2.9: Communicate Your Science

In the 21st century, communication of scientific results takes many forms, including:

• peer-reviewed scientific journals
• talks and poster presentations at scientific conferences
• workshop or symposium compilations
• popular magazines (e.g., National Geographic, Scientific American)
• science books (of all varieties, including textbooks)
• public social media (especially Twitter, but also Facebook and Instagram)
• professional and scientific social media (such as LinkedIn, ResearchGate, Academia)
• videos (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok)
• live appearances (e.g., Zoom)
• blogs, podcasts, websites, email, and more!

Unfortunately, most scientists are trained only to present papers and talks. That’s fine if you’re communicating solely with scientists in your own discipline. But nearly all forms of science these days—and the agencies that fund the work—require communication with people outside the discipline, including scientists in other fields.

In its 2017 report, Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) defines science communication, popularly known as SciComm, as “the exchange of information and viewpoints about science to achieve a goal.” A science communicator may strive to develop “a greater understanding of science and the scientific method” or to “help people understand the science relevant to a decision.” NASEM acknowledges that:

The methods scientists use to understand the world are unlike the ways people typically think on a day-to-day basis. The results of science also can be insufficient, ambiguous, or uncertain, and scientific conclusions can change over time as new findings emerge. These inherent characteristics of science can create barriers to communication and understanding.

You can’t really blame the scientists. American biologist and book author Paul Ehrlich (b. 1932) famously opined that “If what does is comprehensible to the general public, it means he’s not a good scientist. That’s what I thought. I was wrong” (from Goodell 1977). Indeed, the importance of communicating science to the public is greater than ever before. Public interest in climate change, vaccines, environmental pollution, genetically modified foods, fracking, and a host of similar socioscientific issues underscores the need to bridge the gap between scientists and the public. As Fischhoff (2013) puts it, “Effective SciComm informs people about the benefits, risks, and other costs of their decisions, thereby allowing them to make sound choices.” Increasingly, educators view SciComm training as a priority in the education of future scientists (e.g., Brownell et al. 2013; Montgomery et al. 2022).

Even if you’re pursuing a career outside science, you play a role in SciComm. When you tell family or friends about your science courses, you represent something about science. Your experience in a science class (and reading a science textbook!) shapes your opinions, good, bad, or otherwise. And those opinions are expressed every time you post something (hopefully, good) about science.

A common refrain I hear from students is “I’m not good at science.” Of course not! You’re probably not good at fixing spaceships, either. These things take years of training and experience. But having a sense of where scientists are coming from, learning how to decipher their statements, and understanding that behind every statement is a body of evidence may be more valuable to the world than just knowing a bunch of science facts. If the end result of a science course is that you understand and appreciate how science works—and have a positive feeling about the work that scientists do—then you deserve an A in my book!