Science Communication

Relevant Features of Science: Values in Conservation Biology

by Esther van Dijk

Science & Education (in press.)

The development of an understanding of the nature of science is generally assumed to be an important aspect of science... more The development of an understanding of the nature of science is generally assumed to be an important aspect of science communication with respect to the enhancement of scientific literacy. At present, a general characterization of the nature of science is still lacking and probably such a characterization will not be achievable. The overall aim of the work presented here is to develop a representative portrayal of the nature of science for science communication. In the present paper an exemplary case study on the topic of biodiversity conservation is presented with the aim of revealing what features of science might be potentially relevant for the public to develop a critical understanding of this important socio-scientific issue.

Re-examining the Gene In Personalized Genomics -- forthcoming

by Jordan Bartol

Late-draft of a paper to appear in a special issue of Science & Education

Personalized Genomics companies (PG; also called ‘Direct-to-Consumer Genetics’) are businesses marketing genetic... more Personalized Genomics companies (PG; also called ‘Direct-to-Consumer Genetics’) are businesses marketing genetic testing to consumers over the Internet. While much has been written about these new businesses, little attention has been given to their roles in science communication. This paper provides an analysis of the gene concept presented to customers and the relation between the information given and the science behind PG. Two quite different gene concepts are present in company rhetoric, but only one features in the science. To explain this, we must appreciate the delicate tension between PG, academic science, public expectation, and market forces.

Portraying Real Science in Science Communication.

by Esther van Dijk

(2011). Science Education, 95, 1086-1100.

In both formal and informal settings, not only science but also views on the nature of science are communicated.... more In both formal and informal settings, not only science but also views on the nature of science are communicated. Although there probably is no singular nature shared by all fields of science, in the field of science education it is commonly assumed that on a certain level of generality there is a consensus on many features of science. In this paper, it will be argued that because of their focus on unifying items and their ignoring of the actual heterogeneity of science, it is questionable whether such consensus views can fruitfully contribute to the aim of science communication, i.e., to enhance the public’s functional scientific literacy. The possibilities of an alternative approach to the portrayal of the sciences within science communication are explored.

Varieties of Biosocial Imagination: Responding to Climate Change and Antibiotic Resistance

by Nick Lee

An extract of a draft paper currently under review.

Co-authored with Johanna Motzkau

The authors present climate change and antibiotic resistance as emergent biosocial phenomena – ongoing products of... more The authors present climate change and antibiotic resistance as emergent biosocial phenomena – ongoing products of massively multiple interactions amongst human lifestyles and broader life processes. They argue that response to climate change and antibiotic resistance is often framed by two varieties of biosocial imagination. Anthropocentric imaginations privilege the question of human distinctiveness. Anthropomorphic imaginations privilege the question of whether biosocial processes can be modelled in terms of centres of moral and causal responsibility. Together, these frame the matter of response in terms of deliberate human action. The authors argue that, considered as emergent biosocial phenomena, climate change and antibiotic resistance ‘diffract’ deliberate human action and thus limit the value of this frame by rendering the human/nonhuman and intended/nonintended distinctions that are crucial to its practical operation locally irrelevant. Alternative biosocial imaginations currently developing around climate change and antibiotic resistance that allow for ‘diffraction’ and therefore frame response differently are considered.

"Everyone may think whatever they like but scientists...": Or how and to what end plant scientists manage the science-society relationship

by Karen Mogendorff

Co-authors are H. te Molder, B. Gremmen & C. van Woerkum, published online in Science Communication, 22th of March 2012

CG7-441_UC_Zhang_Final Report 2011

by felicia zhang

You can now download from the website above.

Contesting science by appealing to its norms: Readers discuss climate science in The Daily Mail

by Rusi Jaspal

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Jaspal, R., Nerlich, B. & Koteyko, N. (under review). Contesting science by appealing to its norms: Readers discuss climate science in The Daily Mail. Submitted to Science Communication.

Debates around climate science are embedded within a contested social representational field, characterised by... more Debates around climate science are embedded within a contested social representational field, characterised by multiple images and interpretations. This study examines the discourse of climate change in reader comments published in The Daily Mail following ‘Climategate’. The following discursive themes are reported: (i) “Denigration of climate scientists to contest hegemonic representations”; (ii) “Delegitimisation of pro-climate individuals by disassociation from ‘science’”; (iii) “Outright denial: rejecting hegemonic social representations of climate change”. The paper shows how ‘Climategate’ is deployed in order to challenge dominant representations of climate change with wide-ranging implications for public understanding of climate change and science communication, more generally.

