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Scholarly Communication
New Books Network
403 episodes
1 week ago
Discussions with those who work to disseminate research
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Books
Arts,
Education,
Science
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Discussions with those who work to disseminate research
Show more...
Books
Arts,
Education,
Science
Episodes (20/403)
Scholarly Communication
Dagmar Schafer, "Ownership of Knowledge: Beyond Intellectual Property" (MIT Press, 2023)
Ownership of Knowledge: Beyond Intellectual Property (MIT Press, 2023) provides a framework for knowledge ownership that challenges the mechanisms of inequality in modern society. Scholars of science, technology, medicine, and law have all tended to emphasize knowledge as the sum of human understanding, and its ownership as possession by law. Breaking with traditional discourse on knowledge property as something that concerns mainly words and intellectual history, or science and law, Dagmar Schäfer, Annapurna Mamidipudi, and Marius Buning propose technology as a central heuristic for studying the many implications of knowledge ownership. Toward this end, they focus on the notions of knowledge and ownership in courtrooms, workshops, policy, and research practices, while also shedding light on scholarship itself as a powerful tool for making explicit the politics inherent in knowledge practices and social order. The book presents case studies showing how diverse knowledge economies are created and how inequalities arise from them. Unlike scholars who have fragmented this discourse across the disciplines of anthropology, sociology, and history, the editors highlight recent developments in the emerging field of the global history of knowledge—as science, as economy, and as culture. The case studies reveal how notions of knowing and owning emerge because they reciprocally produce and determine each other's limits and possibilities; that is, how we know inevitably affects how we can own what we know; and how we own always impacts how and what we are able to know. Jen Hoyer is Technical Services and Electronic Resources Librarian at CUNY New York City College of Technology. Jen edits for Partnership Journal and organizes with the TPS Collective. She is co-author of What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom and The Social Movement Archive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 week ago
41 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Abigail Bainbridge, "Conservation of Books" (Routledge, 2023)
Editor Abigail Bainbridge and contributing author Sonja Schwoll join this discussion of Conservation of Books (Routledge 2023), the highly anticipated reference work on global book structures and their conservation. Offering the first modern, comprehensive overview on this subject, this volume takes an international approach. Written by over 70 specialists in conservation and conservation science based in 19 countries, its 26 chapters cover traditional book structures from around the world, the materials from which they are made and how they degrade, and how to preserve and conserve them. It also examines the theoretical underpinnings of conservation: what and how to treat, and the ethical, cultural, and economic implications of treatment. Technical drawings and photographs illustrate the structures and treatments examined throughout the book. Ultimately, readers gain an in-depth understanding of the materiality of books in numerous global contexts and reflect on the practical considerations involved in their analysis and treatment. Our conversations in this episode discuss how this book is a key reference text for the field, how it fuels important conversations about decision-making and ethics, and what approaches it encourages to learning the practicalities of book conservation. Jen Hoyer is Technical Services and Electronic Resources Librarian at CUNY New York City College of Technology. Jen edits for Partnership Journal and organizes with the TPS Collective. She is co-author of What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom and The Social Movement Archive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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2 weeks ago
32 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Aaron G. Fountain Jr., "High School Students Unite! Teen Activism, Education Reform, and FBI Surveillance in Postwar America" (UNC Press, 2025)
In High School Students Unite! Teen Activism, Education Reform, and FBI Surveillance in Postwar America (UNC Press, 2025), Aaron G. Fountain Jr. highlights the crucial impact of high school activists in the 1960s and 1970s. Mid-twentieth-century student activism is a pivotal chapter in American history. While college activism has been well documented, the equally vital contributions of high school students have often been overlooked. Only recently have scholars begun to recognize the transformative role teenagers played in reshaping American education. Inspired by civil rights and antiwar movements, students across the nation demanded a voice in their education by organizing sit-ins, walkouts, and strikes. From cities such as San Francisco and Chicago to smaller towns such as Jonesboro, Georgia, these young leaders fought for curricula that reflected their evolving worldviews. Drawing on archival research and interviews, Aaron G. Fountain Jr. reveals how teenagers became powerful agents of change, advocating for constitutional rights and influencing school reform. Ironically, the modernization of school security, including police presence, was partly a response to these student-led movements. Through oral histories and FBI records, this fascinating history offers a fresh perspective on high school activism and its lasting impact on American education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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2 weeks ago
