Perceptions of science communication by professional communicators

Abstract

Scientific progress by itself is not enough to move society forward. As an example, measles was basically eradicated in the United States only to make a comeback because of declining vaccination rates (Patel et al., 2019). As the number of news outlets and journalists continues in a decades-long decline, there is a need for science communication from reputable sources (Brownell et al., 2013; Simis et al., 2016). Science communication needs to improve, and one of the areas to be addressed is the lack of training and resources available to new researchers (Bankston & McDowell, 2018). Three two-hour science communication training sessions were conducted targeting student researchers at Oklahoma State University in the Ferguson College of Agriculture. Communication professionals were brought in as a part of the training so students could receive feedback from those actively engaging in science communication in their day-to-day work. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with communication professionals who participated in the sessions to get their perspectives on science communication and the training methods. There were four key themes from the interviews: defining science communication, importance of science communication, serving the science community, and potential of science communication trainings. The participants stated the need for science communication, which is well documented in the literature (Brownell et al., 2013; Simis et al., 2016; Voytek, 2017). Underpinning that belief is the assumption that the public lacks scientific literature, which is also a well-documented occurrence (Besley & Tanner, 2011). The participants were making statements and recommendations based on the needs of the audience: simplifying information so it can be understood and delivering that information through a variety of channels (Baram-Tsabari & Lewenstein, 2017; Bray et al., 2012; Dudo & Besley, 2016; West & Turner, 2018). While science communication needs to improve (Bankston & McDowell, 2018; Besley & Tanner, 2011), a notable finding of this research is why communication professionals would engage in training they do not immediately benefit from. These participants were engaging in the training in service to the student researchers, but also with the expectation that improving science communication will provide tangible benefits to society and research institutions.