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Best resources to learnScience Communication

Study sheet

Science communication explains research to the public. You will learn storytelling about science, writing and speaking for lay audiences, visual communication and the research on what actually changes minds.

10 resources · · How we curate

📺YouTube(2)

youtube

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.

beginner🇬🇧
youtube

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.

beginner🇬🇧

📚Books(2)

bookPaid

If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?

Alan Alda's account of building the Alda Center for Communicating Science. It covers improv-based training for empathy, reading an audience, cutting jargon, and speaking to non-experts, with research on theory of mind and his workshops with scientists. The best entry point for the speaking and connection side of the topic. Partly memoir, but it records the Alda Center method in the founder's own words.

beginner🇬🇧
bookPaid

Houston, We Have a Narrative: Why Science Needs Story

The most concrete, teachable storytelling method written for scientists: a marine biologist turned filmmaker applies screenwriting principles to science. The book introduces the And-But-Therefore (ABT) template and the related word-sentence-paragraph exercises for turning lists of findings into a narrative with a problem and a resolution.

beginner🇬🇧

🌐Websites(1)

website

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.

beginner🇬🇧

📄Papers(3)

paper

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.

beginner🇬🇧
paper

The Sciences of Science Communication

Baruch Fischhoff's 2013 PNAS paper from the Sackler Colloquium. It sets out a four-step approach: find the science audiences need, learn what they already believe, design messages to close that gap, and test them empirically. It gives a research-based way to plan a communication, which balances the craft books.

advanced🇬🇧
paper

Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda

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.

intermediate🇬🇧

🎙️Podcasts(2)

podcast

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.

beginner🇬🇧
podcast

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.

beginner🇬🇧
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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best free resources to learn Science Communication?

Dantes has curated 10 resources for Science Communication, including 2 YouTube videos, 2 books, 1 websites, 3 papers, 2 podcasts. All resources are hand-picked for quality — no algorithmic filler. Browse the full list above to find the format that works best for you.

Is Science Communication hard to learn?

Science Communication is approachable at the beginner level — there are resources here specifically for those starting from scratch. As you progress, intermediate and advanced material is also available to take your skills further.

What types of Science Communication learning resources are available on Dantes?

For Science Communication, Dantes has curated 2 YouTube videos, 2 books, 1 websites, 3 papers, 2 podcasts. Each resource type serves a different learning style: videos and YouTube for visual learners, books for depth, courses for structured progression, and websites for quick reference.

How does Dantes select Science Communication resources?

Dantes is an algorithm-free learning directory. Resources are hand-curated based on quality, accuracy, and usefulness — not engagement metrics or paid placements. The goal is to surface the best learning material for Science Communication, whether it's a free YouTube series, a classic textbook, or an open courseware from a top university.

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