BTAR chapter 7

I often think of academic research as dry, overly complicated, and indigestible. With only a few exceptions, it is. As I read this chapter, I begin to understand why people try and add a voice to their research, to give it a personality, or to make it more attractive to the naked eye. They want people to be invested in what they are invested in. In the end, a zebra can't change it's stripes. Academic research is going to be what it is. The trick is, when you get to the end of the research bit and begin presenting your work, everything needs to be simpler in order to be had by your average person. This is the challenge with any research though. Making it easily accessible to the masses. As I read further in the chapter, I realized how great it would be to read an article with attributes like the ones that are presented; moments of joys and mistakes, personal struggles, etc. Many of the authors whose articles I have read could benefit from this text. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem they did. This chapter paints a pretty picture of what academic research would be given that we abandon what we think and how we present data.

Despite my disdain for academic work, I can appreciate the effort to be presentable and professional. It takes a certain person in a certain field of study to appreciate a piece on research. Sometimes, it's not about reaching everyone, but it's all about reaching the right people.  The text goes on describing developing a voice and style that you design yourself so to be taken seriously in the academic circles, and nothing is more important than how you look and feel when trying to portray your work. This does not mean that if you look good, you'll sound good. It's important to make your findings just as attractive. If you take a look at page 193 of the text, the authors present a table for your reading convenience so to show how a well organized research presentation can look. What I like most about it is that it simplifies. Not much can be done to change the facts and what they are, but by using an organizer such as the one on page 193, an author can simplify their work into a more digestible form.