25 actionable tips for presenting research to a wider audience 🦸🏽‍♀️

Good morning! ☕️ It’s October 28th, 2024! 🎃 With Halloween just around the corner, let's take a moment to channel our inner bats —navigating research obstacles with echolocation-level precision! And remember, if the peer review feedback feels extra spooky this season, it’s just another chance to sharpen our sonar 🦉📚

Make your research pop: how to present research to a wider audience for greater impact 🔥

Ever wondered why groundbreaking research sometimes stays hidden in academic journals while cat videos go viral? The answer might be simpler than you think: it's all about how we tell the story.

A recent Times Higher Education —available here— webinar brought together communication experts who shared a revolutionary message: the divide between academic and non-academic audiences might be more in our heads than in reality…

So how do we bridge this gap?

First, forget everything you learned about being purely objective. The public wants to know who you are as a person, what drives your research, and why they should care.

Think about James Bond for a moment 🤵🏻‍♂️ Would you rather watch a detailed technical analysis of his gadgets, or see him use them to escape a thrilling situation? The same principle applies to your research. Start by finding your hook. Test different ways of telling your story to friends over lunch. Notice what makes their eyes light up - often, it's not what you consider the most important part of your research.

👉🏼 When it comes to social media, LinkedIn is emerging as an unexpected hero for researchers!

Unlike other platforms, it offers longer engagement periods and more meaningful discussions. But perhaps the most powerful lesson came from Denise Baden's experience with climate change communication: "Showing solutions rather than problems makes people more likely to take action." She proved this by sneaking climate solutions into romance novels and teather plays, reaching audiences who would never watch a climate change documentary.

Remember: your research deserves to be heard beyond academia's walls, but first, you need to make people want to listen. Start personal. Stay direct. Be spontaneous. And most importantly, remember that emotion isn't the enemy of expertise – it's often the bridge that connects it to the real world. Because at the end of the day, as Greg Goldsmith pointed out: "The job of research doesn't end with publication if it is to make a real impact."

For early-career researchers, mastering the art of research communication isn't just nice to have – it's becoming essential for career growth, funding success, and creating meaningful change in your field.

Want to start implementing these ideas?

🔥 Here are 25 immediate actions you can take N-O-W (7^th is key) 🔥

Nervousness about R&R 😱

An R&R stands for Revise and Resubmit.

We know, they’re painful and scary and sometimes we don’t know if our paper will get rejected in the end. But remember, an R&R means an opportunity to get your paper published.

Sitting on R&Rs, leaving them for later, and not prioritising them will result in fewer publications for sure. We are not ashamed of admitting that we have sometimes felt that I will not be capable of responding to multiple, often conflicting, comments.

However… sustained, frequent advice from professors who are senior to us is always the same and on-point: the goal is the R&R!

You’re not facing a desk rejection — consider that a positive! Your work is being read, carefully reviewed, and thought about. That’s a win, and you should treat it as such.

Here's what we’ve learned to do, with success, over the past few years.

🧘🏽‍♀️ Calm down after reading the R&R

When you receive an R&R, your first step should be to take a moment to calm down, especially if you’re anticipating harsh comments. Some people find it helpful to have a friend or collaborator review the feedback first and offer a gentler take. While this can soften the impact, ultimately, you’ll need to read through the Letter of Response from Editors yourself — so you may as well dive in.

And if you want to ask a trusted advisor or family member to help, that’s perfectly fine!

👀 Pay close attention to the Editor’s Decision Letter

Once you’re ready to read through it, you should focus on what the editor highlights in the letter. Editors often indicate which reviewers' comments need particular attention, providing a path forward:

“This paper holds promise; you might consider going down this path — or perhaps this other one.”

We’ve been grateful for this guidance — it’s invaluable for moving the work in the right direction.

🌟 Follow the editorial team’s preferred process

Most editorial teams have a set process for how they want R&R responses to look (redlined version, clean version, or a point-by-point response letter). Following these guidelines closely is key. While some may accept your existing Document Revision Management (DRM) process, we recommend you to always write the response letter to ensure clarity and coherence.

✅ Plan and reward yourself

Planning the R&R is crucial, and there are many ways to organise it—there's even a blog post for that if you're interested. Once you’ve completed the R&R revisions and resubmitted, we recommend taking a couple of days off to recharge and celebrate the accomplishment.

We hope this breakdown of our approach helps those in the throes of R&R revisions! 💪🏼

Ready to travel? Check out these 5 conference travel grants for 2025 (open to all disciplines)

Attending conferences can be vital for networking and sharing your research, but funding can often be a barrier. Here are some travel grants you can apply for in 2025, along with their details:

🎟️ Annual Congress of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)

• Amount: A free registration and funds to support travel and accommodation —no maximum amount but… common sense 🙃

• Eligibility: (1) Submit an abstract to the EACR 2025 Congress and not pay the registration fee beforehand, as awarded grants include free registration, (2) Demonstrate financial need for attendance and (3) Be a student/early-career member with under four years postdoctoral experience, or based in a low- or middle-income economy, having been an EACR member for at least 30 days by February 4, 2025.

• Link here 🔗

• Application deadline: March 6, 2025

🎟️ Biochemical Society Travel Grants

• Amount: Up to £750 is available for those travelling to national conferences or training events. Up to £1,500 is available for those travelling to international conferences or training events.

• Eligibility: Available to Postgraduate, Early Career, Full, and Emeritus members.

• Link here 🔗

• Application deadline: November 1, 2025 for conferences/events after 1 December

🎟️ National Institutes of Health (NIH) Conference Grant Program

• Amount: Varies based on the conference and request.

• Eligibility: Researchers presenting relevant work in health and medical fields.

• Link here 🔗

• Application Deadline: At least 30 days before the event.

🎟️ The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability’s Travel Grant

• Amount: The maximum grant is $1,000.

• Eligibility: All Harvard students.

• Link here 🔗

• Application Deadline: December 8, 2024

🎟️ Connect Africa Scholarships (AHRI)

• Amount: Full funding for conference travel, accommodation, and training courses in Africa or globally.

• Eligibility: Masters, Ph.D., postdocs, and early-career researchers from SANTHE-affiliated sites or African institutions working on HIV, TB, or SARS-CoV-2 research.

• Link here 🔗

• Application deadline: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis​

Make sure to read the application guidelines carefully and apply early to secure your funding for 2025 conferences! Good luck 🍀

New section: Weird World News 🤪

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Most iconic PhD defence of all time! 😂