How to get media coverage and boost your science’s impact

Fuoco, Rebecca

doi:10.1038/d41586-021-02067-8

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Framing can therefore yield problematic representation and sense making interpretations of science if a study has been inaccurately portrayed for the purpose of newsworthiness for the benefit of media, scientists or both. Given that science needs to be both understandable and relatable to be newsworthy [Fuoco, 2021], it makes sense that there are shared motivations of scientists, public relations professionals and journalists that may result in techniques such as spin and framing to make scientific research more newsworthy. However, it also makes sense that, to garner interest in scientific research, research findings may be exaggerated and their implications inflated [Vinkers, Tijdink and Otte, 2015] via mechanisms such as spin and framing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific research in news media: a case study of misrepresentation, sensationalism and harmful recommendations

Dempster¹,

Sutherland²,

Keogh³

2022

JCOM

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Accurate news media reporting of scientific research is important as most people receive their health information from the media and inaccuracies in media reporting can have adverse health outcomes. We completed a quantitative and qualitative analysis of a journal article, the corresponding press release and the online news reporting of a scientific study. Four themes were identified in the press release that were directly translated to the news reports that contributed to inaccuracies: sensationalism, misrepresentation, clinical recommendations and subjectivity. The pressures on journalists, scientists and their institutions has led to a mutually beneficial relationship between these actors that can prioritise newsworthiness ahead of scientific integrity to the detriment of public health.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific research in news media: a case study of misrepresentation, sensationalism and harmful recommendations

Dempster¹,

Sutherland²,

Keogh³

2022

JCOM

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“… Have a press strategy and issue a press release following the guidance of an experienced communications officer [ 46 ]. Share the press release with trusted reporters under embargo a few days to a week before the article goes online [ 47 ]. This can be done via email and/or through services like EurekAlert!…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effective communications strategies to increase the impact of environmental health research

et al. 2023

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Background Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are the subject of a growing body of research with the potential to positively impact public and ecological health. However, to effect positive change, findings must be communicated beyond the scientific community. Objective We sought to (a) evaluate the relationships between communications strategy, media attention, and scholarly citations of PFAS research and (b) offer guidance for researchers and communications professionals who would like to publicize future work and increase its impact. Methods We analyzed 273 peer-reviewed epidemiological studies on PFAS human health impacts with publication years 2018–2020, as collected by a pre-existing database. We investigated whether a press release was issued, open-access status, abstract and press release readability, timing of publication and press release distribution, journal impact factor, study type and sample size, statistical significance of finding(s), number of scholarly citations, and the Altmetric Attention Score (a measure of media attention). Discussion Of papers reporting a statistically significant association with health harm, those with a press release received 20 times more media attention (as assessed by Altmetric scores) than those that did not. However, only 6.2% of all papers and 7.8% of significant papers issued one. Among papers with a press release, media attention was positively correlated with better abstract and press release readability and speed in issuing the press release. Scholarly citations were positively correlated with media attention, presence of a press release, and open-access status. Conclusion Most papers with significant findings on PFAS are published without a press release and receive little or no media attention. This reduces the likelihood that important research is reaching the public and decisionmakers who can translate science into action. Issuing a press release and receiving media attention also appear to increase scholarly citations. We provide recommendations for authors to increase the reach and impact of future papers.

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“…This Editorial provides suggestions for how authors can boost the visibility and reach of their research. If readers of this Editorial want more detailed guidance, we suggest that they read Rebecca Fuocco’s excellent Career Column in Nature and the supporting materials, and ACS Au Editor-in-Chief Shelley Minteer’s recent Editorial on Tips for Improving the Visibility of Research Publications …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As pointed out by Fuoco, 1 when formulating a press release, you need to convey the newsworthiness using one or two angles—or “hooks”—that appeal to news values. Fuoco provides some excellent examples in her article, so these will not be repeated here.…”

Section: Improving the Reach Of Your Published Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, we recognize that boosting the visibility and reach of your work requires significant input, so we encourage starting early and careful planning to make this as effective as possible. Fuoco 1 recommends writing a communications plan and even provides a template for this. Experience suggests that, for a newsworthy article, the planning should start as soon as the first reviews are returned.…”

Section: Improving the Reach Of Your Published Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

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