Public intellectuals & the future of information | Erica Stone | TEDxMileHighWomen

Access to Research

• Many people reference studies in conversations without actually reading them.

• The information we access often goes through a long chain of translation and summarization.

• For example, Erica shares how she read a tweet summarizing a study, which in turn linked to a blog post summarizing the study findings, which referred to a science article that cited the actual study abstract.

• This makes it difficult to access original research and raises questions about the accuracy of the information we receive.

"When I said I read a study, what I actually read was 59 characters that summarized ten years of research."

Challenges in Academic Publishing

• Academics tend to engage less with popular media as compared to traditional publishing channels.

• The academic publishing process typically involves research, writing, peer-review, and publication.

• The system is built around prestigious, subscription-based journals where scholars are rewarded for publishing.

• However, this creates a barrier to access for the general public and leads to a lack of engagement between academics and popular media.

"I'm not suggesting a dumbing down of the research. I'm just suggesting that we give the public access to that research and that we shift the venue and focus on using plain language, so that the public, who's paying for the research, can also consume it."

The Need for Change

• There is a need for change in the academic ecosystem to make research more accessible and engage with the public.

• One way to do this is by rewarding scholars for publishing in open access journals and popular media, in addition to traditional subscription-based journals.

• Open access journals make research more widely available, and platforms like Google Scholar are making progress in this area.

• By involving the public in research and making it easily understandable, a healthy relationship can be fostered, encouraging public participation and enhancing the public's understanding of institutions.

"I want to work and research in an academic culture where the public is not only seen as a valuable audience but a constituent, a participant, and in some cases, even the expert."

The importance of including others in the conversation

• Erica Stone acknowledges that her work does not solely belong to her and is the result of the contributions made by many scholars, teachers, librarians, and community members.

• She emphasizes the need to include more people in the conversation surrounding information and its future.

• Stone invites the audience to join the conversation and express their thoughts.

"I'm standing on the shoulders of many scholars, teachers, librarians, and community members who also advocate for including more people in the conversation."