44 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Samuel Moore, "Publishing Beyond the Market: Open Access, Care, and the Commons" (U Michigan Press, 2025)
I talked to Dr. Samuel Moore about his recent book, Publishing Beyond the Market: Open Access, Care, and the Commons, (U Michigan Press, 2025) Samuel Moore is the Scholarly Communication Specialist at Cambridge University Libraries, Associate Lecturer at Cambridge Digital Humanities, and College Research Associate at King's College, Cambridge. In his book, Sam argues that the move to open access should focus less on the free accessibility of research outputs and more on who controls the publications and infrastructures for scholarly communication. By deploying theoretical literature on science and technology studies, care ethics, and the commons, the book critically interrogates open access and reimagines a more ethical future for researcher-led publishing. A case study of Plan S – the multi-funder European policy for open access publishing – explores its tendency to rehearse all the failures of commercialisation. Through critical engagement with the open access landscape, the book reveals the shortcomings of market-centric and policy-based approaches to open access book and journal publishing, particularly their tendency to reinforce conservatism, commercialism, and private control of publishing. Going forward, the book explores the importance of collectivity and democratic governance within the transition to open access publishing. It suggests that developing a commons-based, scholar-led publishing landscape through a series of presses that are each managed by working academics could offer a productive counterpoint to marketised systems of open access and subscription publishing. In weaving themselves together in order to "scale small" these publishing initiatives would act as a counter-hegemonic project based on mutual reliance and care. By illustrating how these projects build toward a commons-based publishing future, and how they may complement other approaches to publishing within university presses and libraries, the book culminates in an argument for the infrastructures, policies, and forms of governance needed to nurture such a collective vision. Sam’s book, which I am glad to say is available as an open-access ebook alongside the paperback, is the subject of our conversation. Stephen Pinfield is Professor of Information Services Management at the University of Sheffield, UK, and Senior Research Fellow at the Research on Research Institute (RoRI). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 month ago
1 hour 3 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Thomas Kador, "Object-Based Learning: Exploring Museums and Collections in Education" (UCL Press, 2025)
In Object-Based Learning: Exploring Museums and Collections in Education (UCL Press, 2025), Thomas Kador provides a concise overview of some of the most important approaches to material culture and object analysis in plain and easily understandable language that is equally accessible to undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as lecturers. Click here for an open access version of this book. This book is organised in a clear and easy-to-follow way, each chapter is filled with practical case studies, exercises and several diagrams to illustrate important arguments and approaches. The succinct and practically focused discussion of the main issues relating to exhibiting objects and curatorial practice, brings together diverse but complementary topics such as the history of collecting, understanding audiences, accessibility, digital media, technologies and ethics. Each chapter includes learning objectives, questions and exercise boxes, case studies and further readings and resources. This conversation references Bridget Whearty's New Books Network interview about Digital Codicology; click here to listen. Thomas Kador also mentions the website Closer to Van Eyck, available here. Thomas Kador is Associate Professor in Creative Health at UCL Arts & Sciences, where he leads the Masters (MASc) in Creative Health programme. Prior to this, he was Teaching Fellow in Public and Cultural Engagement with UCL's Museums and Collections, with a particular focus on Object-based Learning (OBL), working across the UCL collections. With a background spanning chemical engineering and cultural heritage (archaeology and museums), Thomas is particularly interested in the relationship between culture, nature and health. He has published widely on object-based learning, student wellbeing and experiential learning spaces, has been instrumental in delivering UCL's Object-based Learning Laboratory and in developing the world's first MASc in Creative Health postgraduate taught programme. Jen Hoyer is Technical Services and Electronic Resources Librarian at CUNY New York City College of Technology. She is co-author of What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom (2022) and The Social Movement Archive (2021), and co-editor of Armed By Design: Posters and Publications of Cuba’s Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (2025). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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2 months ago
41 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Celebrating University Press Week 2025 with President Dennis Lloyd
Every year, NBN speaks with the president of AUPresses in anticipation of University Press Week. This year, press week will take place from November 10 through the 14th, with the theme: #TeamUP. To celebrate, I’m thrilled to have Dennis Lloyd, director of the University of Wisconsin Press, and president of the Association of University Presses, on the podcast. Learn more about UP Week here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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2 months ago
