interests us, we begin to catch all of the weak points and inaccuracies in our knowledge base. For scholars, blogging can become a tool to help you deepen your understanding of your field by forcing you to fact check, to expand on your ideas, and provide simplified versions of different topics, ensuring that you know your subject well enough to explain it in layman’s terms.
This can be especially useful for scholars who are not teaching, because it will allow you to practice a version of teaching that is low stakes; by teaching people about your field though blogging and writing!
You know your field best.
If you are someone who is well educated on a certain topic, you will most likely know it better than the average person or hobbyist (granted that the hobbyist is not a fanatic—of which there are plenty with the advent of the internet!). Not only will blogging allow you to share your findings and ideas with the world, but it will help you to clarify any misinformation in your field that may be circulating due to others spreading misinformation or poor attempts to discuss your field (scholars and non-scholars alike can spread misinformation).
Through your blog, you can work to flex those academic muscles and show us what your made of—with the added bonuses of (hopefully) becoming a digital authority in your field and clearing up any false discourse that has spread. You know your topic best—by focusing on clearly defining your field through blogging, and making sure your posts are correct and simplified, you can work to better educate others about your field of study.
Explore other areas of interests, make connections.
Bogging as a scholar will also allow you to research other fields or adjacent fields. We just talked about the spreading of misinformation, and I am by no means advocating that you jump into a new field and portend to be an authority. Rather, I believe that blogging can become a space for scholars—with their vast research skills, critical thinking, and knowledge base—to dive into topics adjacent to your field or completely unrelated. Blogging can become a source of inspiration for you and a way to hone your skills in a new field by deeply researching other topics, and finding connections between ideas that are foreign to you and those that are common to you. In this way, blogging can become a tool for growth for scholars, allowing you to make new connections and further expand your knowledge base.
Conclusion
Whether scholars blog to hone their skills in their field, to become an authority online, or to dive into new topics, blogging is a tool that can become a companion for those who deeply admire the search for knowledge. To learn about how other scholars use blogging in different ways, check out this post where we will explore 3 different blogs by scholars and the benefits they bring to that scholar in particular. See you in our next post!
