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571 publications found

Feb 23, 2026 Article

“Everything has changed”: a qualitative study of trends in university communication over the past decade

by Isabel Sörensen, Sophia Charlotte Volk, Silke Fürst, Mike S. Schäfer and Daniel Vogler

Universities are pivotal in contemporary knowledge societies, bridging science and society. Amidst societal transformations, communication has become crucial for higher education institutions (HEIs). Yet, research on university communication is limited, with few studies capturing long-term developments. This qualitative study addresses this gap by examining changes in university communication departments over the past decade in Switzerland. Semi-structured interviews with 30 communication practitioners and university leaders in eight HEIs reveal that university communication has diversified with regard to digital channels and stakeholders, intensified in terms of personnel and output, and professionalized. Moreover, some, albeit not all communication departments have increasingly aligned their communication strategies with university strategies. Despite the fact that “everything has changed”, differences exist among various types and clusters of universities. This study contributes to understanding how and why long-term changes in institutional science communication emerge. It also offers insights for communication practitioners for enhancing university communication processes and structures.

Feb 11, 2026 Article

Back for the future: public engagement with climate science through a multimodal STEM escape room

by Amanda Jane Mathieson, Edward Duca and Joseph Roche

Research has explored escape rooms for their education potential but there is a notable lack of literature in the public engagement context. This paper illustrates findings from three editions of Back for the Future, a climate-themed STEM escape room delivered both online and in person, with and without COVID-19 restrictions. We demonstrate that escape rooms can engage those who normally do not seek out science in an enjoyable experience that may foster future engagement. Players become immersed in the game environment, losing track of time and can succeed in the activity regardless of their science background. We also propose that self-determination theory, science capital and flow are beneficial concepts for designing games that enhance engagement for a variety of audience groups. Finally, we hope to provide useful and generalisable recommendations for delivering impactful STEM escape rooms in unexpected places (and perhaps with unexpected limitations).

Volume 25 • Issue 2 • 2026 • Science communication in Unexpected Places (Unexpected places)

Feb 11, 2026 Article

Exploring Chemistry: the impact of an interactive chemistry model on student motivation in non-formal education spaces

by Ariane Carolina Rocha, Ana Carolina Steola and Ana Cláudia Kasseboehmer

The negative image of Chemistry that students have, associated with chemophobia, reflects the decontextualized way in which the subject is often taught. This study investigates how an interactive chemistry model, developed for a science communication exhibition, can influence high school students’ perception and motivation to learn chemistry. Based on the Theory of Self-Determination, the chemistry model illustrates Advanced Oxidation Processes in a safe, interactive and accessible way. The exhibition was visited by 250 public high school students. Data was collected based on the responses of the participants who answered the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory questionnaire and took part in semi-structured interviews conducted as part of the study. The results obtained showed that the interactive chemistry model exerted a positive impact on the following intrinsic motivation factors: interest, perceived competence, effort, value, pressure/tension, and perceived choice. The science communication activity also stimulated the participants’ interest in pursuing university education, reinforcing the role of non-formal education in helping overcome chemophobia.

Volume 25 • Issue 2 • 2026 • Science communication in Unexpected Places (Unexpected places)

Feb 11, 2026 Article

Engaging science: audience perceptions of informal science communication on Arabic YouTube channels

by Omar Daoudi and Muhammad Awais

This study investigates the emotional and cognitive responses of Arabic-speaking audiences to informal science communication on YouTube. Focusing on three prominent Arabic YouTube channels that provide science content, @Da7ee7, @NidhalG, and @Espitalia, the study analyzes their communication styles to explore how stylistic differences shape audience engagement and perception. The study classifies the channels into three distinct communicative styles; humorous, academic, and conversational to examine variation in audience responses. Employing computational content analysis, the study applies LDA topic modeling and sentiment analysis to examine emotional and cognitive engagement in user comments. Results show that humorous content is associated with stronger positive emotions and cognitive activation, whereas academic and conversational styles evoke more mixed reactions. Topics like space science and artificial intelligence elicit complex emotions such as confusion and admiration. Addressing a key gap in Arabic-language science communication, the study reveals how style and topic shape public engagement in culturally specific digital spaces.

Volume 25 • Issue 2 • 2026 • Science communication in Unexpected Places (Unexpected places)

Feb 11, 2026 Article

Scrolling through science: how accurate is science content on TikTok

by Ricardo Morais and Clara Eloïse Fernandes

TikTok has become a popular platform for science communication, particularly among younger audiences, allowing creators to reach broader audiences. However, concerns about the accuracy of science content shared on the platform have emerged, prompting this study to investigate the reliability of informal science communication by popular creators. Informal science communication is the casual sharing of scientific information on platforms like TikTok. The main objective is to assess how well this content adheres to established scientific principles and avoids misinformation. By analysing videos from creators with significant followings, we will evaluate their adherence to scientific accuracy and identify factors that influence it, such as the creators' backgrounds and platform algorithms. The findings will highlight trends in the accuracy of content, with some creators producing reliable information while others risk spreading misinformation. Ultimately, the research will provide recommendations for enhancing the accuracy of science content on TikTok, promoting critical thinking among viewers, and advancing informed science communication on social media.

