Our final post for ESRC Social Science Week is an edited version of all the clips you may have listened to this week, presented as a single file and programme. So this covers the whole list of topics for the week:

• Getting started with online audio
• Research uses of audio
• Teaching and learning uses of audio
• Marketing and news uses of audio
• Producing audio

We hope that you have enjoyed this brief introduction to potential of audio for those of you working in the Social Sciences.

… and finally

If you would like to give us any feedback on the Social Science Voices project, why not e-mail us at: sosig-blog@sosig.ac.uk

Welcome to Social Science Voices brought to you by SOSIG, the Social Science Information Gateway. This is our final post for ESRC Social Science Week and today we will be giving you a few pointers about producing your own online audio.

This is not a step-by-step guide to the mechanics of producing audio content. There are plenty of these available online, as well as, in-depth discussions of sound editing, which microphone to use and the seemingly inevitable quest for the right intro music.

Radio: a source of inspiration

Today we feature an interview with Romesh Vaitilingam, a media consultant who has worked closely with the ESRC, the Royal Economic Society and number of academic research centres including the Centre for Market and Public Organisation.

He suggests that those providing audio online can learn from traditional radio in terms of trying to make podcasts that are programmes and resisting the temptation to plug-in and rant. After all some of the most downloaded podcasts are from media outlets like Radio 4, who are not afraid to discuss serious issues.

Simple touches such as using a signature tune, varying the format to include interviews, conversations or panel discussions and keeping the show to a length that listeners can consume easily, can make a show seem very professional.

Research integrity

One of the reasons academics may turn to producing their own audio content is a fear of misrepresentation of their work by journalists who do not understand it. While this is a legitimate concern, it may be worth consulting sources such as the ESRC Communications Toolkit for advice in this area.

Reconciling the precise language and occasional pieces of jargon used by researchers, with the need to communicate beyond the academic community, is a balancing act. Thinking about your potential audience, the limitations an audio format can impose and trying to explain things as though you were talking to a friend down the pub, rather than for an abstract in a peer reviewed journal, may bring improved results.

Learning from others

As well as, producing this week of audio advice on Social Science Voices, we have also been involved with another project called Economics in Action. This tries to present research information in the form of short interviews with academics, aimed at encouraging the next generation of researchers by relating such findings to everyday issues.

It is possible to present research information in a form that is accessible, but still retains academic integrity. Audio and podcasting presents an opportunity to do just that and perhaps one of the best ways to learn more about it, is simply to listen to as many other podcasts as possible,

… and finally

During the rest of the week we will be tackling the topic of online audio in much more detail, looking specifically at using audio for marketing and news purposes, for use as a research resource and in the sphere of teaching and learning.

If you would like to give us any feedback on the Social Science Voices project, why not e-mail us at: sosig-blog@sosig.ac.uk

Do join us again next time when we will be talking about how to make use of online audio for research purposes.