The Department of Adult Education and Human Resource Studies has hosted a presentation by The Conversation Africa; a non-profit, public good agency that seeks to mainstream science, increase the engagement between academia, scientists and the wider public by getting academics, researchers/scientists to write in ways that are easily accessible and understood by the general public. The Conversation Africa was launched as a pilot project in May 2015, and is an independent source of news and views from the academic and research community, delivered directly to the public.
Editors at The Conversation Africa work with experts from universities and research institutes to tap their knowledge for use by the wider public. Contributors to The Conversation Africa only write on subjects in which they have proven expertise.
Caroline Southey, an editor and team member at The Conversation Africa, who gave the presentation, explained that the platform showcases the work of African academics and shares their knowledge and expertise with the public, policy makers and other academics. The Conversation Africa team assists writers to build on their ideas, helps with editing, and provides a platform to make topical articles easily available.
Caroline noted that The Conversation Africa builds networks of knowledge across Africa and allows writers to work with professional editors who help with the editing of works for use by policy makers and the general public.
She also spoke about the relevance of The Conversation Africa: it helps librarians source research articles, assists research managers and supervisors to champion the research output of graduates, and helps officers in charge of research financing to show impact and reach in grant applications.
In discussion, it was noted that The Conversation Africa is a positive initiative towards ensuring that the results of research are put to use in influencing policy in the country, and members of faculty committed to using the platform to showcase their research. Further information on the Conversation Africa is available at www.theconversation.com