Science Advocacy Research Articles

Open access publications drive few visits from Google Search results to institutional repositories

AbstractGiven the importance of Google Search in generating visits to institutional repositories (IR), a lack of visibility in search engine results pages can hinder the possibility of their publications being found, read, downloaded, and, eventually, cited. To address this, institutions need to evaluate the visibility of their repositories to determine what actions might be implemented to enhance them. However, measuring the search engine optimization (SEO) visibility of IRs requires a highly accurate, technically feasible method. This study constitutes the first attempt to design such a method, specifically applied here to measuring the IR visibility of Spain’s national university system in Google Search based on a set of SEO-based metrics derived from the Ubersuggest SEO tool. A comprehensive dataset spanning three months and comprising 217,589 bibliographic records and 316,899 organic keywords is used as a baseline. Our findings show that many records deposited in these repositories are not ranked among the top positions in Google Search results, and that the most visible records are mainly academic works (theses and dissertations) written in Spanish in the Humanities and Social Sciences. However, most visits are generated by a small number of records. All in all, our results call into question the role played by IRs in attracting readers via Google Search to the institutions’ scientific heritage and serve to underscore the prevailing emphasis within IRs on preservation as opposed to online dissemination. Potential improvements might be achieved using enhanced metadata schemes and normalized description practices, as well as by adopting other actionable insights that can strengthen the online visibility of IRs. This study increases understanding of the role played by web indicators in assessing the web-based impact of research outputs deposited in IRs, and should be of particular interest for a range of stakeholders, including open access and open science advocates, research agencies, library practitioners, repository developers, and website administrators.

Maxine F. Singer (1931-2024).

Prominent biochemist and science advocate.

Mini-Symposium: Training the Trainers of the Next Generation of Neuroscience Advocates.

Undergraduate neuroscience researchers and educators have a vital voice in working with policymakers to raise public awareness and increase support and funding for neuroscience. While there are many avenues and opportunities to become involved in neuroscience advocacy, finding the most effective training strategies, resources, and opportunities for involvement can sometimes be difficult and overwhelming. To address this challenge and inform faculty of science advocacy opportunities for undergraduates, we organized a mini-symposium at the 2023 Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) Workshop. Attendees had the opportunity to engage with a panel of experts with diverse experiences in neuroscience advocacy and policy. Topics presented and discussed included the importance of advocacy, effective training practices and resources, advice for scientific communication with a non-scientific audience, and various opportunities for advocacy involvement for undergraduate students. We share here our rationale and goals as we set out to plan this mini-symposium, a brief description of each panelist's career trajectory, relevant resources, and major takeaways. We reflect on the lessons learned from this session and recognize the need for an on-going conversation about careers involving science policy, science communication training, and opportunities for undergraduate students. Accordingly, we share future directions and recommendations to help faculty equip not only themselves but also their undergraduate trainees with the knowledge, practical skills, and resources required to engage with their communities as informed citizens.

ESSA ADVOCACY NETWORK

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS Advocacy is an important and effective way to influence policy changes to improve outcomes. Best practice advocacy is when efforts are coordinated, multifaceted, structured, and collective. The ESSA Advocacy Network was piloted in 2021, to improve engagement with members, and strengthen ESSA advocacy efforts, whilst simultaneously building members capacity and confidence, to engage in activities for positive change. METHOD ESSA advocacy priorities are broad and diverse, aiming to enhance workforce opportunities to benefit all member groups. These areas include chronic conditions, mental health, rural and remote health, disability, aged care, physical activity, primary healthcare, public health, sport, and, workplace and personal injury. These priorities are affected by enablers including technology and innovation, data and evidence and funding mechanisms such as GST and fee schedules in compensable scheme. All advocacy efforts aim to reduce barriers, enhance enablers and increase access to the exercise and sports science workforce. The advocacy network self-identify interest in priorities and are engaged when opportunities arise to share knowledge, experience and their expertise to inform and shape advocacy. RESULTS In 2023, members were engaged in the development of over 300 submissions and letters. Advocacy efforts resulted in member engagement in meetings with Members of Parliament, Senators, Parliamentary advisors, and senior government officials plus representation on advisory groups for the development of clinical guidelines, strategic plans and resources for allied health. CONCLUSION As the advocacy network emerges from its infancy into the next stage of maturity as an integral part of advocacy for exercise physiology, exercise science, and sport science, a professional and streamlined approach is required. ESSA will grow the network in terms of members engaged and the output.