41 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Elif Kalaycioglu, "The Politics of World Heritage: Visions, Custodians, and Futures of Humanity" (Oxford UP, 2025)
What does it take to construct humanity's cultural history and what do these efforts produce in the world? In The Politics of World Heritage (Oxford UP, 2025), Elif Kalaycioglu analyzes UNESCO's flagship regime, which seeks to curate a cultural history of humanity, attached to "outstanding universal value" and tethered to goals of peace and solidarity. Kalaycioglu's analysis tracks that construction across fifty years of the regime and maps it onto three distinct visions: humanity as a rarified transhistorical subject, humanity as a diverse subject, and humanity as a subject that is adequately represented by the community of nation states. In each of these constructions, experts and states take up the cultural and historical resources that circulate within the regime to narrate a humanity into being, and position themselves as its adjudicators, contributors and custodians. Each construction comes with remainders, that is, parts of humanity excluded from this cultural history, and internal hierarchies between those at its center and others that remain on the margins.These hierarchies challenge the aspiration to peace and solidarity. While these aspirations have changed across the three iterations of humanity, across the different forms, the regime's structures and participants have been ill-equipped and hesitant to engage with the underbellies of humanity towards robust visions of peace and solidarity. In contrast to this general tendency, Kalaycioglu excavates from select nomination files nested constructions of humanity that hold onto the globality and unevenness of its political conditions and presents the possibility of robust visions of peace and solidarity, and humanity's different futures. Elif Kalaycioglu is Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science at The University of Alabama. Jen Hoyer is Technical Services and Electronic Resources Librarian at CUNY New York City College of Technology. She is co-author of What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom (2022) and The Social Movement Archive (2021), and co-editor of Armed By Design: Posters and Publications of Cuba’s Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (2025). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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2 months ago
58 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Kate McDowell, "Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries: Crafting Ethical Narratives for Advocacy and Impact" (ALA, 2025)
In today’s polarized landscape, libraries face two key challenges: the difficulty of turning raw data into narratives that effectively advocate for libraries, and the ethical complexities of representing communities in these stories. In Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries: Crafting Ethical Narratives for Advocacy and Impact (ALA, 2025), Kate McDowell empowers librarians and information professionals to transform data into ethical, compelling narratives that connect with communities and advocate for their organizations. This book teaches both the practicalities of data storytelling and introduces critical approaches that ensure stories are inclusive, socially just, and impactful. Readers will find the book essential for communicating library value to help secure funding, resources, and community support.  This conversation makes reference to Kate McDowell's webinar about the book; view it here on YouTube. Dr. Kate McDowell is Professor at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Her interdisciplinary work examines how storytelling plays a vital role in humanizing data analysis and communication. Jen Hoyer is Technical Services and Electronic Resources Librarian at CUNY New York City College of Technology. She is co-author of What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom (2022) and The Social Movement Archive (2021), and co-editor of Armed By Design: Posters and Publications of Cuba’s Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (2025). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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2 months ago
53 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Gabrielle Durepos and Amy Thurlow, "Archival Research in Historical Organisation Studies: Theorising Silences" (Emerald Publishing, 2025)
Archival Research in Historical Organisation Studies: Theorising Silences offers an accessible account of theorising the archive, contesting the narrow definitions of the archive with a view beyond a mere repository of documents. Scholars Gabrielle Durepos and Amy Thurlow discuss the ways that business archives have marginalized various populations and themes by providing two frameworks for examining the processes that have led to previous exclusions from archives. Ultimately, the authors seek to redress these absences and contribute to a better future. Gabrielle (Gabie) Durepos is an Associate Professor in the Department of Business and Tourism, at Mount Saint Vincent University and Amy Thurlow is a Professor of Communication Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. Jen Hoyer is Technical Services and Electronic Resources Librarian at CUNY New York City College of Technology. She is co-author of What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom (2022) and The Social Movement Archive (2021), and co-editor of Armed By Design: Posters and Publications of Cuba’s Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (2025). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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3 months ago
1 hour 8 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Liz Fischer, "Network Analysis for Book Historians: Digital Labour and Data Visualization Techniques" (Arc Humanities Press, 2025)
