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• Date of publication Dec 16, 2025 Category: Practice Insight

  Strengthening practice-research connections to improve evaluation: perspectives of science communication practitioners

  by Ana Godinho , Sophia Charlotte Volk , Mike S. Schäfer

  Researchers and practitioners have emphasised the importance of evaluating science communication, but agree that, on the one hand, much research on evaluation does not find its way into practice, and on the other, researchers do not fully benefit from the wealth of data that practitioners produce. Using semi-structured interviews with heads of communications at different research organisations in four countries we show that practitioners agree on the importance of evaluation, but that obstacles to evaluation cut across organisational characteristics and countries. Our interviews suggest that communications leaders have a strong interest in working with researchers, and we discuss their proposals for practice-research interfaces that could improve evaluation practice.

  Volume 24 • Issue 07 • 2025

• Date of publication Oct 21, 2024 Category: Article

  Promoting the Higgs boson as `discovery science' news: exploring the boundary spanner functions of CERN communication professionals'

  by Jamie Dorey , Richard Holliman , Eileen Scanlon , James Gillies , Ana Godinho

  The announcement of the discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN marked a groundbreaking achievement in Mode 1 'discovery science'. We combined analyses of CERN strategic documents and organisational structures with ethnographic observations of, and interviews with, communication professionals. Our findings show that promotion of this 'Mode 1' discovery, in combination with the potential for longer-term 'Mode 2' innovation, was a strategic priority for CERN, but highlighted operational challenges for coordination between scientists and journalists. We conclude that CERN communication professionals played an essential boundary spanning role, brokering solutions and maintaining relations across borders and between relevant constituencies.

  Volume 23 • Issue 07 • 2024 • Special Issue: Communicating Discovery Science (Discovery Science)