Peter Suber, Open Access News, draws attention to an article by Shelley A. Batts, et al., PLoS Biology, about the significance of blogs in addressing the gap between academia and the public, and ways forward to assess/improve quality of blogs. Excerpts from the article:
…blogs can have a substantial impact on traditional academia by providing a quick forum for public peer review of research.
Because many science bloggers are practicing scientists or experts in their field, they can provide a unique educational bridge between academia and the public and distill important experimental findings into an accessible, interactive format. Yet academic institutions have been slow to appreciate blogs as valuable mediums for facilitating scholarly discussion, illustrated by the lack of institutional blogs or blogs by established academics. It is true that few quality-control or vetting mechanisms exist to help readers evaluate a blog, which typically earns its reputation based on the blogger’s credentials and reader feedback. Yet both academic institutions and blogs aim to engage and educate the public and advance scientific knowledge and discussion. By combining the credibility of institutions—trusted gate-keepers for scientific truth—with the immediacy and networking infrastructure of blogs, we believe that these shared goals can be better served with benefits to both partners.