Reflecting on Indonesia’s young academy movement

In the past three decades, there has been a rise in young academy movements in the Global North and South. Such movements, in at least Germany and the Netherlands, have been shown to be quite effective in connecting scientific work with society. Likewise, these movements share a common goal of developing interdisciplinary collaboration among young scientists, which contributes to the growth of a nation’s—but also global—scientific endeavors. This paper focuses on the young academy movement in the fourth-largest country hosting the biggest Muslim population in the world, which is also the third-most populous democracy: Indonesia. We observe that there has been rising awareness among the young generation of scientists in Indonesia of the need to advocate for the use of sciences in responding to upcoming and current multidimensional crises. Science advocacy can be seen in their peer-based identification of Indonesia’s future challenges, encompassing the fundamental areas for scientific inquiry, discovery, and intervention. We focus on the Indonesian Young Academy of Sciences (ALMI) and its network of young scientists. We describe ALMI’s science communication practice, specifically SAINS45 and Science for Indonesia’s Biodiversity, and how they have been useful for policymakers, media, and school engagements. The article closes with a reflection on future directions for the young academy movement in Indonesia and beyond.

Reputation Without Practice? A Dynamic Computational Model of the Unintended Consequences of Open Scientist Reputations

Practicing open science can have benefits for the career prospects of individual researchers or labs through higher quality work and increased chances of publication. However, being an outspoken advocate of open science might also indirectly benefit individual scientific careers, in the form of status in a scientific community, decisions for tenure, and eligibility for certain kinds of funding. Therefore, it may be profitable for individual labs to appear to engage in open science practices, without actually putting in the associated effort or doing only the bare minimum. In this article, we explore two types of academic behavior through a dynamic computational model (cf. Smaldino & Mcelreath,2016) of an academic community that rewards open science: (1) practicing open science and/or (2) advocating open science. Crossing these two types of behavior leads to four different kinds of labs and we examine which of them thrive in this academic community. We found that labs that practice and advocate open science dominate in a scientific community that values open science. Implications of the model results are discussed.

Counteracting climate denial: A systematic review.

Despite scientific consensus on climate change, climate denial is still widespread. While much research has characterised climate denial, comparatively fewer studies have systematically examined how to counteract it. This review fills this gap by exploring the research about counteracting climate denial, the effectiveness and the intentions behind intervention. Through a systematic selection and analysis of 65 scientific articles, this review finds multiple intervention forms, including education, message framing and inoculation. The intentions of intervening range from changing understanding of climate science, science advocacy, influencing mitigation attitudes and counteracting vested industry. A number of divergent findings emerge: whether to separate science from policy; the disputed effects of emotions and the longitudinal impacts of interventions. The review offers guiding questions for those interested in counteracting denialism, the answers to which indicate particular strategies: identify the form of climate denial; consider the purpose of intervention and recognise one's relationship to their audiences.

Artificial Intelligence on Diagnostic Aid of Leprosy: A Systematic Literature Review.

Leprosy is a neglected tropical disease that can cause physical injury and mental disability. Diagnosis is primarily clinical, but can be inconclusive due to the absence of initial symptoms and similarity to other dermatological diseases. Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques have been used in dermatology, assisting clinical procedures and diagnostics. In particular, AI-supported solutions have been proposed in the literature to aid in the diagnosis of leprosy, and this Systematic Literature Review (SLR) aims to characterize the state of the art. This SLR followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) framework and was conducted in the following databases: ACM Digital Library, IEEE Digital Library, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. Potentially relevant research articles were retrieved. The researchers applied criteria to select the studies, assess their quality, and perform the data extraction process. Moreover, 1659 studies were retrieved, of which 21 were included in the review after selection. Most of the studies used images of skin lesions, classical machine learning algorithms, and multi-class classification tasks to develop models to diagnose dermatological diseases. Most of the reviewed articles did not target leprosy as the study's primary objective but rather the classification of different skin diseases (among them, leprosy). Although AI-supported leprosy diagnosis is constantly evolving, research in this area is still in its early stage, then studies are required to make AI solutions mature enough to be transformed into clinical practice. Expanding research efforts on leprosy diagnosis, coupled with the advocacy of open science in leveraging AI for diagnostic support, can yield robust and influential outcomes.

Unlocking open science in Africa: Mentorship and grassroot community building

Open Science is becoming increasingly popular among scientists worldwide, but African researchers have hesitated to adopt it. This keynote speech addresses the current state of open science in Africa and the challenges researchers face in implementing open science practices. As an open science advocate and mentor in Africa, I share my experiences and discuss the role of mentorship and grassroots community building in overcoming these challenges. Various initiatives, such as OpenScienceKE, H3ABioNet, and BHKi, aim to increase awareness, empower members, and encourage collaboration to promote open science, information sharing, resource sharing, and the visibility of African research. It is essential to involve all stakeholders within local communities and empower grassroots communities. Like planning for a mountain climb, providing the necessary support to facilitate success is crucial. The article highlights the importance of inclusivity and support to overcome barriers and challenges to reap the benefits of open science. I show how culture changes towards openness, breaking down barriers, empowerment, allyship, and grassroots community building are pathways to achieve this change.

