Publications

Sep 22, 2014 Article

Delivering the message: a theoretical study on designing science content for nature-based experiences

The urgent state of our global environment calls for collective action, which depends in large part on effective science communication for better understanding and awareness. Activities and institutions that provide opportunities to learn about nature all ultimately rely on scientific findings about nature. Although science produces the knowledge and information about nature, for the content to be accessible and meaningful to the general public, it needs to be processed by what I call science content design. This process is similar to the concepts of interpretation in tourism, or aesthetic understanding in alternative science education. This study is a theoretical exploration on the definition and nature of science content design, what constitutes its process, and how the content can be designed. Focusing on the fields of macro-biology, I also discuss the types of biological content generally used in nature-based experiences, and examine model cases of biological content design.

Volume 13Issue 032014

Sep 22, 2014 Editorial

On the roles of scientists, press officers and journalists

by Emma Weitkamp

This issue of the Journal of Science Communication raises a number of questions about the ways that new scientific research emerges from research institutions and in particular the role played by scientists, press officers and journalists in this process. This is not to suggest that the public don't play an equally important role, and several articles in this issue raise questions about public engagement, but to explore the dynamics at play in one specific arena: that of news production. In this editorial I explore the increasing reliance of science journalists on public relations sources and consider what questions this raises for science communication.

Volume 13Issue 032014

Sep 22, 2014 Conference Review

Conference Review

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PCST 2014

by Helen Featherstone

Observations of PCST2014

by Nancy Longnecker

Communicating Science for social inclusion and political engagement: reflections on the PCST Conference, Brazil 2014

by Astrid Treffry-Goatley

Volume 13Issue 032014

Sep 22, 2014 Book Review

Book Review

by

Who’s Asking? Native Science, Western Science, and Science Education

by Emily Dawson

Volume 13Issue 032014

Sep 22, 2014 Commentary

Public communication from research institutes: is it science communication or public relations?

by Rebecca B. Carver

There is growing competition among publicly funded scientific institutes and universities to attract staff, students, funding and research partners. As a result, there has been increased emphasis on science communication activities in research institutes over the past decade. But are institutes communicating science simply for the sake of improving the institute’s image? In this set of commentaries we explore the relationship between science communication and public relations (PR) activities, in an attempt to clarify what research institutes are actually doing. The overall opinion of the authors is that science communication activities are almost always a form of PR. The press release is still the most popular science communication and PR tool. There is however disagreement over the usefulness of the press release and whether or not gaining public attention is actually good for science.

Press releases — the new trend in science communication

by Charlotte Autzen

Research institutions: neither doing science communication nor promoting ‘public’ relations

by Michel Claessens

The changing rationale of science communication: a challenge to scientific autonomy

by Frank Marcinkowski and Matthias Kohring

Public relations as science communication

by Matt Shipman

Volume 13Issue 032014

Sep 22, 2014 Article

Films and Science: quantification and analysis of the use of Science Fiction films in scientific papers

by Luciano Guillermo Levin , Daniela De Filippo

The purpose of this study is to quantify the use of science fiction films in academic papers as well as to analyse the patterns of use of those films indexed in international databases, using the ISI Web of Science database. Twenty films were selected from recognised sources. Films referenced in the scientific literature were detected and, with quantitative methodologies, we classified their genres, the journals of publication and the disciplines they belong to. Finally, we performed a detailed study of each paper in which selected films were found, to observe and categorise specifically the ways such film references are used.

Volume 13Issue 032014

May 06, 2014 Commentary

Socially inclusive science communication

by Luisa Massarani , Matteo Merzagora

Social inclusion is an emerging preoccupation in the science communication field. The political value of science communication (e.g. in terms of empowerment) and the necessity to address all audiences has always been considered, but in recent times the participation agenda has enriched the rationale and methodologies of the communication of science: social inclusion is not only an issue of access to knowledge, but also of governance and co-production.

Reframing social exclusion from science communication: moving away from ‘barriers’ towards a more complex perspective

by Emily Dawson

Knowledge◦rooms — science communication in local, welcoming spaces to foster social inclusion

by Barbara Streicher, Kathrin Unterleitner and Heidrun Schulze

Science Centers. Which role can they play to participate in a city social reconstruction?

by Claudia Aguirre Rios

Straight into conflict zones, scientific research empowers the minds

by Leïla Perié, Livio Riboli-Sasco and Claire Ribrault

Volume 13Issue 022014

May 06, 2014 Editorial

Shared spaces: a future for JCOM

by Emma Weitkamp

As academic communities across the globe are increasingly encouraged to share their knowledge outside the ivory towers of academia, it becomes ever more important to create a bridge that crosses continents and disciplinary boundaries. Sitting, as it does, at the nexus between science communication practice and research, JCOM has a vital role to play as just such a knowledge sharing platform.

Volume 13Issue 022014

Apr 08, 2014 Article

Framing engagement: expert-youth interaction in a PES event

by Sampsa Saikkonen , Esa Valiverronen

Previous studies on public engagement with science have identified various difficulties in the encounters between experts and lay people. However, there is a scarcity of research investigating expert-youth interaction. In this paper we focus on the interactive framings of an informal PES event. Based on a case study involving a climate change panel discussion and a simultaneous online chat, both aimed at young people, we discuss the multiplicity of framing. Further, we look for “misbehaviours” which challenge the rationality and norms of the event. Our findings indicate that the frame of deliberative participation is very fragile.

Volume 13Issue 022014

Apr 02, 2014 Article

Narrative as a learning tool in science centers: potentials, possibilities and merits

by Mai Murmann , Lucy Avraamidou

In this theoretical paper we explore the use of narrative as a learning tool in informal science settings. Specifically, the purpose of this paper is to explore how narrative can be applied to exhibits in the context of science centers to scaffold visitors science learning. In exploring this idea, we analyze the theoretical, structural and epistemological properties of narrative. In the pages that follow, we first discuss the advantages and possibilities for learning that science centers offer alongside challenges and limitations. Next, we discuss the role of narrative in science, as a tool for supporting science learning. We then continue with an analysis of the structural and epistemological properties of narrative and discuss how those can serve to establish narrative as a learning tool.

Volume 13Issue 022014

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