
A project by Rishika Nair
For my 2023 internship for Engaged ANU, I explored the power of podcasts for communicating scholarly research and knowledge, and developed a visual format, a short video narrative, to accompany the engagement project around To Be Continued – a podcast created by Engaged ANU. The To Be Continued project uncovers lost literary fiction – from bushrangers and bushfires to Australian ghost stories, tales of modernity, and children’s fiction – in Australian newspapers digitised by the National Library of Australia’s Trove database.
“Until recently”, the initiative’s website states, “thousands of works of fiction were locked away in archives and little was known about the stories published in Australia’s newspapers. Now for the first time, we can explore this fiction through To Be Continued: The Australian Newspaper Fiction Database, an interactive database of more than 40,000 works of fiction sourced from the National Library of Australia’s Trove collection of digitised newspapers.” (To Be Continued)
I studied a number of historical stories for my internship project, including those that feature in the recently launched To Be Continued podcast from the ANU, hosted by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS).

A podcast to communicate research findings and cultural meaning?
In an era where scientific advancements and breakthroughs contribute heavily to tackling complex global challenges, communicating knowledge and research effectively is crucial. For example, proficient science communication plays a vital role in bridging the gap between scientific researchers and the wider public. Ideally, it ignites curiosity, promotes scientific literacy, and fosters positive societal change. Scholarly knowledge has traditionally been conveyed via academic conferences, lectures, scientific journals, textbooks, and experiments. However, in recent times, the advent and rapid growth of podcasting have unlocked new avenues for academics to effectively communicate their research to a diverse set of audiences. In fact, podcasts became an impactful platform for the field of science communication, but also other research disciplines, improving accessibility of and engagement with knowledge.
What is a podcast? – Research (in) podcasts
A podcast is defined as an audio-based digital platform with on-demand access to a diverse range of content and formats. According to Leonard (2017), podcasts can include various structures such as interviews, repurposed content, solo commentary, panel discussions, and fictional or non-fictional storytelling. They are accessible via streaming services and online platforms, allowing listeners to download or stream episodes through digital gadgets and engage with scientific content while multitasking or on the go. The history and evolution of podcasting have been studied through conceptual frameworks and literature reviews (Rime et al., 2022). With the growing audiences and ceaselessly expanding content generated globally, podcasting will adapt, evolve, and embrace emerging trends and expectations (Rime et al., 2022).
The immersive and engaging design of podcasts is attractive to science communication and other fields as it can leverage the power of storytelling, and captivate audiences with narratives that effortlessly mix education with entertainment. This notion is supported by a study comparing this generation’s interest in logical-scientific to narrative communication in podcasts (Opat et al., 2022). Logical-scientific communication is based on immutable facts, whereas narrative communication harnesses the art of storytelling, leaving more room for discussion (Dahlstrom, 2014). Narrative communication induces distinct emotional and cognitive effects that differ from the more direct nature of logical-scientific communication. As a result, narratives cultivate intellectual investments and evoke engagement through an emotional connection between the speaker and the listeners (Yang & Hobbs, 2018). This approach can significantly influence recipients’ understanding and decision-making process (Opat et al., 2022).
An interactive platform…
Podcasts are an interactive platform encouraging two-way communication between podcast creators – for example communicators – and the public through various features such as listener questions, collaborations, and feedback. Communicating information and ideas through personal narratives, interviews, expert discussions, and sound effects creates an intimate and engaging experience that humanises research topics, making them accessible to a broader range of listeners (Gardiner, 2019). The human brain is more likely to remember information conveyed through stories – a storyline approach evokes listeners’ emotions and enhances their learning experience (Gardiner, 2019). That being said, podcasts are an essential medium to foster a sense of community and can improve the listeners’ (scientific) literacy. From this perspective, research-driven podcasts promote the idea that research and academic work are human endeavours and that researchers themselves are individuals with varied life experiences and perspectives (Gardiner, 2019).
Podcasts have emerged as a dynamic and influential communication medium, affording researchers a unique platform to captivate, educate, and inspire wide-ranging audiences. Their accessibility, engaging format, and interactive nature have transformed the dissemination of academic knowledge, breaking down barriers and nurturing a more profound comprehension of intricate concepts. As the podcasting realm continues to evolve, researchers harness the potential of this platform to bridge the gap between academia and the non-academic realm, cultivating a more informed and literate global society – and Engaged ANU’s To Be Continued podcast participates in and contributes to this endeavour.

Visualising a podcast
For my own project, I drew on historical material (provided by the To Be Continued team) and AI-generated images (created based on keywords from the actual stories) and produced a pilot promo video around “Ghosts and Australian Gothic”. I chose to use cutting-edge technology (MidJourney) because it opens up an exciting space of infinite visual possibilities that add another layer of ‘interpretation’ to the project – a technology-enriched ‘reading’ of newspaper texts made into audio texts.
While there is not much research on AI-generated images, although studies exploring tertiary students’ perception of generative AI teaching and learning has revealed a generally positive attitude towards GenAI in teaching and learning (Chan et al., 2023), I believe it will soon become a powerful tool in academia, revolutionising research and education. These images, crafted through advanced algorithms, possess immense potential in visualising complex concepts, which helps us comprehend intricate concepts, if not stories. By using this technology, researchers can create visually appealing presentations that stimulate the intellectual curiosity of viewers (although ethical considerations need to be discussed, but that is another project…).