At a time when policy discussions are dominated by "I feel" instead of
"I know," it is more important than ever for social scientists to make
themselves heard. When those who possess in-depth training and expertise
are excluded from public debates about pressing social issues--such as
climate change, the prison system, or healthcare--vested interests can
sway public opinion in uninformed ways. Yet few graduate students,
researchers, or faculty know how to do this kind of work--or feel
empowered to do it.
While there has been an increasing call for social scientists to engage
more broadly with the public, concrete advice for starting the
conversation has been in short supply. Arlene Stein and Jessie Daniels
seek to change this with Going Public, the first guide that truly
explains how to be a public scholar. They offer guidance on writing
beyond the academy, including how to get started with op-eds and
articles and later how to write books that appeal to general audiences.
They then turn to the digital realm with strategies for successfully
building an online presence, cultivating an audience, and navigating the
unique challenges of digital world. They also address some of the
challenges facing those who go public, including the pervasive view that
anything less than scholarly writing isn't serious and the stigma that
one's work might be dubbed "journalistic."
Going Public shows that by connecting with experts, policymakers,
journalists, and laypeople, social scientists can actually make their
own work stronger. And by learning to effectively add their voices to
the conversation, researchers can help make sure that their knowledge is
truly heard above the digital din.
