Reading Scribblingwoman’s links to discussions on how blogging might be given credit as scholarship, I’m thinking that that paragraph in my job application letters about blogging might change a bit. Perhaps stats of readership and inwards links and some names of people who link to me would help convince a committee that this blogging thing of mine is something they need. Here are remarks from a dean about how he’d see blogging when assessing a current or prospective employee. Another discusses blogging as a form of academic service, like reviewing articles for a conference; yes, it is often this but it is more too. In Norwegian terms, blogging is often but not exclusively formidling, it’s popularisation, discussion between different groups in society. On the other hand, we’ve all heard something along the lines of Marylaine Block’s remark: “I was told repeatedly that if anything, web-based scholarly contributions were an impediment to success in academia.”
6 thoughts on “does blogging count as scholarship?”
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tim
In New Zealand we are just waiting for the results of our first “performance based research funding” round. This will give a strong indication of the degree to which our academic culture has accepted online publication.
I’m hoping that the climate is changing and spring is on the way!
Norman
Blogging is like spiders, which covers daddy long legs to funnel webs, and everything in between. Which may not make much sense to non-Australians?
Jill
Oh absolutely. Not all blogging is scholarly, that’s for sure. My secret LiveJournal (if I have one) is unlikely to impress a job search committee.
HÂkon Styri
Jill writes: “Not all blogging is scholarly”
You’re quite right. It would, however, be nice to have some discussions about what makes a blog worth mentioning your academic bibliography.
It’s not a question about format or technology, it’s how you’ve decided to use the blog. A very personal or informal blog may not be of any value at all. A blog used to publish draft papers, asking for comments and critique, is something quite different from an academic point of view.
One important issue is how to treat comments. Can a review board trust that you didn’t carefully edit out selected comments?
colin grant
Please contact me with regards a blogging discussion on BB World Service.
creativity/machine
Blogging for credit?
Sebastien Paquet wonders, along with Andrew Chen, Jill Walker, and Professor Bainbridge about the benefits of research blogs as opposed to formal academic publication. I don’t quite see why it’s an either/or situation – for me, a research blog is a thi…