Researchers and archivists have spent decades digitizing and cataloguing, but what does the future hold for book history? Network Analysis for Book Historians: Digital Labour and Data Visualization Techniques (ARC Humanities Press, 2025) explores the potential of network analysis as a method for medieval and early modern book history. Through case studies of the Cotton Library, the Digital Index of Middle English Verse, and the Pforzheimer Collection, Liz Fischer offers a blueprint for drawing on extant scholarly resources to visualize relationships between people, text, and books. Such visualizations serve as a new form of reference work with the potential to offer new, broad insights into the history of book collecting, compilation, and use. This volume gives a realistic look at the decision-making involved in digital humanities work, and emphasizes the value of so-called "mechanical" labour in scholarship.  Liz Fischer is an independent scholar and full-time consultant working with GLAM institutions on data and AI. Fischer's current research focuses on applications of network analysis to book history. Liz's general interests include medieval & early modern English book history, craftsmanship, antiquarianism, and digital humanities, and areas of specialty in the DH world include network analysis, collections-as-data, workflow automation, and web development. Check out the Atlas of a Medieval Life: The Itineraries of Roger de Breynton, discussed in this episode! Jen Hoyer is Technical Services and Electronic Resources Librarian at CUNY New York City College of Technology. She is co-author of What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom (2022) and The Social Movement Archive (2021), and co-editor of Armed By Design: Posters and Publications of Cuba’s Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (2025). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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5 months ago
46 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Paul A. Thomas, "Inside Wikipedia: How It Works and How You Can Be an Editor" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022)
In this book, Paul A. Thomas—a seasoned Wikipedia contributor who has accrued about 60,000 edits since he started editing in 2007—breaks down the history of the free encyclopedia and explains the process of becoming an editor. Now a newly minted Ph.D. and a library specialist at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, he outlines the many roles a Wikipedia editor can fill. Some editors fix typographical errors, add facts and citations, or clean up the prose on existing articles; others create new articles on topics they find interesting. In Inside Wikipedia: How It Works and How You Can Be an Editor (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022), Thomas goes behind the familiar Wikipedia article page and looks at the unique brand of collaboration that is constantly at work to expand and improve this global resource. James Kates is a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He has worked as an editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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5 months ago
55 minutes

Scholarly Communication
The Truth About Bullshit: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary Edition of On Bullshit with Pamela Hieronymi
Today I’m thrilled to launch a brand new series for the Princeton UP Ideas Podcast. 20 years ago, Princeton University Press published a short volume with an excellent title: On Bullshit (Princeton UP, 2025). Written by philosopher Harry Frankfurt, On Bullshit was adapted from an essay that explored the meaning, uses, and consequences of bullshit. At just 80 pages, On Bullshit became a favorite of readers, selling over 1 million copies and spending 27 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It’s not often that a work of philosophy breaks through to the mainstream, but readers of On Bullshit quickly discover why. Harry’s meditation on the meaning of bullshit can be read in one sitting, but the ideas have staying power. After you read Harry’s book, you start to see bullshit everywhere and recognize it’s uniquely pernicious effects on whatever’s left of the public square. Harry wrote his book long before modern social media and AI-generated slop. He was unbelievably prescient, making On Bullshit required reading for today. Harry sadly passed in 2023 at 94 years old, but his ideas live on. In this series, we’ll speak with scholars whose lives and work have been influenced by Harry and his seminal book. To kick things off, I’ll be speaking with Pamela Hieronymi, one of Harry’s former students. Pamela is Professor of Philosophy at UCLA and a leading scholar in the field of moral philosophy. Like Harry, her work has resonated outside the academy. She served as an advisor on the sitcom, The Good Place, which brought philosophical concepts like the trolley problem to a mainstream audience. For the first episode in the series, Pamela will introduce readers to both the book and the man who wrote it. In subsequent episodes, I’ll speak with other scholars who explore Harry’s notion of bullshit in politics, science, and more. If you haven’t read On Bullshit, you should preorder the anniversary edition, which is set to release on August 5th. Now, let’s have ourselves a bull session. Pamela Hieronymi is Professor of Philosophy at UCLA. Watch her lecture on the blame game. Caleb Zakarin is editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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6 months ago
36 minutes

Scholarly Communication
The Price of Free Speech: Politics and Power on Campus
