Communicating your science to the broader community
0 likes43 views
The document provides guidance on communicating scientific research to broader audiences through various online and social media channels. It discusses why scientists should develop an online presence, including to have more direct public engagement and control the narrative around their work. The document also offers tips on managing an online profile, using different channels according to a researcher's career stage, and leveraging images and graphics to enhance communication. Overall, the document aims to help scientists promote the impact and accessibility of their research.
Communicating your science to the broader community
- 1. Communicating your science to the broader community How to make your research into a science story Isabel Mendoza Communications officer The Global Plant Council Geraint Parry Coordinator GARNet Mary Williams Features Editor The Plant Cell
- 2. 1.Introduction to the news cycle 2.Basics on management of own online presence 3.Hands-on 4.Newsworthiness. Ten characteristics of research to take into account 5.Communicate with images Introduction
- 3. News cycle
- 4. Question 1 Why should YOU be on social media? Basics on management of own online presence
- 5. Adapted from Plos One (2013)
- 6. • To have a direct channel with the general public • To help science journalist and communicators find credible sources and experts • To be the protagonist of the narrative • To be in control of the information • To increase the impact of their work • To access the most recent scientific publications Adapted from Plos One (2013)
- 7. To increase the impact of their work (Link: https://peerj.com/articles/4564/) “We found that (Altmetric) Attention Score was positively correlated with citation rates.” Basics on management of own online presence
- 8. Question 2 By which (online) means do you contact other fellow scientists? Basics on management of own online presence
- 9. Facets (2018) "Preaching to the choir or singing from the rooftops?" Basics on management of own online presence
- 10. Facets (2018) “their followers are, on average, predominantly (∼55%) other scientists. However, beyond a threshold of ∼1000 followers, the range of follower types became more diverse and included research and educational organizations, media, members of the public with no stated association with science, and a small number of decision-makers” Basics on management of own online presence
- 11. Question 3 How do you manage your social media and online presence? Basics on management of own online presence
- 12. Question 4 Which online channels do you advise to a young researcher? Basics on management of own online presence
- 13. Question 5 Which online channels do you advise to a senior researcher? Basics on management of own online presence Examples: https://www.crowtherlab.com and http://scienceflows.com/en
- 14. PART I • We are all journalists in a national newspaper newsroom and there is an empty slot in the science section that needs to be filed • In your opinion, does any paper have the potential to become a science story? You need to base your decision on the summaries provided and quick internet searches. • 10 min to decide among 3 summaries. Hands-on
- 15. Hands-on Researchers discover interactions between plant and insect- infecting viruses BOYCE THOMPSON INSTITUTE Aphids and the plant viruses they transmit cause billions of dollars in crop damage around the world every year. Researchers in Michelle Heck's lab at the USDA Agricultural Research Service and Boyce Thompson Institute are examining the relationship at the molecular level, which could lead to new methods for controlling the pests. Heck's group used recently developed small RNA sequencing techniques to better understand how plant viruses interact with aphids. In an unanticipated discovery, Heck and her team uncovered what may be the first example of a plant virus and an insect virus cooperating to increase the likelihood that both viruses will spread to other plant and aphid hosts. Research published in Phytobiomes Photo credit: Mariko Alexander
- 16. Hands-on Exciting plant vacuoles UNIVERSITY OF WÜRZBURG Many plant processes are not different from humans: Cells and tissues in grain plants, including maize also communicate through electrical signals. The shape and frequency of these signals tell a plant different things. For example, it allows them to respond to heat and cold, excessive light intensities or insect pests. If, for instance, a caterpillar starts to nibble on the leaves of a wild plant, an electrical signal is sent to the leaves that haven't been harmed yet, triggering a response mechanism: Bitter agents or toxic substances are subsequently produced throughout the plant, causing the caterpillar to stop eating or killing it after a while. But the ability to produce bitter substances has been bred out of modern crops for reasons of taste. Therefore, chemical pesticides are sprayed on field crops to rid them of caterpillar pests. Researchers from the Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, have now shed new light on plant communication via electrical signals. They found out that the TPC1 ion channel contributes to plant excitability. The function of this channel had been previously unknown. This discovery may pave the way to breed plants that are more resistant to pests, heat or drought in the long run - properties that are crucial in the face of climate change. Photo credit: DAWID JASLAN / UNIVERSITY OF WÜRZBURG Research published in Nature Communications
- 17. Hands-on Microaerobic Fe(II) oxidation could drive microbial carbon assimilation in paddy soil SCIENCE CHINA PRESS Carbon assimilation process driven by soil microorganisms is important to maintain the production and ecological function of paddy field. The recent publication from Prof. Fangbai LI's group has found that Fe(II) oxidation under microaerobic conditions could drive microbial carbon assimilation in paddy soil, and identified the potential microaerophilic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) in paddy soil. These findings provide an insight into the ecological function of iron cycling in the critical zone of red soil. The recent research paper has been recently published in Science China Earth Sciences (2019, vol.62). The corresponding author of this study is Prof. Fangbai LI from Guangdong Institute of Eco-Environmental Science & Technology, China. The first author is Prof. Xiaomin LI from SCNU Environmental Research Institute (SERI), South China Normal University (SCNU), China. Photo credit: SCIENCE CHINA PRESS
- 18. PART II • Collective vote • Which one should be the one turn into a news story and publish in your newspaper? Hands-on
- 19. Depending on the authors/organization • Reputation • Expertise • Work Authenticity • Visibility (Web, Twitter,...) • Citizen engagement Depending on the story • Current issue in the news • Closeness • Newness • Reproducibility • Human interest Newsworthiness
