Science Communication

For British Chief Scientist Sir Mark Walport, science communication is a natural part of research: ‘Science is not finished until it is communicated.’ After all, what is the point of researching climate change, cancer or ancient cultures if the research results disappear into a drawer instead of being shared with the scientific community and citizens?

Just as society is constantly changing, so too is the understanding of how science should be communicated. For a long time, the so-called deficit model prevailed, according to which society has a lack of knowledge and information about scientific developments and concepts. This means that with more information transfer from science to society (e.g. through public lectures), the acceptance and support of science should also increase. This model was replaced by the more dialogue-oriented concept of the ‘public understanding of science’. Experts are now striving for more active involvement of citizens and dialogue at eye level with ‘Public Engagement with Science and Technology’. Over time, science communication has evolved from the deficit model to the dialogue model to the participation model.

Science communication is carried out by a variety of stakeholder groups: individual researchers, journalists, ministries, research institutions, museums, science centres, NGOs, companies and many more. 

Science communication is the practice of informing, raising awareness of science-related topics, and also getting involved with audiences that include, at least in part, people from outside the science community.

While internal science communication takes place within the scientific community, the following section will focus on external science communication, also known as science communication. This refers to communication with actors outside the research community, i.e. the general public, school classes, interested parties or stakeholders from the worlds of politics and business, for example.

Our everyday lives are characterised by developments that have been driven forward by researchers: Smartphones, medicines and cars are now indispensable. Many decisions that are made at a political, social or personal level are often based on scientific findings. Science is therefore an integral part of society and everyday life. However, citizens are not always aware of the importance of science or it seems incomprehensible and non-transparent, which can lead to scepticism among some sections of the population. This makes the role of science communication all the more important.

Successful communication can increase trust, interest and acceptance of science and research. Evaluations, opinions and attitudes towards scientific topics can be influenced and general scientific knowledge and scientific literacy can be increased.