Para Além Da Tradução: O Jornalismo Científico Crítico Na Teoria E Na Prática

by Yurij Castelfranchi

Communication in public bodies: can it support new public spheres?

by Pina Lalli

in press in "Communication with the public. From a local government perspective", edited by A. Jenei, Budapest, AdLibrum Ltd., 2012, pp. 47-64

This paper investigates communication in public bodies in Italy. Communication practices in public bodies could be... more This paper investigates communication in public bodies in Italy. Communication practices in public bodies could be considered a process enhancing transparency, visibility, accountability, and citizens’ participation. But in another perspective they might be a means of public control made by political marketing, something influencing both the media and the public visibility of government activity. The boundaries between the two perspectives are often fluid and overlapping. In this research on communication practitioners employed in Italian public local bodies, we have highlighted some questions both on the different organizational positions and the self representations of their role in public bodies. In fine we suggest some questions about a moral entrepreneur’s role of communicators in contemporary public spheres.

Competing agendas in upstream engagement meetings between celiac disease experts and patients

by Mario Veen

This article examines discussions between innovators and patient users about emergent medical technologies in the... more This article examines discussions between innovators and patient users about emergent medical technologies in the field of celiac disease. Using discursive psychology and conversation analysis, the authors analyze participants’ talk with regard to the social activities performed. They find that the topical agenda, preference structure, and presuppositions incorporated in the innovators’ questions restrict patients’ scope for saying things in and on their own terms. Not participants’ intentions per se but what the questions indirectly communicate profoundly shapes the agenda of these meetings. This may explain why some of the difficulties of innovator-user interaction are persistent and hard to pinpoint.

The Versatile "Caveat" Section of a Scientific Paper: Managing Public and Private Risk

by David Rier

Science Communication 21:3-37; 1999.

Are toxic-exposure epidemiologists influenced, when writing the “caveat’ portion of their papers, by how the media,... more Are toxic-exposure epidemiologists influenced, when writing the “caveat’ portion of their papers, by how the media, public, and courts might use their work? Qualitative interviews with 61 epidemiologists revealed that they relied on caveats to manage “public risk”--inappropriate use of their work by non-scientists. However, few considered caveats effective for this task. Caveats may be more important for managing professional risk, for subjects used caveats to: preempt criticism; advertise their credibility; adhere to conventions; hedge; and deflect attention from flaws in their papers. The data bear implications for the definition of "science," demarcation of scientists from non-scientists, and scientists' responsibility.

Publication Visibility of Sensitive Public Health Data: When Scientists Bury their Results

by David Rier

Science and Engineering Ethics 10:597-613; 2004

What happens when the scientific tradition of openness clashes with potential societal risks?  The work of... more What happens when the scientific tradition of openness clashes with potential societal risks?  The work of American toxic-exposure epidemiologists can attract media coverage and lead the public to change health practices, initiate lawsuits, or take other steps a study’s authors might consider unwarranted.  This paper, reporting data from 61 semi-structured interviews with U.S. toxic-exposure epidemiologists, examines whether such possibilities shaped epidemiologists’ selection of journals for potentially-sensitive papers.  Respondents manifested strong support for the norm of scientific openness, but a significant minority had or would/might, given the right circumstances, publish sensitive data in less-visible journals, so as to prevent unwanted media or public attention.  Often, even those advocating such limited “burial” upheld openness, claiming that less-visible publication allowed them to avoid totally withholding the data from publication.  However, 15% of the sample had or would, for the most sensitive types of data, withhold publication altogether.  Rather than respondents explaining their actions in terms of an expected split between “pure science” and “social advocacy” models, even those publishing in the more-visible journals often described their actions in terms of their “responsibility”.  Several practical limitations (particularly involving broader access to scientific literature via the Internet) of the strategy of burial are discussed, and some recommendations are offered for scientists, the media, and the public.

KEYWORDS:  Publication; scientist; responsibility; ethics; epidemiology

The Future of Legal Scholarship and Scholarly Communication: Publication in the Age of Cyberspace

by David Rier

Akron Law Review 30:183-239; 1996

Audience, Consequence, and Journal Selection in Toxic-exposure Epidemiology

by David Rier

Social Science & Medicine 59(7):1541-46; 2004.

Even preliminary toxic-exposure epidemiology papers can spark "media scares" and questionable reactions... more Even preliminary toxic-exposure epidemiology papers can spark "media scares" and questionable reactions amongst the public. Concerns for the social consequences of publication can lead epidemiologists--despite the advantages of visible publication--to choose a more obscure outlet for potentially sensitive studies. Interviews with 61 U.S. toxic-exposure epidemiologists indicate that investigators generally sought visible journals to transmit their work to the widest relevant audience. Yet up to 36%-46% of this sample sometimes have sought or would seek to keep their research from a public who, they feared, might misuse their results. Implications for the boundaries between science and society (including evidence of hidden scientific activism and ‘‘inert’’ public activism) are discussed, and six hypotheses for further research are proposed.
KEYWORDS: Epidemiology; publication; scientific responsibility; media; toxic exposure

Handling Risky Knowledge: Gender and Scientific Risk-taking

by David Rier

Journal of Men’s Health and Gender 2:364-68; 2005.

