A hybrid assignment, a research-based academic essay paired with a research-based weblog, incorporates elements from both personal and academic writing to challenge students to critically think about how and why they write privately and publically. Students writing into this new model of public discourse can experiment with stance and tone across genres to exercise their abilities as responsible and flexible writers.

Although blogs used in the composition classroom have most often been employed as prewriting forums or journals, this article suggests that blogs can also be used effectively as a revision tool in the later stages of writing academic research papers.