LibGuides: Communicating Science: Home

Introduction

This beginner's guide to communicating science is geared toward helping the Prairie Research Institute's scientists more effectively communicate the importance of the work they do. The Prairie Research Institute communications team is your partner in this effort. Contact Trish Barker for more information.

How scicomm can make you a better scientist

Why effective science communication matters

The use of jargon kills people's interest in science, politics When scientists and others use their specialized jargon terms while communicating with the general public, the effects are much worse than just making what they're saying hard to understand. In a new study, people exposed to jargon when reading about subjects like self-driving cars and surgical robots later said they were less interested in science than others who read about the same topics, but without the use of specialized terms.
Tweet success? Scientific communication correlates with increased citations in Ecology and Conservation The authors measured citation rates and the Altmetric Attention Score—an indicator of the amount and reach of the attention an article has received—along with other forms of bibliometric performance (year published, journal impact factor, and article type). Published in PeerJ: Life & Environment (2018).
Research universities are a wasted resource Experimental astrophysicist Amber D. Miller argues that we need to show the world what an incredible resource we can offer for solving today’s complex problems.
How media around the world frame climate change news Researchers analyzed thousands of climate change articles from 45 countries and territories around the world to determine how they frame the issue, and differences were revealed mostly by the wealth of the nation.
Science Communication to the General Public: Why We Need to Teach Undergraduate and Graduate Students this Skill as Part of Their Formal Scientific Training We will provide general recommendations for those interested in developing basic science courses with an emphasis on communication with a layperson audience, with specific examples derived from our own experience developing and implementing a neuroimmunology course designed to promote science communication skills in parallel with mastery of scientific content.

Subject guide

Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

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Communicating Science: Home

Introduction

Recent news

How scicomm can make you a better scientist

Why effective science communication matters

Subject guide

Guide created by Laura L. Barnes