The Conversation is an academic blogging platform that allows experts to publish accessible articles aimed at the general public and has a monthly global audience of 25m, and 44.8m including republication. Lancaster has a fantastic track record with the Conversation and is consistently in the top 10 for both the number of articles published and the number of reads. Academics are supported by the Press Office in crafting pitches to Conversation editors. Writing for the platform can lead to further opportunities – both in the media and elsewhere. Articles written by Lancaster academics have been republished in mainstream media outlets around the world, from ABC Australia and CNN to the World Economic Forum and the Washington Post.
Lancaster’s membership of the Conversation entitles us to a number of live training sessions during the year. These are advertised via internal faculty news, and bespoke sessions can be considered upon request.
In addition, there are four self-paced, online training courses available:
- The Conversation: Who we are and how we work with academics
- How to write for The Conversation
- How to pitch to The Conversation
- Writing for Insights
The courses use videos, downloadable PDFs and exercises to help you understand how The Conversation works, the editorial support provided, and to develop the skills to write for non-academic audiences. These will allow academics, researchers and PhD candidates to access training at a time that best suits you. Any member of staff can access these resources by logging in with their LU email account.
The Conversation courses are being mapped to Vitae’s researcher development framework.
Sarah Carter, Media Engagement Manager leads on the University’s relationship with the Conversation. Contact Sarah to start building up your profile on The Conversation. Email: s.carter4@lancaster.ac.uk