Hosts Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett Jones explore the mounting political and financial pressures confronting higher education on both sides of the Atlantic. In the U.S., it unpacks the unprecedented clash between the Trump administration and Harvard, raising broader questions about academic freedom, ideological conformity, and the role of government oversight. In the U.K., the conversation turns to the sector’s growing reliance on international students and foreign funding—particularly from China—and the implications for institutional independence and research integrity. Together, the episodes chart the uneasy intersection of education, economics, and geopolitics in today’s universities.Guests:-Tyler Coward is the lead counsel for government affairs at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).-Rose Stephenson is Director of Policy and Advocacy at Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI)Producer: Pearse LynchExecutive Producer: Lucinda Knight Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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8 months ago
33 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Academic Librarians: A Discussion with Karen McCoy
The library is an important partner in academic success for students and professors. So why do so many people overlook this key resource? Karen McCoy takes us inside her job on two college campuses, unpacking what librarians do, and why she’s so happy to help everyone find exactly what they need. Our guest is: Karen B. McCoy, who is a librarian currently living in Northern California. Most days, she can be found answering reference questions or conducting information literacy sessions in both the Sierra College Library and American River College Library. Outside of her librarian career, she maintains a blog where she interviews other authors. She has reviewed books for Library Journal and Children’s Literature, and she sold a feature article to School Library Journal entitled, “What Teens are Really Reading.” She also contributed a chapter to Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Her debut novel, The Etiquette of Voles, releases in June 2025 through Artemesia Publishing/Kinkajou Press. Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who is a freelance editor for scholarly projects. She is the producer of the Academic Life podcast. Playlist for listeners: Book Banning and The National Coalition Against Censorship Once Upon A Tome That Librarian Understanding Disinformation The Grant Writing Guide Where Does Research Really Begin Archival Etiquette Becoming The Writer You Already Are Project Management for Researchers Find Your Argument The Guide To Getting Unstuck Dealing with the Fs Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! You can support the show by downloading and sharing episodes. Join us again to learn from more experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 250+ Academic Life episodes? Find them here. And thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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8 months ago
55 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Scientists Cooperate while Humanists Ruminate (EF, JP)
Back in 2021, John and Elizabeth sat down with Brandeis string theorist Albion Lawrence to discuss cooperation versus solitary study across disciplines. They sink their teeth into the question, “Why do scientists seem to do collaboration and teamwork better than other kinds of scholars and academics?” The conversation ranges from the merits of collective biography to the influence of place and geographic location in scientific collaboration to mountaineering traditions in the sciences. As a Recallable Book, Elizabeth champions The People of Puerto Rico, an experiment in ethnography of a nation (in this case under colonial rule) from 1956, including a chapter by Robert Manners, founding chair of the Brandeis Department of Anthropology. Albion sings the praises of a collective biography of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, A Message to Our Folks. But John stays true to his Victorianist roots by praising the contrasting images of the withered humanist Casaubon and the dashing young scientist Lydgate in George Eliot’s own take on collective biography, Middlemarch. Discussed in this episode: Richard Rhodes Making of the Atomic Bomb Ann Finkbeiner, The Jasons: The Secret History of Science’s Postwar Elite James Gleick, The Information Jon Gertner, The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation Black Hole photographs win giant prize Adam Jaffe, “Geographic Localization of Knowledge Spillovers as Evidenced by Patent Citations“ Jamie Cohen-Cole, The Open Mind Julian Steward et al., The People of Puerto Rico Paul Steinbeck, Message to Our Folks Jenny Uglow, Lunar Men George Eliot, Middlemarch Listen to and Read the episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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9 months ago
41 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Yellowlees Douglas, "Writing for the Reader's Brain: A Science-Based Guide" (Cambridge UP, 2024)
What makes one sentence easy to read and another a slog that demands re-reading? Where do you put information you want readers to recall? Drawing on cognitive neuroscience, psychology and psycholinguistics, Writing for the Reader’s Brain (Cambridge University Press, 2025) provides a practical, how-to guide on how to write for your reader. It introduces the five 'Cs' of writing - clarity, continuity, coherence, concision, and cadence - and demonstrates how to use these to bring your writing to life. Dr. Yellowlees Douglas is the founder of ReadersBrain Academy and has spent over twenty-five years teaching writing to everyone from professors to freshmen. This interview was conducted by Renee Hale, who holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and works in R&D for the food and beverage industry. She is the author of The Nightstorm Files, a voracious reader, and enjoys sharing the joy of new perspectives with listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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9 months ago
