Volume 25 • Issue 6 • 2026

As submissions to JCOM continue to rise and high-quality peer reviews become harder to secure, this editorial sets out what the journal's editors look for in a manuscript at each stage of the review process. It outlines the desk-review and peer-review criteria we apply, namely: scope and relevance; novelty and originality; grounding in existing scholarship; article type and formatting requirements; methodological rigour; openness and transparency; quality of writing and referencing; and clear declaration of any AI use. Written for prospective authors, it offers practical guidance for preparing a strong submission and reaffirms JCOM's commitment, as a diamond open-access journal, to publish rigorous, relevant and diverse science communication research and practice.

So far, incidental exposure (IE) to science information has been largely overlooked although science information can inform individually and societally relevant decisions. Semi-structured interviews with 19 social media users revealed that most participants believed IE to science information being largely algorithmically driven. Participants reported that content processing and engagement heavily depend on personal relevance and interest while content engagement is mostly passive. Participants commonly relied on trust, familiarity, and verification strategies to assess credibility as they were aware of misinformation. Although scarcely reported, IE to science information can inform decision-making. This exploratory study highlights shared mechanisms of IE across domains and provides a foundation for future quantitative research.

This review examines the second edition of Creative Research Communication by Clare Wilkinson and Emma Weitkamp. The updated edition provides a comprehensive introduction to research communication, combining theoretical perspectives with practical guidance. It covers topics such as public engagement, digital communication, policy engagement, inclusivity, professionalisation and generative AI. The review discusses the book's contribution as an accessible and timely resource for researchers, students and communication professionals.