This study looks at the use of scientific blogs as a scholarly communications vehicle. Blogs have been somewhat controversial in the scientific world given their lack of peer review, and the views of some that they contribute to the unattributed use of other’s ideas. But the demands of open science and the need for greater transparency, as well as the digital habits of the youngest generation of scientists, have pushed in another direction.
This study helps its readers to answer questions such as: how many and which scientists actively blog? Which blogs do they commonly use? How much time do they spend blogging? How comfortable are scientists with the idea of blogging? From whom do faculty seek assistance when developing, contributing to or using scientific blogs? Faculty peers? The research office? The academic library? Department chair?
Just a few of the many findings of this 72-page report are that:
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10.62% of faculty use one or more blogs to report their research findings and follow developments in their fields.
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Younger faculty members and those not tenured but on a tenure track show a higher tendency to seek peer assistance in developing their blogs or blogging strategies.
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39.4% of female faculty were not at all comfortable blogging vs. only 27.6% of male faculty. Differences by race or ethnicity, on the other hand, were generally minor.
Data in the report was derived from a survey drawing 339 responses from faculty from 100 colleges and universities in the USA; it was conducted from November 2023 to February 2024.
Data is broken out by variables related to the institutional affiliation of the survey participants (enrollment size, public/private status) as well as personal characteristics such as age, gender and academic field.