KI researchers reached over two million international readers in 2024
If you want to reach a broad international audience with your research, the news platform The Conversation is a good opportunity. Articles by KI researchers reached a total of 2.3 million readers in 2024.
You can sign up for a digital introduction and one-to-one advice with The Conversation's editor on 3 April.
The Conversation is an international news platform that allows academics to write popular science for a wide audience. The articles are republished by other media such as CNN, BCC, Washington Post, and Le Monde. Readers are mostly non-academics, middle-aged or younger, so a great deal of effort is made to ensure that the language is adapted for a general audience.
ADHD article most read last year
In 2024, 23 articles from KI were published on The Conversation, reaching 370 000 readers. As the articles are published digitally, readership figures increase over time. In total, articles written by KI researchers reached almost 2.3 million readers last year.
The most read article published in 2024 was Eight reasons why ADHD diagnoses are increasing by Sven Bölte, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Science, which currently has 114 000 readers.
“Writing for The Conversation was challenging and surprisingly enjoyable. At first, I had to spend some time understanding their format, but I had good help from the medical editor who was quick with feedback and very friendly,” says Sven Bölte, who has written several popular science articles in various journals in the past.
The Conversation has a format with a precise number of words for an article and language adapted to reach a general audience and to raise interest. After publication, Sven Bölte received positive feedback from colleagues in the US and enquiries from journalists who had read the article and wanted to write their own articles on the topic.
“ It did not end there. Later, the medical editor contacted me spontaneously and asked me to write about autism and vaccination, which I did,” says Sven Bölte.
Other articles that reached a large audience in 2024 were Peter Stenvinkel's The curious link between animal hibernation and ageing - and what humans could learn from it, which was read 43 000 times and led to an interview with Nature Medicine on hibernation.
Agneta Herlitz, Professor of Psychology at KI, published Sex differences don't disappear as a country's equality develops -sometimes they become stronger in April 2024. It has been read over 30,000 times and has led to Agneta Herlitz publishing another popular science article in the online journal Psyche.
The most widely read KI article on the Conversation since its inception is Centenarian blood tests give hints of the secrets to longevity, by Karin Modig, which was published in October 2023 and has so far reached over 3.5 million readers.
Are you interested in writing for The Conversation?
Find out more about how to get involved on staff.ki.se or email your questions and ideas to KI's communications department at the-conversation@ki.se.
The presentation on 3 April 2025 is part of KI's membership of The Conversation UK, and aims to introduce The Conversation, how the editorial process works and why you should communicate your research to the public. You will also gain a better understanding of what characterizes a good news article, the types of articles you can write and how to pitch an article idea to The Conversation's editorial team. The presentation will be held in English by one of The Conversation's editors.
Individual sessions offered
You may also sign up for a 20-minute one-on-one session with the editor between 3 pm and 5 pm on the same day, to discuss your research/expertise, get help finding the news potential in your research and identify angles you may have missed. Please note that there are a limited number of places and you must register in advance, first come, first served. More info and registration