Volume 25 • Issue 2 • 2026 • Science communication in Unexpected Places (Unexpected places)

Feb 11, 2026 Article

Improvised Theatre for Public Engagement with the Climate Crisis in Rural Irish Communities

by Claire A. Murray Dr, Gesche Kindermann Dr, Paola Serrano Bravo, Katy Schutte, Fergus McAuliffe, Amanda Jane Mathieson, Ruth Graham and Jessamyn A. Fairfield

Engaging the public with the climate crisis has proven challenging due to both the technical complexity of the issue and the strong emotions evoked. “Doom and gloom” approaches run the risk of provoking backlash, despair or overwhelm, none of which support constructive action. Here we used unscripted theatre to make room for both scientific content and affective responses, towards enhancing agency in rural communities at the greatest risk of negative impacts from climate change, who are often excluded from scientific, engagement, and policy discussions. We developed a travelling improvised theatre show called ‘We Built This City on Rock and Coal’ that toured diverse Irish coastal and island communities. Mixed methods evaluation showed that self-efficacy of improvisers, scientists, and audience members on the topic of climate change increased after taking part, demonstrating the viability of improvised theatre as a science communication strategy and methodology for co-created engagement with societal challenges.

Volume 25 • Issue 2 • 2026 • Science communication in Unexpected Places (Unexpected places)

Feb 11, 2026 Article

Cultural and communicative pathways in grassroots science and innovation: field research learnings from under-resourced rural India

by Uttaran Dutta

This article examines grassroots innovation in under-resourced regions of rural India, where science communication emerges through culturally resonant and locally grounded practices in informal settings. Drawing on fieldwork with youth and students in underserved communities, the study foregrounds human ingenuity and participatory engagement that organically co-create context-specific solutions. Challenging linear, expert-driven paradigms, it advances a community-centered framework and highlights the potential of informal contexts — marked by linguistic diversity, trust deficits, and infrastructural limitations — to foster alternative modes of science communication. Informed by Indigenous methodologies and decolonial insights, the research critiques top-down models of knowledge transfer and advocates for inclusive, dialogic, and place-based approaches. Integrating insights from communication, cultural, and design studies, the article positions science communication as an equitable and co-creative process. By centering marginalized voices and alternative epistemologies, it reimagines science engagement as a transformative and empowering practice that connects scientific inquiry to lived experience in unexpected yet vital ways.

Volume 25 • Issue 2 • 2026 • Science communication in Unexpected Places (Unexpected places)

Feb 09, 2026 Article

A feeling for the facts: intuitive epistemic identity predicts a non-consensus interpretation of a misleading clean energy meme

by April A. Eichmeier PhD

The purpose of this study is to show how intuitive epistemic beliefs and intuitive epistemic social identity contribute to misperceptions about science. Using a misleading clean energy meme for context, online survey results (U.S. only, N = 192) show that intuitive epistemic beliefs are negatively associated with interpreting the meme in a way that aligns with scientific consensus. This study also shows that social identity contributes to the misinterpretation. Results affirm the importance of science communication that resonates with people who trust their intuition.

Feb 04, 2026 Article

Science News Agencies in science communication: an exploratory index for evaluating and enhancing public interest in mass-distributed press releases

by Monique Batista de Oliveira, Mariana Hafiz, Alice Fleerackers, Luiá Bolonha Nunes and Germana Fernandes Barata

Scientific press releases are reaching the public directly through press reproduction and institutional dissemination. Science News Agencies (SNAs) mediate this process, distributing texts to thousands of journalists while also "leaking" them on their websites and social media. This comparative case study examines four SNAs — BORI, SMC UK, AlphaGalileo, and EurekAlert! — regarding their role in circulating public scientific information. Through literature review, SNA analysis and principles such as openness and inclusion in science, we converted scholars' concerns into a preliminary index potentially capable of assessing SNAs' public suitability. SARP (Social Adequacy Rating for Press Releases) suggests a shift from purely public relations content towards serving the public interest, highlighting areas needing attention in SNAs' social function, to be refined in future research. Clear guidelines, links to open scientific articles, and explicit notices on press releases’ purposes are simple yet effective ways to address issues concerning science public relations' pervasiveness in the public sphere.

Feb 02, 2026 Article

Evidence in the service of dissent: strategic communication of science by German corona-protest movements

by Aidar Zinnatullin, Lukas Fock and Berend Barkela

This study investigates how Germany’s anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protest movement, led mainly by the Querdenken network, allied with conspiracist and far-right groups, utilized scientific authority while opposing COVID-19 policy. We analyse posts published in 161 public Telegram channels using a computational pipeline that combines named-entity recognition, structural topic modeling, a BERT sentiment classifier, and an open-source large language model, Mixtral. We report that mentions of scientific information surged during periods of heightened policy uncertainty (e.g., national lockdowns and the vaccine-mandate debate), indicating tactical appeals to epistemic authority. References to science were initially scarce rather than hostile, but evolved into a selective, strategic endorsement: protest communities increasingly cherry-picked scientific claims to delegitimize containment measures (foremost, vaccination) while sidelining evidence contradicting their narrative. The findings show that, even among actors who reject official institutions, appeals to scientific language are strategically deployed as a discursive resource.