- 20. Reputation Who are the authors? Are they and/or their institutions relevant? Expertise Is the team specialize in the issue under research? Authenticity Which is the strength of evidence of the published research? Research group visibility Web, Social Media, Academia, Researchgate… Deep citizen engagement Is there citizen science involve? Do citizens participate and collaborate in the study? Current issue in the public sphere Is the issue being debated in the public sphere? As for example, for governance Closeness Is it relevant for our local environment? Newness Is this a novel contribution? Reproducibility The study is just finished and may be reproduced by other research groups? Human interest Might results have an impact on the general public life, for example, on health or the environment? Newsworthiness
- 21. PART III • Vote again? Hands-on
- 22. Communicate with images: For scientists Summaries and graphical abstracts
- 23. Communicate with images: For scientists Attention-grabbing Jin Liao PhD student at Iowa State University
- 24. Communicate with images: For the public Infographics
- 29. Frédéric Bouché, University of Liège (Belgium), http://www.fredericbouche.com/
- 30. Search for “Plant illustrations repository”
- 31. Early Career Researchers International (ECRi) network ECRi is a collection of activities addressed to help the Early Career Researchers (ECR) with 4 essential pillars: job hunting, grant funding, dissemination of research results and networking. Link to the website: http://blog.globalplantcouncil.org/ecri Link to the mailinglist: http://eepurl.com/grmx7T
- 32. In september, we will start a new activity to help ECR to disseminate their research more efficiently. Your blog posts and press releases are welcome! Looking to setup a WeCHat account. Volunteeers? For more info: isabel@globalplantcouncil.org Show WHY your post/research is interesting in the very first paragraph. After the WHY/WHEN/WHERE, explain, HOW, WHAT and of course if applicable, the WHO. Think the first paragraph is also potentially sharable in social networks such as Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. Give your best here! Take always into account your audience to adequate the vocabulary used. In case you want to reach the general public, try to avoid the scientific jargon only meaningful for fellow scientists. In your texts, when possible: - include external and internal links, this will help your SEO - display data as lists, makes texts easier to read - use bold letters to enhance important bits and attract the eyes of readers Keep the post short, just 4 paragraphs, less than 1.000 words. Make sure your paragraphs are concise, just 5 lines long. Choose a catchy title that could potentially be used as a short social media post, less than 180 characters long #remember #to #include #meaningful #keywords Paragraph 1 Paragraph 2 Paragraph 3 Paragraph 4 References In the case of blog posts, include just a few references, do not overwhelm the reader with tones of bibliography. In this EXAMPLE, I used: 1. R. Gleadow “Getting hear: impactful knowledge exchange” Global Plant Council Include subheaders, this will ease your SEO and will make text easier to read Subheader Bibliography
- 33. Researchers discover interactions between plant and insect-infecting viruses Exciting plant vacuoles Microaerobic Fe(II) oxidation could drive microbial carbon assimilation in paddy soil Plant Viruses Transmitted in Two Different Modes Produce Differing Effects on Small RNA-Mediated Processes in Their Aphid Vector Microaerobic Fe(II) oxidation coupled to carbon assimilation processes driven by microbes from paddy soil Voltage-dependent gating of SV channel TPC1 confers vacuole excitability
- 35. THANK YOU Isabel Mendoza Communications officer The Global Plant Council Geraint Parry Coordinator GARNet Mary Williams Features Editor The Plant Cell
Editor's Notes
- #2: I want to thank the organizers Thank you for allowing all for attending this workshop. Introduction of the speakers.
- #4: To illustrate the science news cycle always choose this, in my opinion, quite accurate comic strip of PHDCOMICS. As I’m sure you already know by now the news cycle starts with the publication of the of the research results in a scientific journal with typically a very concise conclusion. This paper es then pick up by the Public Relations (PR) office of the research institution and turned into a press release, that is still on point, however a bit more general. From that moment on the story gets momentum (or not) and starts its own journey through the different news media until reaching the general public represented here by a slightly confused grandma.
- #5: Here starts a series of questions for speakers. Q1
- #7: Monthly audience Newspapers Vs Social Media
- #12: Time devoted per day Networks you manage Tools Objectives Content
- #13: Recomendations, why, how much time is necesay
- #14: Recomendations, why, how much time is necesay https://www.crowtherlab.com
- #15: This is going to be a little bit like a role-play. We are all journalists in a local newspaper newsroom and there is an empty slot in the science section that needs to be filed In your opinion, does any of them have the potential to become a science story? You need to base your decision on the press release and quick internet searches. Please, do not check the actual papers, mainly because there is no time.
- #19: This is going to be a little bit like a role-play. We are all journalists in a local newspaper newsroom and there is an empty slot in the science section that needs to be filed In your opinion, does any of them have the potential to become a science story? You need to base your decision on the press release and quick internet searches. Please, do not check the actual papers, mainly because there is no time.
- #20: There are 10 assessment key points for a science paper to become a successful science news story. This are not “written in stone” and are highly opinative, as you will realise later. 5 that depend highly on the authors/institution and therefore can be under their control AND 5 that depend on the topic of the story and are, therefore, at least in principle, beyond the control of the researchers, at least at this point when the research has been finished and the paper published.
- #21: Human interest Might results have an impact on health or the environment?
- #22: This is going to be a little bit like a role-play. We are all journalists in a local newspaper newsroom and there is an empty slot in the science section that needs to be filed In your opinion, does any of them have the potential to become a science story? You need to base your decision on the press release and quick internet searches. Please, do not check the actual papers, mainly because there is no time.