Explaining Research How to Reach Key Audiences to Advance Your Work

by Meredith, Dennis

• ISBN13: 9780197571316
• ISBN10: 019757131X
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2021-08-17
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Explaining Researchis the ultimate guide for scientists, engineers, and other professionals seeking to share their life's work effectively with important lay and scientific audiences. It offers a multitude of practical communication tools and techniques for writing, giving talks, creating visuals, using social media, and publicizing research advances.

Career success depends on more than conducting incisive experiments and publishing papers in top journals. Researchers must also know how to explain their work to key audiences, such as colleagues, potential collaborators, officers in funding agencies and from foundations, donors, institutional leaders, corporate partners, students, legislators, journalists, and the general public.

Explaining Research is the most comprehensive guide for science and engineering communication. In this new edition, leading research communicator Dennis Meredith provides readers with the practical tools and techniques scientists and engineers need to reach their audiences effectively. The updated and expanded chapters include a wealth of insights from leading science journalists and research communicators.

Author Biography

Dennis Meredith is a veteran research communicator who spent over four decades working for major research universities such as Caltech, Cornell, MIT, Duke, and the University of Wisconsin. He has collaborated with science journalists and written well over a thousand articles and news releases on
science and engineering. As a creator and developer, he helped the AAAS establish international research news service EurekAlert!. Meredith is a Fellow of the AAAS and was named Honorary Member of the Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society in 2012.

Table of Contents

Foreword, Peter Agre, MD
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Explaining Your Research Is a Professional Necessity

Part I: Learning a New Communication Paradigm
Chapter 1: Understanding Your Audiences
Chapter 2: Plan Your Research Communication Strategy

Part II: Effectively Reaching Your Peers
Chapter 3: Give Compelling Talks
Chapter 4: Develop Informative, Engaging Visuals
Chapter 5: Create Effective Poster Presentation
Chapter 6: Write Clear Research Explanations
Chapter 7: Build a Quality Website

Part III: Engaging Lay Audiences
Chapter 8: Develop Your Lay-Level Research Communication Strategy
Chapter 9: The Essential News Release
Chapter 10: Craft Releases That Tell Your Research Story
Chapter 11: Target Releases to Key Audiences
Chapter 12: Produce Effective Research Photography
Chapter 13: Produce Informative Research Videos
Chapter 14: Organize Dynamic Multimedia Presentations
Chapter 15: Create E-Newsletters, Podcasts, Wikis, Social Networks, Blogs, and Webinars
Chapter 16: Write Popular Articles, Op-Eds, and Essays
Chapter 17: Author Popular Books
Chapter 18: Become a Public Educator
Chapter 19: Persuade Administrators, Donors, and Legislators

Part IV: Explaining Your Research Through the Media
Chapter 20: Parse Publicity's Pros and Cons
Chapter 21: Understand Journalists
Chapter 22: Meet Journalists' Needs
Chapter 23: Prepare for Media Interviews
Chapter 24: Make the Interview Work for You
Chapter 25: Protect Yourself from Communication Traps
Chapter 26: Manage Media Relations at Scientific Meetings
Chapter 27: Work with Your Public Information Officer
Chapter 28: Should You Be a Public Scientist?

Index