I’m giving a short seminar in a couple of weeks to my department called Can Science Blogging Enhance Your Research Life? I want to provide an introduction to the world of science blogging, give some examples of great science blogs and uses of blogging towards a research end. I don’t intend to mention the scientist life sub-genre of blogging scientists because it isn’t an appropriate for this talk. The talk will be for Phd students, postdocs and faculty in chemistry and forensic science.
I have a few examples in each category but I’d like to poll the community here for additional suggestions.
What are your favorite science blogs and why?
What’s the best research related use of blogging that you’ve come across?
Why do/should scientists consider blogging?
Does anyone know of any forensic science blogs?
I’ll upload my slides somewhere after the talk, and report back on how it goes!
I would certainly show ResearchBlogging.org as a resource and a starting point for exploring the science blogosphere.
Are these any good:
http://blog.forensicscience.ufl.edu/
http://www.all-about-forensic-science.com/forensic-science-blog.html
http://www.all-about-forensic-psychology.com/forensic-psychology-blog.html
http://student-guide-to-forensic-psychology.blogspot.com/
http://forensicpsychologist.blogspot.com/
http://symptom-magnification.blogspot.com/
There’s Cameron and Jean-Claude, obviously.
And… damn. There’s a huge collaboration that’s ’scaping my mind right now. Bunch of guys and gals doing virus-type research. Blogs and whatnot. Sheesh.
Nature Blogs is another good starting point. And just one of many good examples here on Nature Network: Six minutes of your life (Reciprocal Space, Stephen Curry).
@Martin – you are a gentleman and a scholar!
@Bora – thanks for reminding me about ResearchBlogging – had a look and discovered what seems to be a very interesting virology blog by Vicent Racaniello, a collaborator of my boss, Jim Hogle, from my poliovirus days in Boston.
@Katherine – I don’t at present (still learning) see blogging as a research tool as such. More of a way of engaging with the wider community of scientists – and others – outside my immediate field of research.
@Katherine – I posted a comment on Vincent Racaniello’s blog and he made the following interesting observation in his reply that might be helpful for your talk:
Generally true I would say.
@Bora – thanks for the links, fantastic! I think ResearchBlogging.org is particularly important to highlight.
@Richard – yeah, being chemistry types they’d go down well!
@Martin – I was going to feature some shameless promotion of Nature Networks!
@Stephen – I agree, I think blogging is very much away of keeping one’s eye on the wider research horizon. The quote is fantastic and we’re always trying to encourage our PhD students to engages with the wider world of research, and see beyond their PhD topics.
Katherine, here is another helpful blog post: Doing science online by Michael Nielsen. It’s mostly about mathematics, but it is also relevant to other areas of science.
One of my blog posts persuaded a creationist website to take my paper off their “supporting literature” page, does that count as a good research-related use of blogging?
Ah! Found it! http://www.thesynapticleap.org/
Katherine, will you be reporting back on the reactions you got from people after your talk?
Thanks Martin & Richard.
@Cath – I wouldn’t touch creationism with a 10 foot staff (of Ra!) in this talk.
@Eva – Surely, the talks on the 11th. I’ll make sure I report back all the gory details. It will be interesting to see what the reaction is.
A presentation I did for the exact same reasons, which you could find useful (see especially after p. 17 for examples of real science blog uses): http://www.slideshare.net/Enro/why-you-scientists-should-be-blogging-presentation