ACADEMICS, STUDENTS, CLINICIANS, EXPERTS BY EXPERIENCE, THE PUBLIC, AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS UNITE!
What’s on this page? About our mission, Our values, Who’s involved, Who can get involved, Get in touch with us, Meet the team, What we’re doing well
SCIENCE CAN BE INTIMIDATING…
…. especially when all the research is locked up in dense academic jargon. But what if there was a place where researchers, clinicians, and service users, and the wider public could share their knowledge in a way that was easy to understand and accessible to everyone? That’s where The Collaborative Library comes in! We’re an online platform dedicated to bringing scientific knowledge to the masses by providing a space for people to share plain language summaries of research articles. And the best part…? Anyone can contribute, collaborate, and help make science more fun and accessible!”
OUR VALUES
At The Collaborative Library, we’re driven by a greater purpose—to create change and promote open access to knowledge. We believe in rewarding those who contribute to scientific advancement and sharing research implications in an accessible way.
Integrity and honesty are at the heart of everything we do. We also value trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility as our guiding principles.
Together, we’ll build a resource that no one single person can build alone. Knowledge is power, and we’re committed to sharing it widely and fairly.
Join us in shaping a world where knowledge knows no boundaries. Explore The Collaborative Library today!
If you are an individual or organisation who is considering joining, check out this short video below to learn more about our mission:
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS TO SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
Access to scientific knowledge shouldn’t be limited to those with specialised training or advanced university degrees. At The Collaborative Library, we believe that everyone deserves access to the latest research findings, and that sharing this knowledge can lead to better lives for all. By creating a community-driven platform for lay summaries of research articles, we’re breaking down barriers to understanding and collaboration. Join us in our mission to make science more engaging, where everyone can Learn, Connect and Contribute!”
PARTNER ORGANISATIONS
The Knowledge Equity Network aims to tackle global challenges through opening access to research and education, providing a global platform for collaboration and open sharing of expertise. Signatories support the Declaration on Knowledge Equity and will regularly convene through forums and special interest groups to adopt open and collaborative practices of knowledge creation and dissemination, with and for our local and global communities.
Octopus is a scholarly publishing platform, funded by the United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) that is free to read and free to publish in. Its audience is academic professionals – to allow them somewhere where they can share all their work, whether that is defining problems that need research, ideas of how to tackle them, results and data, or discussions of the real world implications and applications of findings. Its aim is to encourage a collaborative approach to knowledge generation.
TALON, the Teaching And Learning Online Network, serves as a dynamic hub fostering open and evolving dialogues among faculty and students concerning emerging technologies and best practices in online education.
WHO CAN GET INVOLVED?
Ready to join The Collaborative Library community and help make science more accessible and engaging for all?
We welcome anyone with a passion for sharing knowledge and a desire to collaborate. Whether you’re a researcher, clinician, service user, or simply someone interested in science, there are many ways to get involved. Create an account and start browsing existing plain language summaries in accessible written, infographic, audio or video formats. If you happen to be a member of a participating organisation, you can contribute your own summaries of research articles.
You can also collaborate with others by suggesting edits, providing feedback, and engaging in discussions about the latest research findings.
So what are you waiting for…? Join us today and be a part of the movement to Unlock Science for Everyone to spread the word and drive innovation!
All plain language summary uploads will remain accessible for free for everyone, forever.
If you’d like to reach us, have any questions or ideas, please email us at hello@thecollaborativelibrary.com or use the contact form here.
DID YOU KNOW….
Research shows it would take an individual general practitioner (GP) doctor around 628 hours a month (!) to keep up to date with general practice research articles alone? Who has time for that?!
With your help, The Collaborative Library will host easily searchable, reliable and understandable ‘bit-sized’ lay summaries of scientific articles at a time where there is an overwhelming amount of information online.
HAVE YOUR SAY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME AND MY ORGANISATION?
You can publish plain language summaries of important scientific research that millions of professionals, service users, curious members of the public and students will be able to access globally for free.
The Collaborative Library will:
- Promote research to help gain visibility and recognition for the authors’ fantastic work
- Create impact (click here for more information).
- Award contributors for uploading excellent lay content who will be eligible to win prizes, scholarships and grants (see Awards Guidance and T&Cs).
The Collaborative Library is proudly sponsored by LOVEVID.io
ABOUT THE CEO
Hi! I’m Anja, and since finishing my Ph.D. in 2014 I have worked as a health psychology researcher with a strong interest in neurosciences. More recently, I have focused my interest on teaching these disciplines in Higher Education and am currently working for King’s College London.
Over the years, I’ve helped hundreds of students achieve their degrees and I’m passionate about making scientific content available and understandable for everyone.
I enjoy getting creative and going on long dog walks with Toby (pictured to the left). I came up with idea for The Collaborative Library on a VERY muddy walk with Toby, so I thought he deserves a mention here.
So now, in my spare time, I run The Collaborative Library with the help of a fantastic working group below.
To find out more about my interests why take a look at my professional network profiles and please add me to your network 🙂
MEET THE WORKING GROUP
Christine
Roland
Chad
Anthony
Adrian
Agnes
Matt
Ashton
Richard
Jonathan
Chris
Aareka
Louise
Rachel
Maria
Ana
Virginia
Timm
Jacob
Mat
Alexandra
You? 🙂
The purpose of the working group is to give feedback on the design and content of the website.
Members represent diverse backgrounds including:
- LGBTQIAP+
- People from ethnic minority backgrounds
- People living with chronic illnesses, cognitive difficulties, mental health problems
- People who have received varying levels of formal education, ranging from basic school education to Higher Education professors and Medical Doctors.
We would also like to thank our anonymous contributors, who have given invaluable input.
If you would like to get involved in the working group, please drop us a line at hello@thecollaborativelibrary.com to find out more!
AWARDS
