The Online Writing Lab (OWL), part of the English-speaking academic community, exists to provide a space for writers to come together and work on their craft. The site was launched in January 2019 and is currently hosting thousands of articles and thousands of students from across the world who are working on their dissertations, essays, and the like.
To find out more, we reached out to Janelle Shane, the community manager of OWL, to get her perspective on the platform. Here’s what she had to say:
The Purpose of OWL
One of the things that makes the community so special is that we are all here for the same purpose. We are all writers who want to contribute to the scholarly discourse around us. We are all working towards enhancing our writing or researching skills through engaging with other scholars and contributing to the conversation.
There are so many benefits to participating in OWL. Not only do you get to practice your writing skills and collaborate with other individuals, but you also get to contribute to a larger conversation about the subject matter that interests you.
The Growing Popularity of OWL
The popularity of OWL continues to grow every week. To give you an idea of how much traffic the site is getting, here’s a graph displaying the weekly views over the past 3 months:
As you can see, views have steadily increased since launch, reaching a peak of 4,400 views per week in February. Since then, views have declined a little but remain steady around 4,300 views per week.
As of writing, there are currently over 40,000 articles on the site with an average of 300 views per day. Although views have increased, the number of authors has also increased, leading to more diverse content. This can be seen in the graph below which shows the average article views per day compared to the number of articles published per day since launch. As the site continues to grow, so to does the conversation and the opportunity for researchers to continue expanding their knowledge in their respective fields.
Why Science?
The popularity of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics over the past year as well as the increasing focus on sustainability and the environment has resulted in a massive increase in interest in the life sciences. The rise of ‘green chemistry’ and ‘green biology’ has also fuelled this interest as many people are seeking to contribute in a more sustainable way.
So as the world becomes more aware of these issues, more and more individuals are looking to get involved and contribute in a meaningful way. For example, if you take a look at the ‘Introduction to Research’ course on the Teaching & Learning side of the website, you’ll see that one of the primary aims is to allow students to develop a working knowledge of the different methods used in the life sciences.
If you’re looking to contribute in a more sustainable way, consider looking at the Environmental Health and Toxicology course on the Academic side of the website. There you’ll find a variety of topics ranging from climate change to water quality, all of which are related to sustainable living.
Which Subjects Should You Study?
If you’re looking to contribute in a more traditional way, you can choose from a variety of disciplines including Literature, Creative Writing, and Language Learning. We also have a dedicated Psychologists’ corner where you can find a variety of clinical articles regarding mental health and wellbeing.
If, however, you’d like to contribute in a more creative way, you could look at the Arts and Architecture course on the Academic side of the website. There you’ll find a variety of topics ranging from art history to design, all of which are related to creative expression.
Who Is the Target Audience For OWL?
The target audience for OWL is anyone who is interested in writing. Whether you’re looking to hone your skills writing for a specific purpose or simply want to engage with other writers in a creative way, the site is a great resource for you.
It is, however, worth noting that the site is primarily intended as a writing hub. That is, it was designed to be used as a place where students and academics can come together and find resources and inspiration for their written work. For example, take a look at the ‘Introduction to Research’ course on the Teaching & Learning side of the website. One of the primary aims of this course is to provide the students with the skills needed to conduct and write up a scientific study. As part of this, you’ll find a number of articles written by guest bloggers who are experienced scientists. Additionally, the site is also chock-full of course materials developed by the OWL team themselves, ranging from sample documents to biographies of prominent scientists.
If you’re an experienced academic or writer who wants to contribute in a more traditional way, you can find a variety of disciplines on the site including English, History, American Studies, and more. If, however, you’re looking to engage with other academics in a more creative way, you can take a look at the Arts and Architecture course on the Academic side of the website. There you’ll find a variety of topics ranging from art history to design, all of which are related to creative expression.
How Is the Work Structure of OWL?
The overall structure of the site is based on a ‘hub and spoke’ model with the hubs being the subject matter experts—the articles—and the spokes being the contributing authors. As the world becomes more digital, people are seeking to improve their skills in online publishing. To assist with this, the site was designed with a ‘welcome’ hub, ‘Introduction to Research’, that provides information on publishing in an academic setting. This is followed by a series of ‘mini-hubs’ that are dedicated to teaching specific skillsets such as pitching, editing, and writing.
As part of the site’s contribution to sustainable living, the majority of its energy is generated by solar power. This means that, rather than burning fossil fuels to generate electricity, the site is reliant on the sun to provide the power it needs to function.
The Future of OWL
With the above, we hope we’ve given you a good idea of what hosts the Online Writing Lab (OWL) and the various purposes for which it was designed. As the world becomes more connected, individuals are seeking new ways to engage with each other, finding value in all sorts of activities that were once considered ‘traditional’.
For instance, if you’re a fan of films, you could take a look at the Independent Film section of the site. Here, you’ll find a variety of articles ranging from film noir to sex comedies, each one exploring a different theme or sub-genre. Additionally, you can also find reviews of current and classic films as well as a film directory with over 3,300 titles organized by genre and format (e.g., DVD, VHS, streaming).
In the coming months, we’ll be adding more content to the site as well as continuing to work hard to improve the user experience. If you have any suggestions or feedback, don’t hesitate to reach out! We’d love to hear from you.