Are you regularly starting each new research project from nothing? Many scholars approach their outputs as separate entities – writing a conference presentation, then starting fresh on a journal article, then creating teaching materials from scratch. This fragmented approach not only drains your energy but also makes poor use of your valuable research and thinking. If you’re struggling to find time for all your academic commitments, turning research into multiple outputs might be the alternative approach you need.

Instead of treating each output as a separate mountain to climb, try building a series of interconnected pathways that lead to multiple destinations.

The traditional approach: Starting fresh each time

The typical academic workflow often looks something like this:

• Prepare a conference presentation
• Later, write a completely new journal article
• Separately, develop teaching materials
• Maybe write a blog post on the topic
• Perhaps create some public engagement content

Each of these outputs requires significant time and energy, often covering similar ground but starting anew each time.

Strategic approach to turning research into multiple outputs

Instead of creating separate outputs, consider turning research into multiple outputs by working in strategic layers where each piece becomes a foundation for the next. Here’s how:

1. Start with a solid foundation
   • Begin with a thorough literature review or concept outline
   • Create detailed notes that can serve multiple purposes
   • Organise your materials with reuse in mind
2. Plan your output sequence
   • Map out potential outputs early in your process
   • Identify overlapping content and themes
   • Consider different audiences and formats
3. Build systematically
   • Use conference presentations to test and refine ideas
   • Convert presentation content into blog posts or teaching materials
   • Develop these insights into full journal articles
   • Extract key points for public engagement
4. Create connective materials
   • Develop an annotated bibliography that serves all outputs
   • Build a shared image/figure library
   • Maintain a central repository of key quotes and references

Making it work

The key to this approach isn’t just repurposing content – it’s thinking strategically about how each piece of work can evolve and adapt for different contexts. For example:

• A conference presentation could become a blog post within days of the event, capturing key insights while they’re fresh
• The blog post might include an annotated bibliography, which can form the foundation for a podcast
• That blog post might form the outline for a more detailed journal article
• The feedback from both the conference and blog could inform the article’s development
• Core concepts could be transformed into teaching materials
• Key insights could be shared through social media or public engagement

Remember: The goal isn’t to simply repackage the same content, but to adapt and evolve your work for different audiences and purposes. Each iteration should add value and deepen your understanding of the topic.

Try to coordinate work into phases, where adding a bit more effort at each stage of the process leads to another useful output.