About The Conversation
High-quality, independent and expert journalism is a vital part of democratic society. The Conversation provides readers with a better understanding of current affairs and the complex issues the world faces, improving the quality of debate by introducing the views of real experts. According to Altmetric, we are the largest publisher of original, research-based content.
A new model for explanatory journalism, The Conversation pairs the rigour of academic analysis with the journalistic approach of professional editors in order to present the sharpest academic minds and latest research in short, timely, informative articles for the general public. An educational not-for-profit company and registered charity funded by universities and the research sector, The Conversation is editorially independent, governed by its charter, and has no advertisers to answer to.
Academic authors are assigned a dedicated editor – a journalist who can help find the best angle, edit and advise them on how to approach writing so as to reach as wide an audience as possible. Working together, we strive to cover everything from the hard sciences to politics, business, arts and culture; from breaking news to the latest research and topics of interest.
Our editors also provide public engagement training, spending hundreds of days a year visiting universities to give academics the skills and confidence they need to write for an audience beyond their academic peers.
The Conversation is open access: articles are free to read and free for others to republish under a Creative Commons licence. This allows knowledge to travel widely: our content is republished by media across the globe, from the Guardian and Daily Mail to the Washington Post, The Hindu and New Zealand Herald. We have content partnerships with media including the BBC, Yahoo!, CNN and the i newspaper, and around 85% of our audience is outside the UK.
The Conversation provides research with a pathway to impact by taking it to an intelligent, curious, worldwide readership. Our content has been cited in reports by the UK and European parliaments, the OECD and the World Economic Forum, has led to invitations to work with global businesses and NGOs, and to address government committees, informing debate and shaping policy.
For individual academics and funding universities The Conversation offers metrics which track readership, reach and engagement, including via comments and through social media, and the readers’ location worldwide.
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To contact The Conversation regarding the issues raised by the Media Impact Toolkit, please contact Michael Parker, Membership Editor
To find out more about The Conversation, or to discuss joining as a member organisation please contact uk-partner@theconversation.com
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