Hostility has a trivial effect on persuasiveness of rebutting science denialism on social media

Polarised social media debates between science deniers and advocates for science frequently devolve into hostilities. We conducted four preregistered experiments (N = 3226; U.S. Americans) to assess how hostility influences the impact of misinformation from science deniers and rebuttals from advocates in social media discussions about vaccination (Experiment 1–3) and genetically modified food (Experiment 4). Results revealed only trivial to small effects of hostility on the persuasiveness of discussants: most internal meta-analyses revealed that the effects of hostility were smaller than the smallest effect size of interest (SESOI: d = 0.2). Thus, rebuttal is effective in mitigating the impact of misinformation on attitudes towards behaviours dismissed by deniers (for example, vaccination) and intentions to perform these behaviours, even if advocates for science lose their temper. Not responding had negative effects. Likewise, misinformation was impactful even if presented in a hostile tone. Hostility, however, consistently reduced the perceived competence of messages.

Advocacy and Open Science in the UK: Case Studies in the Autism Wars

AbstractIndividuals on the autism spectrum experience a wide range of support needs and it comes as no surprise that opinions differ as to the best way to provide necessary supports. Some articulate self-advocates argue that societal acceptance of neurodiversity is the key issue. These views have clashed with those of parents and professionals who advocate for access to evidence-based interventions for profoundly autistic children and adults. The consequences of these kinds of differing opinions are so far-reaching that the term “autism wars” was coined. In this article, we argue that although acceptance of diversity is obviously important, this should include an openness to diverse scientific traditions, especially if lack of such openness limits public policy and adversely affects individuals and families. “Open Science” holds much promise in many fields, but its influence cannot be taken for granted when it comes to evidence-based support practices that are grounded in the science of behavior analysis. Benefiting from open science in autism research requires well-developed advocacy skills. To illustrate, we use case studies from the UK, where advocates of open science have met with intractable obstacles.

Democracy and Mass Skepticism of Science

abstract: Since the Age of Enlightenment, many thinkers and philosophers have viewed democracy and science as two aspects of modernity that reinforce each other. This article highlights a tension between the two by arguing that certain aspects of contemporary democracy may aggravate the mass public's anti-intellectual tendency and thus potentially hinder scientific progress. The authors analyze a new global survey of public opinion on science using empirical strategies that exploit cross-country and cross-cohort variations in experience with democracy, and show that less-educated citizens in democracies distrust science much more than do their counterparts in nondemocracies. Further analyses suggest that the increase in skepticism in democracies is not the result of greater religiosity or weaker scientific literacy; instead, it is more likely driven by a shift in the mode of legitimation, which reduces states' ability and willingness to act as key public advocates for science. These findings shed light on the institutional sources of science-bashing in many longstanding democracies.

Tatenda Murigo: A passionate advocate for science in Africa (June 17, 2000-July 14, 2023).

Tatenda Murigo: A passionate advocate for science in Africa (June 17, 2000-July 14, 2023).

Presidential Address 'Some years of cudgelling my brains about the nature and function of science museums': Frank Sherwood Taylor and the public role of the history of science.

Frank Sherwood Taylor was director of the Science Museum London for just over five years from October 1950. He was the only historian of science ever to have been director of this institution, which has always ridden a tightrope between advocacy of science and advocacy of its history, balancing differently at different points in its history. He was also president of the BSHS from 1951 to 1953. So what happened when a historian got his hands on the nation's pre-eminent public museum of science? To what extent did his historian's training and instincts affect his policies whilst director, and with what effect in the longer term? Taking this exceptional case, I suggest, enables us to consider how museum accounts of the past of science relate to historiographies of science otherwise available in the culture. In this discussion, drawing on new archival research, I consider the role of history within a key policy paper he wrote in 1951. I analyse and contextualize its main themes before considering, by way of conclusion, his legacy.

