Our Mission

1. Provide a platform for PhD researchers to share their research and knowledge in an accessible, engaging and jargon-free way.
2. Create a community of PhD researchers who want to work together to improve their sci-comm, writing, and editing skills.

Many science communication (sci-comm) platforms do not give PhD students the chance to share their knowledge, as they are not deemed “experts”. Some platforms are also very selective in their publishing and look for those with previous experience. We offer a chance for early-career researchers to gain experience with minimal barriers, so we can actively work on our skills in writing, science communication, editing, and networking.

Communicating science to non-specialist audiences is an important skill and is becoming more of a priority in academia and beyond. We fully support this growth and recognise the benefits of making research accessible. People who read our blog can get an insight into what early-career researchers are working on, to understand what current research is like.

This blog was founded at The University of Manchester, but we welcome writers and team members from other institutions!

Quizzes

We are now running quizzes and other competitions for our readers with a £20 prize draw! This is open to everyone, whether a reader or a writer. Follow us on our social media accounts to stay up-to-date with ongoing competitions.

Founders

This blog was started in 2018 by Laura Hemming and Jack Barton, who received awards for their contributions to the PGR environment in 2019. They started the blog to allow UoM’s PhD students to post about their research on an accessible platform. The blog is currently led by Erin Pallott.

The Technical Bits

We edit all posts for spelling, grammar, clarity, and formatting. However, we allow writers to keep their posts in their own wording and style. We are a community of researchers who want to improve our communication skills, not professional writers or journalists! If you see any errors/issues, please do reach out to our team.

The opinions of blog post authors and interviewees do not reflect those of any associated institutions and are the authors’ and interviewees’ own.

Find us on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky and LinkedIn.