Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda
by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine · National Academies Press
2017 National Academies consensus report reviewing what research shows about communicating science to the public: audiences, trust, misinformation, conflict, and contested issues like climate and vaccines, plus the open questions the field still needs to answer.
More resources on Science Communication
SciShow
Short science explainer videos created by Hank Green and produced by Complexly, answering questions across biology, chemistry, physics, psychology and earth science and reporting new research. Viewers gain accessible, accurate background on how everyday phenomena work and what recent studies found.
CrashCourse
Educational YouTube channel of fast-paced, illustrated video series spanning physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, ecology, history, literature and economics. Each series follows an introductory course syllabus, giving viewers a structured overview of a subject's core concepts before formal study.
The Naked Scientists
The weekly flagship program of The Naked Scientists, a Cambridge-based science outreach team led by Chris Smith, mixing science news, researcher interviews and listener questions across biology, medicine, physics and space. Listeners keep up with current research explained in plain language.
Science Vs
Science journalism podcast in which each episode takes a popular claim, such as fasting diets, fluoride or ADHD treatments, and weighs it against the published research. Listeners learn how evidence is gathered and graded, and how to separate supported findings from hype.
Ten Simple Rules for Better Figures
Short open-access PLOS Computational Biology paper (2014) with ten rules for scientific figures, among them knowing the audience, stating the message, adapting to the medium, captions, avoiding default settings, using color deliberately, and not misleading the reader. Includes worked matplotlib examples.
AAAS Communication Toolkit
The AAAS Center for Public Engagement's free guide for scientists. It covers message design (bottom line first, then why it matters, then details), online communication, in-person engagement, visuals, working with journalists, and briefing policymakers. A practical free checklist that covers channels the books do not: journalists and policymakers. Last updated 2022, but the advice is stable.