1 hour 1 minute

Scholarly Communication
The World of Academic Publishing: A Conversation with Robert Dreesen
How do academic books get published? How do scholars turn dissertations and articles into the books we love? How does academic publishing compare to the world of trade publishing? This week, we speak with Robert Dreesen, a seasoned publishing professional with over 30 years of experience in the industry. Dreesen has worked in trade publishing at Penguin and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, and for nearly two decades at Cambridge University Press, where he served as a publisher of economics and political science. In this episode, we explore the world of academic publishing—offering guidance for young scholars looking to transform their ideas, dissertations, and articles into published books. Dreesen shares the biggest pitfalls scholars encounter when approaching this challenge and walks us through the entire process, from formulating a proposal to securing a book deal. We also discuss how external factors can influence publishing decisions. Additionally, Dreesen reflects on the differences between academic and trade publishing, offering unique insights from his long career. As someone who has worked with countless books, he also reveals the written works he returns to time and again for both enjoyment and intellectual stimulation. Madison’s Notes is the podcast of Princeton University’s James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. Contributions to and/or sponsorship of any speaker does not constitute departmental or institutional endorsement of the specific program, speakers or views presented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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9 months ago
48 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Project Management for Researchers
Our book is: Project Management for Researchers: A Practical, Stress-Free Guide to Getting Organized (U Michigan Press, 2025), by Dr. Shiri Noy, which tackles the how, what, and why of project management. It offers step-by-step guidance on choosing tools and developing a personalized system that will help the reader manage and organize their research so that steps and decisions are documented for accountability and reproducibility. Readers will find worksheets they can adapt to their own needs, priorities, and research as well as practical tips on issues ranging from emails to scheduling. Suitable for work across methods, experience levels, and disciplines and adaptable for those working alone, with others, or as team managers, this book will guide readers between various research stages–from planning, to execution, to adjustment of research projects big and small. The worksheets discussed in the episode can be found here. Our guest is: Dr. Shiri Noy, who is Associate Professor of Sociology at Denison University. Her research and teaching interests are primarily in political sociology, and centered on development, science and religion, and mixed methods. She is the author of Banking on Health: The World Bank and Health Sector Reform in Latin America, and Project Management for Researchers: A Practical, Stress-Free Guide to Getting Organized. Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who is the creator and executive producer of the Academic Life podcast. Listeners may enjoy this playlist: The Grant Writing Guide Where Does Research Begin? Getting from to-do to done! Imposter Syndrome Attention Skills Dealing with Rejection The Dissertation to Book Workbook Stylish Academic Writing The Book Proposal Book Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! You can support the show by downloading or sharing episodes. Join us again to learn from more experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 250+ Academic Life episodes? Find them here. And thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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9 months ago
1 hour 6 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Key Components of a Winning Book Proposal
In this episode of Publish My Book, we break down the key components of a strong book proposal. We discuss essential elements like a well-structured table of contents, a compelling cover letter, a carefully chosen sample chapter, and a narrative author bio that connects emotionally with acquisitions editors. We also explore the importance of a persuasive prospectus that highlights your book's novelty, market relevance, and target audience. Whether you're approaching an editor at a conference or via email, being prepared with these components will boost your chances of success. Relevant links Watch the recording: Interview with Laura Portwood Stacer, “Crafting a Winning Book Proposal” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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10 months ago
8 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Conquering the Peer Review Stage
In this episode of Publish My Book, we explore the peer review process for book manuscripts. We discuss how securing an acquisitions editor’s support is the first critical step before entering peer review, where feedback can vary in depth and rigor. We share tips on suggesting reviewers, managing the often lengthy review timeline, and effectively addressing critiques—whether agreeing, disagreeing, or clarifying misunderstandings. While revisions may feel daunting, they’re essential for refining your manuscript. Relevant Links Watch the interview recording: “Conquering the Peer Review Process” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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10 months ago
7 minutes

Scholarly Communication
Discussions with those who work to disseminate research