Have you ever wondered why you write so much in college? The reason isn't just because professors need some way to assign a grade. Academic research trains our minds to look at the world we're operating in through a critical lens, identify issues of significance where our particular talents might have a positive impact, define these issues using evidence and propose evidence-based solutions. Academic papers allow us to share our conclusions in the wider scholarly conversation. What is the scholarly conversation? Watch this brief video to find out:
Peer-reviewed articles are how researchers share what they have learned. Since all the researchers in one field can't get together in one room and talk, they write and publish information they want to share. They read and respond to information other professionals have published. Published research is a scholarly conversation. The scholarly conversation shares many characteristics everyday conversations between two people. For example, participants in the scholarly conversation:
Have a purpose. When you speak with someone, there is normally some goal to the conversation, for example, to inform or to persuade.
Have a point. When you are speaking with someone, you normally have something specific to communicate and you say it rather than talking aimlessly and forever before finally identifying what you need to know or share.
Listen before speaking. If you walked up to two people in a conversation, you wouldn't just interrupt and start talking about something interesting to you. You also wouldn't just listen to one or two words, assume you know what they're talking about, and jump right in like you know it all. You'd listen and learn the context of their conversational topic and then contribute your thoughts.
Listen to many different, appropriate people. If you need to know something about how to take care of a new kitten, you don't ask all your friends with dogs. And you don't just ask one person with a cat. A smart person asks many friends with cats to get as many ideas as possible - including suggestions that even contradict one another - and then judges for themselves what advice to take.
Contribute something new. If you are talking with someone and all they do is repeat some variation of what you said or agree with everything you say without adding anything new, that's a pretty boring and short conversation. People who contribute new, unique perspectives are much more interesting to talk to.
If you keep these ideas in mind, you will contribute in a valuable way to the scholarly conversation. How does this work for scholarship? That's what you will learn in this guide.