Like the practice of clinical medicine, medical research and the knowledge it generates involve their own risks. This... more Like the practice of clinical medicine, medical research and the knowledge it generates involve their own risks. This paper examines various societal and career risks of working with certain types of medical knowledge, and discusses empirical research on gender and risk-taking in science. It considers the questions this literature raises regarding decision-making about risky knowledge, as women increasingly enter new roles as researchers, consultants, regulators, and bureaucrats in science and medicine. In particular, it focuses on the relative hesitance of women scientists to take risks in their careers, and asks whether this predicts how they will handle risky knowledge as they enter new positions of decision-making authority in science and medicine. Limitations in existing data preclude firm predictions, but the paper sets out numerous questions for further study.

Keywords: Gender; risk-taking; scientific knowledge; medical research; policy-making

The influence of news frames and science background on attributions about embryonic and adult stem cell research: Frames as heuristic/biasing cues

by Craig Stewart

In press. Science Communication.

This study investigated effects of frames, science background, and stem cell source on attributions of ethicality,... more This study investigated effects of frames, science background, and stem cell source on attributions of ethicality, credibility, and usefulness of stem cell research. Framing did not influence perceptions of ethicality, but science majors tended to perceive embryonic research to be more ethical than did non-science majors. Non-science majors perceived stem cell research to be less credible than did science majors in an Economic Prospects frame. Science majors perceived embryonic research to be more useful than did non-science majors except in a Conflict frame. Results suggest that frames cue heuristics that bias science and non-science majors’ cognitions about stem cell differently.

Partidos políticos portugueses na Web: Usabilidade e funcionalidade, conteúdo e eficácia dos sites nas Europeias de 2009

by Ricardo Cruz

In Figueiras, R. (Coord.) (2011) Esmiuçando os Sufrágios. As Eleições Europeias, Legislativas e Autárquicas de 2009. Coleção Estudos de Comunicação e Cultura. Universidade Católica Editora.

When climate science became climate politics: British media representations of climate change in 1988

by Rusi Jaspal

Jaspal, R. & Nerlich, B. (in press). From climate science to climate politics: British media representations of climate change in 1988. Public Understanding of Science.

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Climate change has become a pressing environmental concern for scientists, social commentators and politicians.... more Climate change has become a pressing environmental concern for scientists, social commentators and politicians. Previous social sciences research has explored media representations of climate change in various temporal and geographical contexts. Through the lens of Social Representations Theory, this article provides a detailed qualitative thematic analysis of media representations of climate change in the 1988 British broadsheet Press, given that this year constitutes an important juncture in this transition of climate change from the domain of science to that of the socio-political sphere. The following themes are outlined: (i) ‘Climate change: a multi-faceted threat’; (ii) ‘Collectivisation of threat’; (iii) ‘Climate change and the attribution of blame’; and (iv) ‘Speculative solutions to a complex socio-environmental problem’. The article provides detailed empirical insights into the ‘starting-point’ for present-day disputes concerning climate change and lays the theoretical foundations for tracking the continuities and discontinuities characterising social representations of climate change in the future.

Scienze del Clima e metodo scientifico tra Comunicazione della Scienza e Sociologia della Conoscenza

by Andrea Candela

in "Epistemologia", 2010, 33(2): 235-256

(Climate Sciences and scientific method between science communication and sociology of knowledge)
more (Climate Sciences and scientific method between science communication and sociology of knowledge)

Climate sciences are not yet able to establish actual increase in globally averaged temperatures with certainty, especially in relation to human activities. Although the majority of scientific community agrees that a phase of climatic instability is undoubtedly underway and we can talk about a current “Climate Change”, scientific and socio-political debates are still focused on the scientific relevance of the “Anthropogenic Global Warming” (anthropogenic greenhouse effect). The so-called “crucial proof” is still lacking. Starting from an analysis of several official reports, institutional sources and public discussions of last months, the paper examines the development of climate sciences through historiographical and epistemological categories of Sociology of Knowledge and Science Communication. Considering the complex relationships between science, technology and society, the definition of “scientific community” could be replaced by that of “scientific field”. Experimental data are only one of different tools used by scientific enterprise, indeed it should be taken into account others external factors, not necessarily related to laboratory activity and fieldwork, such as: negotiates, personal satisfaction, institutions, policy making, economy etc. Climatology is a case in point. Finally, the article analyses some interesting observations coming from cognitive approaches (cognitive theory of science), according to which science could be defined as an evolutionary and cultural phenomenon related to contingency (historical context).

Nucleare e mass media in Italia

by Andrea Candela

in "Problemi dell'Informazione", 35, 2010: 177-192

(Nuclear energy and mass media in Italy)

The paper examines the difficult relationship between science,... more (Nuclear energy and mass media in Italy)

The paper examines the difficult relationship between science, mass media and public opinion, referring to nuclear energy issue. Recovering the Morin's notion of "partecipatory democracy", the article try to define a more objective method for public communication of science in the media.