Filter by author: John C Besley

Aug 31, 2026 Conference Review

International Communication Association meeting in Cape Town, South Africa: a promising start and a practitioner challenge for science communication

The new Science Communication Interest Group (SCIG) of the International Communication Association (ICA) met for the first time on June 5–8, 2026, in Cape Town, South Africa. Presenters shared a diversity of research with a significant proportion focused on trust, especially trust in scientists, academics or experts in the face of increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and rising mis- and disinformation. However, despite frequent mentions of practical implications in research abstracts, there appeared to be little emphasis in the presentations on who projects specifically sought to help and what problems researchers were seeking to solve for other researchers or practitioners. Our hope is that future conferences will integrate the sub-field's growing methodological and theoretical sophistication with an equal focus on the needs of practitioners and audiences.

Volume 25Issue 62026

Jun 29, 2026 Letter

A response to: “Does science communication have its goals wrong? From persuading science skeptics to promoting scientific empowerment” — A defense of certain types of persuasion

by John C Besley , Sara K. Yeo , Anthony Dudo , Shupei Yuan

This response to the commentary “Does science communication have its goals wrong? From persuading science skeptics to promoting scientific empowerment” argues that the field would benefit from more attention to the persuasion literature, not less. A primary element of this argument is that a nuanced understanding of persuasion research can provide opportunities to achieve a wide range of goals — including empowering others — in ethical, evidence-based ways.

Publisher's note: this letter refers to Does science communication have its goals wrong? From persuading science skeptics to promoting scientific empowerment

Volume 25Issue 42026

Nov 26, 2025 Article

Exploring the role of partnerships in enabling public engagement by Long-Term Ecological Research programs

by John C. Besley , Alexandra Benitez , Kari O'Connell , Martha R. Downs , Cristina Lissette Mancilla

This study explores how organizations that conduct scientific research support communication activities, including activities aimed at fostering public engagement. It uses qualitative, thematic analyses of semi-structured interviews to propose an initial partnership categorization based on the degree to which communication support is embedded within or external to the organization, as well as the degree to which engagement resources are pooled across funding sources. It then discusses how different categorizations might be associated with several different metrics of public engagement quality. Findings suggest that partnerships with external groups that have shared goals can enhance engagement efforts in situations where the organization lacks the resources to build internal engagement teams and programs. These findings challenge past work focused on the value of internal communication infrastructure. However, the potential benefits and limitations of different approaches to within-organization versus external-to-organization communication support need further research.

Volume 24Issue 072025

Oct 21, 2024 Essay

The challenge of identifying behavioral goals for communication in the context of basic science

by John C. Besley , Sara K. Yeo , Todd P. Newman , Anthony Dudo

This essay highlights the unique challenges that basic scientists may face when trying to identify goals for their engagement efforts. We propose that the difference between basic and applied science, at least when it comes to communication, is primarily about the degree to which scientists can identify audience-specific behavioral goals for their communication efforts. To support our thesis, we provide data from recent survey projects that highlight the degree to which applied and basic scientists have different views about behavioral goals for their communications. We ultimately suggest that basic scientists may need additional help choosing goals and that applied scientists may have more opportunities for focused impact whereas the impact of engagement by basic scientists may be more broad-based.

Volume 23Issue 072024Special Issue: Communicating Discovery Science (Discovery Science)

Oct 21, 2024 Practice Insight

Strategic planning and evaluation for effective public engagement

by Xinnan Du , Karen Peterman , John C. Besley , Allison Black-Maier

Assessing the impact of public engagement with science (PES) programs has been a long-standing challenge due to the lack of explicit, audience-specific goals and a related lack of evaluation against goal-relevant outcomes. In this practice insight, we present the strategic planning and evaluation process for PES at KIPAC, detailing the steps of setting and assessing long-term behavioral goals, short-term objectives, and tactics. We provide examples to demonstrate the implementation of the strategic plan, and make recommendations for practitioners at the individual, program, and institutional levels to strategize, conduct, and sustain their PES efforts with intention.

Volume 23Issue 072024Special Issue: Communicating Discovery Science (Discovery Science)

Mar 18, 2024 Article

Race-evasive ideology in U.S.-based science communication fellowship director discourse

by Nic Bennett , Anthony Dudo , John Besley , Yasmiyn Irizarry

A critical examination of science communication training programs may uncover barriers to cultivating inclusive, equitable, and just science communication spaces. In this study, we analyzed science communication fellowship director's discourse for evidence of race-evasive ideology — language that avoids talk of race and justifies current racial inequity as the outcome of nonracial processes [Bonilla-Silva, 2006]. We found the four frames of race-evasive ideology (minimization, abstract liberalism, cultural racism, and naturalization) pervasive in interviews with science communication fellowship directors. We discuss how these findings might explain why structural racism persists in science communication organizations despite their directors' best intentions.

Volume 23Issue 012024

Nov 08, 2021 Practice Insight

Boundary spanners and thinking partners: adapting and expanding the research-practice partnership literature for public engagement with science (PES)

by Karen Peterman , Sarah Garlick , John Besley , Sue Allen , Kathy Fallon Lambert , Nalini M. Nadkarni , Mark S. Rosin , Caitlin Weber , Marissa Weiss , Jen Wong

This paper is the culmination of several meaning-making activities between an external researcher, PES practitioners, and social scientist researchers who considered the unique contributions that can be made through RPPs on PES (that is, research-practice partnerships on public engagement with science). Based on the experiences from three RPP projects, the group noted that the PES context may be particularly suited to RPPs, and identified the importance of working as thinking-partners who support reciprocal decision-making. Recommendations are made in support of using these approaches to advance practical knowledge-building and reduce shared frustrations about the disconnect between research and practice in PES.

Volume 20Issue 072021