Tag Archives: scicomm

Bridging science and real world impact with confidence

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What does it take for someone in science to make a difference in the world? We often seek success and validation through the rigour of our research and studies, but the key may be in our attitude.

Naturejobs career expo journalism competition winner Diane N.H. Kim

Confidence is not something we normally associate with science. In this field, grounded in facts and far from emotions, it’s no wonder we have trouble seeing how our attitudes affect our success. A confident attitude is considered much more important for an actress on the red carpet, or a politician delivering a speech. Scientists are still largely portrayed and perceived as solitary individuals with passive personalities, spurred by a media portrayal of a lone scientist in their basement lab.DK_profilepicture Continue reading →

Science communication: How to deal with articles that misrepresent science

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Robert Dawson from Cancer Research UK explains how they deliver engaging but accurate content based on their research.

Robert Dawson, communications manager at Cancer Research UK, was one of four speakers on the careers in science communication panel at the 2015 London Naturejobs Career Expo.

Media outlets are giving information in a variety of ways, whether in list formats like those on Buzzfeed, or long feature articles.

But often, with the shorter, and often faster production times of the content, the science can be misleading and incorrect. So, Cancer Research UK works with organisations to do myth-busting: where the media has misrepresented science and needs correcting. The NHS has a section on their website called Behind the Headlines, which does a similar thing.

His advice is to give the audience articles in the form that they want, whether in Facebook posts or Buzzfeed articles, but make sure that the content is accurate.

Further reading:

Science communication: Whose responsibility is it?

Science communication: Sculpting your role