Blog posts

A guide on writing a blog

Writing a blog is different to writing an academic paper. The objective of writing a blog is to make your research findings intelligible to a general academic audience, not experts in your field.  For this reason, write the blog in a clear, persuasive style.  Avoid technical terms, academic jargon, or abstruse language.

Make sure the content of the blog is coherent. Keep in mind the following order:

1. Introduction: Why should academics be interested in my findings? (e.g., policy relevance; contemporary relevance; state of the debates);
2. Discuss your main research findings. Do not go into detail on methodology (and absolutely do not include tables of econometrics, equations, etc.);
3. Conclusion: Explain how your research findings alter/confirm/negate existing research in this field. It is sometimes useful to indicate avenues for future research suggested by your work.

Blogs should be about 800 words.

We can accommodate a couple of diagrams, charts or pictures. Please make sure that each diagram, chart, or picture is accompanied by a suitable legend, appropriate notes where needed, and a source.  If a picture or photograph is subject to copyright/licensing please indicate that all necessary approvals have been received.

The Public Engagement Committee reserves the right to edit content before upload to the Society’s blog, The Long Run.

See examples of recent blogs that have appeared on The Long Run.