Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda

153 Pages·2017·0.92 MB·English

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Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda
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152 pages | 6 x 9 | PAPERBACK
ISBN 978-0-309-45102-4 | DOI: 10.17226/23674
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GET THIS BOOK Committee on the Science of Science Communication: A Research
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda
Committee on the Science of Science Communication:
A Research Agenda
Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
A Report of
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported by Contract No. 10002665 from the Burroughs Well-
come Fund, a grant from Climate Central via the Rita Allen Foundation, Con-
tract No. 10002742 with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Contract No.
10002754 with The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Contract No.
10002820 with The Hewlett Foundation. Any opinions, fndings, conclusions, or
recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily refect the views
of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-45102-4
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
(2017). Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda. Washington, DC:
The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23674.
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda
COMMITTEE ON THE SCIENCE OF SCIENCE COMMUNICATION:
A RESEARCH AGENDA
ALAN LESHNER (Chair), American Association for the Advancement of
Science, Washington, D.C.
DIETRAM SCHEUFELE (Vice Chair), Department of Life Sciences
Communication, University of Wisconsin–Madison
ANN BOSTROM, School of Public Policy and Governance, University of
Washington
WANDI BRUINE DE BRUIN, Leeds University Business School, United
Kingdom, and Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie
Mellon University
KAREN COOK, Department of Sociology, Stanford University
THOMAS DIETZ, Sociology and Environmental Science and Policy,
Michigan State University
WILLIAM HALLMAN, Department of Human Ecology, Rutgers
University
JEFFREY R. HENIG, Political Science and Education, Teachers College;
Political Science, Columbia University
ROBERT HORNIK, Annenberg School of Communication, University of
Pennsylvania
ANDREW MAYNARD, School for the Future of Innovation in Society,
Arizona State University
MATTHEW NISBET, Communication Studies, Northwestern University
ELLEN M. PETERS, Department of Psychology, The Ohio State
University
SYLVIA ROWE, SR Strategy, Washington, D.C., and School of Nutrition
Science and Policy, Tufts University
MELISSA WELCH-ROSS, Study Director
HOLLY RHODES, Program Offcer
EMILY BACKES, Associate Program Offcer
LETICIA GARCILAZO GREEN, Program Assistant
v
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda
Preface
dvances in science and technology have resulted in profound increases
in the quality of life and health of people throughout the world, and
Aall indicators suggest they will continue to do so long into the future.
In recognition of those contributions, the public generally holds scientists
and their work in high regard, and science and technology have benefted
from substantial fnancial and other forms of public support. There are, of
course, examples of cases in which the science-society relationship has expe-
rienced signifcant turbulence over the years—often when scientifc fndings
confict with religious beliefs, core human values, and long-held views or
when emerging science raises ethical or political questions that science itself
cannot answer. Overall, however, the relationship has been a positive one.
This intimate, mutually supportive relationship between science and society
places a responsibility on scientists and technologists, as citizens, to share the
results of their work with the broader public so they can reap its benefts as
expeditiously as possible.
Communicating about science effectively with public audiences, how-
ever, turns out to be more diffcult than it might at frst appear. People
communicate about science for diverse reasons, there is no single audience
for scientifc information, and the societal contexts surrounding different
scientifc issues can vary considerably. Communication approaches need to
be adapted to refect the circumstances that prevail. Moreover, the complex-
ity of scientifc methods and the ways in which science progresses can also
make communicating science to the public quite diffcult. This challenge
can be particularly acute when the issue being discussed involves either a
domain in which the societal implications of the science are controversial
vii
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda
viii PREFACE
or substantial disagreement about the fndings exists within the scientifc
community. Fortunately, a growing body of scientifc evidence can help
inform the most effective ways of communicating with the public under
different circumstances, and an increasing number of organizations are
working to help scientists acquire the necessary communication skills. This
report reviews the evidence about effective approaches to science commu-
nication and offers an agenda to help guide future research in this area. It
is intended to be useful to both the practitioners of science communication
and the researchers who study it.
We are extremely grateful to our colleagues on the Committee on the
Science of Science Communication of the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine for their commitment, expertise, diligence, and
wisdom in reviewing the scientifc literature on science communication and
their efforts in framing the research agenda presented in this report. We
also benefted greatly from the dedication, expertise, and hard work of the
staff of the National Academies cited in the acknowledgements that follow.
Alan I. Leshner, Chair
Dietram Scheufele, Vice Chair
Committee on the Science of Science Communication:
A Research Agenda
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda
Acknowledgments
he committee would like to acknowledge the sponsors of this study:
the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Climate Central via the Rita Allen
TFoundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the David
and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Hewlett Foundation.
Over the course of the study, the committee benefted from discus-
sion with and presentations from several individuals who participated in
its two public meetings. From the frst of these meetings, held December
17-18, 2015, we thank Elizabeth Christopherson (Rita Allen Foundation);
Paul Hanle (Climate Central); Chad English (Packard Foundation); Jerrold
Bushberg (University of California, Davis School of Medicine); Cornelia
Dean (New York Times; Brown University); Richard Harris (National
Public Radio); Brooke Smith (COMPASS); Baruch Fischhoff (Carnegie Mel-
lon University); Bruce Lewenstein (Cornell University); and Arthur Lupia
(University of Michigan). From the second public meeting, held February
24-25, 2016, we thank Seth Mnookin (Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
nology); Noel Brewer (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill); Ed
Maibach (George Mason University); Bob Inglis (RepublicEn); Brian Baird
(4Pir2 Communications); Daniel Sarewitz (Arizona State University); Rush
Holt (American Association for the Advancement of Science); Dominique
Brossard (University of Wisconsin-Madison); Noshir Contractor (North-
western University); and Hilda Bastian (National Center for Biotechnology
Information; National Institutes of Health).
The committee also applauds the staff of the National Academies of
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine—Melissa Welch Ross, Holly Rhodes,
Emily Backes, and Leticia Garcilazo Green—for their dedication to the
ix
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.