14 THE KNOW
The Conversation
As a member university of The Conversation , Keele academics and PhD students have the opportunity to contribute editorial-style articles for digital publication .
Conversation articles tend to be short , at around 700-words long , and can either be about topical issues or directly connected to research findings . As The Conversation is a not-for-profit charity operating with creative commons , these articles can subsequently be republished in national newspapers all over the world – in the past 12 months , Keele academics have written 75 articles , which have been read by almost 1.5 million people worldwide .
Dr Janet Hoole has written seven articles for The Conversation – making her Keele ’ s most published author on the platform . Here she shares her experiences of writing for the network :
Dr Janet Hoole
For more stories go to theconversation . com / uk
“ After I wrote my first article , I was contacted by BBC Radio to take part in an interview ; I ’ ve now written seven articles and have done several radio interviews , and many of my articles have been picked up by newspapers – including the i newspaper and the New Zealand Herald . So my articles have had a lot of exposure all over the world , which is fantastic . I ’ d really recommend any academic or PhD student to consider writing for them – it ’ s been a great experience for me and created lots of opportunities .”
Dr Janet Hoole
Here ’ s a selection of some of the thought-provoking articles written by Keele women in the last 12 months .
1
What happens when you age – a scientist debunks popular myths about sex and brain power Dr Dana Rosenfeld
People over the age of 65 make up a larger percentage of the global population than ever before . As this ageing of society only really took off in the last century , it ’ s unsurprising that much of what we think we know about ageing is untrue ...
2
Ten ‘ stealth microplastics ’ to avoid if you want to save the oceans Dr Sharon George and Dr Deirdre McKay
Theresa May ’ s new environment plan sets ambitious goals for plastic waste reduction . But there ’ s lots of room for slippage . One goal is to eradicate all “ avoidable ” plastic waste , though it ’ s not clear how “ avoidable ” will be defined ...
3
Do cats purr when humans aren ’ t around ? Dr Janet Hoole
Why do cats purr ? Humans tend to think that purring is a sign of happiness in a cat – and indeed it can be – but there are other reasons why our feline friends produce this particular vocalisation ...
4
How does a country become a country ? An expert explains Dr Rebecca Richards
Within the space of a week last autumn , the people of Catalonia and Kurdistan were asked if they wanted to live in an independent country . If referendums result in declarations of independence , what happens next ? It may seem straightforward , but it ’ s not that simple ...
5
Come on , Mr Trump – you can ’ t claim credit for another president ’ s successes Dr Gabriella Legrenzi
Since almost immediately after his inauguration as 45th president of the United States , Donald Trump has been claiming credit for what he sees as a miraculous recovery in the nation ’ s economy . Barely a day goes by without a tweet trumpeting a new jobs deal or the strength of the US stock market . But how much credit is actually due to his administration ?