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• Date of publication Oct 20, 2025 Category: Article

  Comparing science communication ecosystems: towards a conceptual framework for cross-national research on science communication

  by Liliann Fischer , Mike S. Schäfer , Hannah Schmid-Petri

  This paper proposes a framework to guide cross-national, comparative research on science communication. Current research often relies on ad-hoc criteria for selecting countries (such as geographic proximity) or on pragmatic considerations (like data availability), which may limit the ability to capture broader contexts or identify the cases best suited for analysis. Drawing on the ecosystems concept, we integrate theoretical perspectives on political systems, academic systems, and media systems to identify a set of ideational and structural factors that are essential for understanding country variations in science communication: political system settings, the role of the state/market, political attention to science communication, and societal values and norms. Based on these, we suggest (and preliminarily illustrate) a typology of four ideal-types of science communication ecosystems — public-service-oriented, market-oriented, state-centred and fragmented — that could guide and should be tested in future research.

  Volume 24 • Issue 05 • 2025

• Date of publication Dec 16, 2024 Category: Article

  Trust in science, trust in ChatGPT? How Germans think about generative AI as a source in science communication

  by Mike S. Schäfer , Bastian Kremer , Niels G. Mede , Liliann Fischer

  Generative AI like ChatGPT has been diagnosed to fundamentally impact different realms of life. This includes science communication, where GenAI tools are becoming important sources of science-related content for many people. This raises the question of whether people trust GenAI as a source in this field, a question that has not been answered sufficiently yet. Adapting a model developed by Roberts et al. [2013] and utilizing survey data from the German Science Barometer 2023, we find that Germans are rather sceptical about and do not strongly trust GenAI in science communication. Structural equation modelling shows that respondents' trust in GenAI as a source in science communication is driven strongly by their general trust in science, which is largely driven by their knowledge about science and the perception that science improves quality of life.

  Volume 23 • Issue 09 • 2024 • Special Issue: Public (dis)trust in science in digital media environments (Trust in science)

• Date of publication Mar 25, 2024 Category: Editorial

  Connecting science communication research and practice: challenges and ways forward

  by Liliann Fischer , Germana Fernandes Barata , Andreas M. Scheu , Ricarda Ziegler

  Science communication is a thriving field that is vitally important to confront and overcome current societal challenges. To make science communication effective, science communication research and practice need to come together and share knowledge and experiences. However, their collaboration is hampered by a variety of obstacles on both sides, ranging from lack of time to lack of incentives and awareness. In this Special Issue we give space to authors from a wide range of backgrounds to reflect on the relationship between science communication research and practice and inspire the field with their insights and learnings.

  Volume 23 • Issue 02 • 2024 • Special Issue: Connecting science communication research and practice: challenges and ways forward (Connecting Science)

• Date of publication Feb 20, 2023 Category: Article

  “There really is a lot of shared understanding, but there are also differences”: identity configurations in science communicators' professional identity

  by Liliann Fischer , Hannah Schmid-Petri

  Science communication is a relatively new field of practice, shaped by a diverse group of professional science communicators and the way they make sense of their work. A distinguishing feature of these professional science communicators is the organisational context they work in. Based on a typology from an organisational theory framework, this study explores the perspectives of 15 German science communicators through qualitative interviews. It seems that while they tend to draw on a common set of building blocks, they use them to construct individual professional identity configurations partly influenced by their organisational context.

  Volume 22 • Issue 01 • 2023