Populism, Science and Public Discourse: An Interview with Niels Mede
Niels Mede on how the rise of populist politics affects academic work, science communication practices of scholars engaging in public discourse and ways to address these challenges.
Gender Disparity in Science
Bao & Huang on gender biases in Chinese scientific committees, calling for policy reforms in academia.
Between societal relevance and autonomy
Peter Weingart on changing perceptions of science’s role in society, safeguarding autonomy, and the concept of dual legitimacy for scientific knowledge in policy decisions.
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From climate change to international conflicts and global pandemics, scientific knowledge is the key to tackling central societal challenges in the knowledge society of the 21st century. Never before have researchers been so public: They advise politicians, appear on television shows, and argue with conspiracy theorists online. However, this publicity also makes them vulnerable to attacks and harassment. In a non-representative Nature survey from 2021 among researchers who have published on COVID-19, 15 % declare that they received death threats afterwards. On the one hand it appears that scientific knowledge is crucial when solving the problems of our time. On the other hand, public engagement threatens the epistemic authority of researchers. In recent years, we have witnessed a lively discourse on how to reach “the public” and what it does to society when it follows science. But what happens to science when it communicates?
In this special issue, we turn the tables, take a reflexive perspective and focus on the conditions for and effects of science communication on the research system. Submissions may relate to but are not limited to the following topics:
- Attacks on researchers, skepticism, and hostility towards science
- Organizational conditions and institutional policies for science communication and public engagement
- Positive and negative effects of societal impact assessment on scholarly practice
- Epistemic authority and blurring of boundaries
Contribute
You are more than welcome to contribute to this Special Issue. Just drop us a line with your idea.
If you want to learn more about our formats, check out how we do things. If you want to stay up to date, subscribe to our newsletter.
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In light of the current war in the Ukraine we have decided to open a telegram group and a telegram bot which will provide information on support for researchers and students from Ukraine.
We will open the group so that information can be exchanged, knowledge shared and advice given. In the upcoming weeks we will post recommendations, initiatives, share interviews and experiences and try to provide as much information as possible that could be useful in any way. Our approach is a collaborative, bottom-up one – so feel free to contribute with relevant information.
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How good science communication can support researchers in cases of hostility
Threats and attacks on researchers can lead them to self-isolate and retreat from public communication. We look at strategies to prevent this from happening.
Using RSS to keep track of the latest Journal Articles
This hands-on guide helps you setting up an RSS reader and build a personalized paper feed from your favorite journals.
Now it is time to build up the pressure! How to improve working conditions in academia
Kristin Eichhorn, co-initiator of #IchbinHanna, on fair working conditions in research and the failed reform proposal in Germany.
Achieving (Partial) Generalizability
Mennatullah Hendawy on six decisions that made her findings from her dissertation, a case study on interdisciplinary urban planning in Cairo, more generalizable.
Digital transformation ahead of schedule. How Ukrainian universities are surviving and transforming in times of war
Kateryna Suprun on the fast-track digital transformation Ukrainian universities are currently going through in the face of the Russian war of aggression.
How will Artificial Intelligence (AI) influence openness and collaboration in science?
Beck, Poetz & Sauermann on using AI tools when developing novel research ideas as input for writing grant proposals during an experiment at the OIS Research Conference 2022.
The Case for PubPub
In this Short Analysis, Jefferson Pooley is reviewing/introducing PubPub, a web-based publishing platform hosted by a nonprofit, the Knowledge Futures Group (KFG)
Scientific policy advice: An attempt to structurize types of organizations on the international level
In this contribution, Irene Broer & Nataliia Sokolovska describe what inspired them to create their own taxonomy of advisory formats and dive into the characteristics of advisory organizations and how they can be systematized.
Sharing knowledge: Impact of Covid-19 on digital teaching
In this short analysis the three authors aggregate findings from four research projects to answer questions regarding the accelerated digitalisation of education due to the Covid-19 pandemic.