Welcome to December 2021!
Words + Pictures = 21c Academic Writing
I finished writing the second edition of Doing Qualitative Research Online. I worked through, read and re-read every word, sentence, and paragraph - as did my editor, reviewers, and my diligent copyeditor. But that doesn’t mean I am finished. I still need to create video explainers that show and tell the meaning of the main diagrams and figures in the book. And yes, I created all those figures. All to say that academic writing is about more than writing! Communication today involves artwork and drawings, photographs and media, audio and video. Visuals can communicate complex ideas and relationships to other researchers and reach beyond the academic audience to provide valuable information to practitioners and the general public.
In November we observed Academic Writing Month with the help of our generous and thoughtful Mentor in Residence, Dr. Maria Lahman. In December we will take the next step and explore all manner of visuals, including discussions about how to create them and what to do when you are collaborating with or engaging artists or animators. I am delighted to welcome new Mentors in Residence: Lydia Wysocki and Dr. Tullio Rossi. Lydia will discuss using comics as both research methodology and research communication; Dr. Tullio Rossi and his team will show how to create and use infographics, creative posters, and animation to share findings. Join us this month for video interviews, guest posts, and links to resources you can use.
Lydia Wysocki
Lydia Wysocki is an educational researcher at Newcastle University, using sociocultural theory to explore how what people read influences how they understand the social world. She is particularly interested in using comics as a research methodology (multimodal and sequential methods of: planning; data elicitation, collection, transcription and analysis; dissemination and engagement). She founded and leads Applied Comics Etc, working with subject specialists and comics artist-writers to make comics that communicate specific information. Visit her websites to learn more: personal https://lydw.co.uk (on Twitter: @lyd_w) and comics website: https://appliedcomicsetc.com (on Twitter: @appliedcomics).
Dr Tullio Rossi and his Animate Your Science Team
Dr Tullio Rossi is an award-winning science communicator, marine biologist and graphic designer. As founder of the science communication agency "Animate Your Science", he helps researchers tell their story to the world. His engaging video animations and eye-catching graphics make science understandable for everyone, reaching millions of people around the world, thereby creating a real-life impact. Visit his personal website to learn more: https://www.tulliorossi.com (on Twitter: @Animate_Science and @Tullio_Rossi).
Juan Miguel Balbin
Juan Miguel Balbin is a molecular biologist, graphic designer and science communicator at Animate Your Science. Miguel’s research background investigated how the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum infects red blood cells during the course of disease. He now applies his combined expertise in science and art to write engaging content about how visual media skills could be implemented into academic practice to promote research visibility.
Dr Flynn Slattery
Dr Flynn Slattery is an exercise scientist, science communicator and project manager at Animate Your Science. Flynn’s research background focused on monitoring the respiratory health of professional firefighters in South Australia. He is proud to leverage his expertise in science, storytelling, design and animation to help researchers and institutions to tell the unique story of their research in a concise and compelling way.