ULOGA VISOKOŠKOLSKIH BIBLIOTEKA U OTVORENOJ NAUCI / THE ROLE OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN OPEN SCIENCE

Open science includes open access to publications, research data and open educational content, open science redefines the whole process of scientific communication by encouraging dialogue, open review, open sources and tools. Demanding processes of digital transformation of scientific communication require significant support of academic libraries in the processes of advocacy and implementation of open science. Academic libraries in this context, and among other things, need to be recognized as indispensable partners in various open access initiatives at higher education institutions. In this regard, the aim of this research is to establish the specifics and current trends of e-publishing at the University of Sarajevo (UNSA), collect data on active open access journals published by UNSA organizational units, by website content analysis method, and in conclusion to address the benefits of cooperation with libraries of scientific institutions in planning the publishing of scientific journals in open access, as a segment of open science.

МОНГОЛЫН ХӨГЖЛИЙН ФИЛОСОФИЙГ БОЛОВСРУУЛЖ БУЙ ҮР ДҮНГ ШИНЖЛЭХ НЬ

In the introduction (preface) of this article, the author highlights that Mongolian philosophers, who have delved into the philosophy of development in Mongolia, are divided into two main approaches: monist (universalist) and pluralist. The primary focus of this article is to analyze the project formulated by the Mongolian Academy of Science to establish Mongolian development philosophy. Some key findings of this analysis include: This project recommends "development as harmony," which is a practical statement. However, the primary methodology remains rooted in Marxist-Leninist principles and their dialectics within the context of philosophy. The Mongolian Academy of Science advocates for a universal monist perspective. Since the 1990s, the philosophical community, when addressing development[1]related issues, has been reluctant to embrace dialectical principles. However, even the researchers who critically examine development from a dialectic perspective do not adhere faithfully to these principles, as concluded by the author based on certain facts. The author suggests that the development of Mongolian philosophy can be diversified by applying our fundamental principles of pluralism according to our constitution. Polarizing one perspective from these variations is not compatible with pluralism.

Pathways for diversifying and enhancing science advocacy.

Science is under attack and scientists are becoming more involved in efforts to defend it. The rise in science advocacy raises important questions regarding how science mobilization can both defend science and promote its use for the public good while also including the communities that benefit from science. This article begins with a discussion of the relevance of science advocacy. It then reviews research pointing to how scientists can sustain, diversify, and increase the political impact of their mobilization. Scientists, we argue, can build and maintain politically impactful coalitions by engaging with and addressing social group differences and diversity instead of suppressing them. The article concludes with a reflection on how the study of science-related mobilization would benefit from further research.

Terri Grodzicker: advocate and influencer of impactful science

Terri Grodzicker: advocate and influencer of impactful science

Presence of Open Science Skills in Learning Outcomes at the Lis Study Programs in Croatia

Open science is an ever-evolving phenomenon. Open science deals with the availability of data and publications, which includes an open approach with which publicly funded research is sought to be made available to all members of society and the public. It is an umbrella term that includes a multitude of assumptions about the future of knowledge creation and dissemination (Fecher & Friesike, 2014). The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) emphasizes libraries as a key player and fundamental drivers of open science because they have adapted their role to today’s age and are now active in preserving, publishing, and disseminating digital scientific material in the form of publications, data, and other research-relate content. During their studies, LIS (Library and information science(s)) students acquire knowledge and develop a set of skills that will prepare them for work in today’s information environment. In 2020. LIBER’s (Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche – Association of European Research Libraries) Digital Skills for Library Staff and Researchers Working Group published a visual presentation of the necessary competencies for librarians and researchers. Information science studies, including those in Croatia, are exposed to constant changes in the field, including the development of open science. For this reason, it is necessary to constantly think about the adaptation of study programs through which students will acquire basic knowledge related to the promotion and advocacy of open science. The term “open science”, and everything it encompasses, should be an integral part of study programs in the field of information sciences. The aim of this paper is to explore the representation of skills and competencies for open science in study programs at the LIS studies in Croatia: Department of Information and Communication Sciences (Zagreb), Department of information sciences (Osijek) and Department of information science (Zadar). This research indicated the need for greater inclusion of the concepts of scientific communication and open science in the learning outcomes at the level of programs in the study of information sciences in Zadar, Zagreb, and Osijek.

"MARK TWAIN AND TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY WRITERS ABOUT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY"

Mark Twain is still widely known for his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), but no longer for his writing about science and technology. Yet, Twain’s interest in science and technology, and particularly scientific and technological innovation, was woven into much of his fictional and non-fictional writing throughout his life. Furthermore, not only was Twain an enthusiastic advocate of science and technology, but he was also an enthusiastic advocate of clarity, consistency and conciseness in writing and his writing advice remains timely and relevant to modern writers about science and technology. This paper brings together some of this writing advice and shows its continuing relevance and importance to scientific and technical writers in the twenty-first century.