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  • Feb 10, 2025 Book Review

    Bridging the gap between scientists and the public: “Science v. Story”

    by Douglas A. Levy

    Emma Frances Bloomfield's “Science v. Story: Narrative Strategies for Science Communicators”, presents ways to improve science communication in the face of declining public trust. Bloomfield's work highlights the power of narrative, demonstrating how anti-science movements have effectively leveraged storytelling to popularize their messages. If scientists adopt narrative strategies, they can bridge the gap between the scholarly community and the public and make complex information more accessible and relatable. Bloomfield's approach provides a roadmap for navigating the complexities of science communication in an era where many people are swayed more by personal connection than credibility or facts.

    Volume 24Issue 012025

  • Sep 30, 2024 Book Review

    Effective Science Communication — A practical guide to surviving as a scientist

    by Elizabeth Stevenson

    Scientists in academia, particularly early career researchers, are required to master a multitude of practices in a higher education context, often learning on the job by a process of incidental osmosis rather than structured training. For example, success in writing grant proposals, presenting and networking at conferences, journal publication, teaching, engaging with publics ‘beyond the ivory tower’, and demonstrating the ‘impact’ of research are essential skills to master to progress an academic career. Training and support in these areas can often be fragmented and/or dependent on good fortune with respect to suitable mentors.

    Volume 23Issue 062024

  • Apr 22, 2024 Book Review

    Through the `queering' glass: looking at science communication from a queer lens

    by Siddharth Kankaria orcid logo

    `Queering Science Communication' offers a kaleidoscopic collection of queer insights that both inform and question the field of science communication. Edited by Lindy A. Orthia and Tara Roberson, the book covers a diverse range of topics including LGBTQIA+ representation in science and science communication; examples of science engagement interventions designed for queer audiences; the positive and negative impacts of science (communication) on queer lives; as well as ways of queering the practice, research and teaching of science communication. Despite adopting a predominantly queer lens, this book offers various learnings for engaging a broader spectrum of marginalised identities and for eventually moving towards a more inclusive, pluralistic and reflexive science communication field.

    Volume 23Issue 032024

  • Mar 20, 2024 Book Review

    Beyond Western perspectives: inclusive insights to decolonise and transform science communication

    by Mohamed Elsonbaty Ramadan

    “Race and Socio-Cultural Inclusion in Science Communication”, edited by Elizabeth Rasekoala, challenges Eurocentric hegemony and advocates for inclusivity in science communication. Through insightful contributions from diverse authors, it calls for action to decolonise and transform science communication.

    Volume 23Issue 012024

  • Feb 26, 2024 Book Review

    An idea-packed guide for scientists teaching communication skills

    by Andy Ridgway

    “Teaching Science Students to Communicate: A Practical Guide” is aimed at scientists who want to teach science students transferrable communication skills. It starts with a rallying cry and is filled with creative ideas for teaching sessions with top tips on how to run them effectively. Above all, this book should help scientists instil a disposition in their students that should underpin any act of communication — empathy.

    Volume 23Issue 012024

  • Feb 21, 2024 Book Review

    Bridging the gap between science deniers and voice of reason

    by Karolína Poliaková

    In the 2021 book “How to Talk to a Science Denier: Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason”, Lee McIntyre introduces different anti-science movements and their reasoning. Based on personal interactions with committed science deniers and literature from various disciplines including cognitive psychology, he argues that all these communities use the same playbook in terms of reasoning about evidence, argumentation, demands on scientific certainty and recruitment of new members. Such observations allow McIntyre to propose a universal strategy to combat these beliefs by using respectful in-person engagement and effective science communication tools. His argument is rooted in the idea that anti-science beliefs are built on identities, not on the content of specific beliefs.

    Volume 23Issue 012024

  • Oct 16, 2023 Book Review

    Visualising science: a thorough guide for designing and using science graphics

    by Marnell Kirsten orcid logo

    `Building Science Graphics' guides scientists and science communicators on how their communication of science knowledge can benefit from the visual aid of science graphics. This can be an intimidating task to someone unfamiliar with visual design, but the book demystifies this entire process, giving a simple and straightforward account of a complex topic.

    Volume 22Issue 052023

  • Feb 27, 2023 Book Review

    A Challenge for Media and Communication Studies: the Covid-19 Pandemic

    by Rod Lamberts orcid logo

    Katarzyna Kopecka-Piech and Bartłomiej Łódzki’s edited volume, The Covid-19 Pandemic as a Challenge for Media and Communication Studies, could be of great utility to science communication scholars and teachers. The studies with contained within it address two overarching research questions. First, how have media and communication reality changed during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe? Second, how were media and communication studied effectively through that period? The volume features 17 individual studies calling on myriad methods and case examples. This diversity of approaches allows the editors to also address an important, implicit third question. In essence: what has it been like to conduct worthwhile, meaningful, and robust research under such unusual and extreme global circumstances? Each chapter is thorough, detailed and of a high technical standard. This is a book that would likely best serve experienced readers more than novices. The entire compendium bears clear witness to the dynamic nature of social research playing out against a context of enormous global instability.

    Volume 22Issue 012023

Total: 109 records