Podcasting Toolkit

Podcasts as Public Scholarship

Podcasts have become ubiquitous in earbuds across North America. They are a fun way for people to learn new things while making dinner, commuting, or doing just about any other activity that might not require one’s full attention. Podcasts are a highly accessible medium for both audiences and producers. They are free to download online and are relatively affordable to create. This episodic, auditory format has become wildly popular with performers, self-help gurus, sports enthusiasts, religious and spiritual advisors, and academics. It has also become a platform for voices, audiences, and stories and issues that are traditionally neglected and/or misrepresented.

Podcasts present an opportunity for scholars to produce public scholarship and collaborations. To take inspiration from the award-winning UBC-based podcast Cited, a podcast can be a way to place “an antenna into the ivory tower”. Unlike more traditional media, podcasts are intended to be more niche and as such, can present deeper dives into specialized contexts, research included. A highly variable medium, the podcast format can offer creative ways of presenting one’s research through interviews, performances, game shows, and beyond.

This podcasting toolkit was developed to complement the "Podcasting as Peer-Reviewed Scholarship" workshop with Dr. Hannah McGregor as part of our Public Scholarship Series. The full video of that workshop can be found on the Recommended Reading page.