Academic research papers are often too dense and technical for non-experts, creating barriers for students, professionals in adjacent fields, and curious individuals who could benefit from the knowledge. This gap limits the societal impact of research and perpetuates information inequality.
One way to bridge this gap could be through a platform that provides radically simplified versions of research papers while preserving their core insights. Each paper would be rewritten in plain language, with jargon replaced by everyday terms, complex concepts broken into step-by-step explanations, and visual aids added where helpful. The content could be generated through a mix of crowdsourced explanations from domain experts, community peer-review, AI-assisted simplification with human oversight, and direct collaborations with researchers.
Potential beneficiaries include:
An initial version could start by curating 50-100 seminal papers across diverse fields, recruiting PhD students to create simplified versions, and building a basic website with search functionality. As the platform grows, it could develop a submission system for user requests, add multimedia explanations, and introduce tiered membership options.
Key considerations would include:
Unlike existing platforms that offer surface-level summaries or AI-generated explanations, this approach would combine the depth of academic content with true accessibility. By directly linking to original papers while providing community-verified simplifications, it could create a new bridge between research and public understanding.
Potential revenue streams could include freemium features, institutional licenses, and sponsored content from research institutions, while providing value to both knowledge seekers and researchers wanting greater impact for their work.
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Digital Product