Public relations as science communication

Abstract

Public communication from research institutions often functions as both science communication and public relations. And while these are distinct functions, public relations efforts often serve as science communication tools. This is because successful science communication and public relations efforts for research institutions both rely on finding shared language and disseminating findings in context. Public communication from research institutes: is it science communication or public relations? Is there a difference?Those are good questions. In order to address them, I'm going to make a couple of assumptions that will help define the scope of "public communication" referred to in this article: first, I'm going to assume that "public communication" refers to news releases, videos, blog posts and other materials issued by a research institution, as opposed to outreach conducted by the researchers themselves (e.g., a researcher speaking at a local museum). Second, I'm going to assume that the public communication refers in some direct way to the institution's research activities. For example, I'm going to rule out public communication about tuition at universities, political appointments at federal agencies, etc.Bearing those assumptions in mind, I'd argue that public communication from research institutions is often both science communication and public relations. Yes, there's a difference. But sometimes public relations efforts can serve a science communication function.

Science communication for the press: the hybrid model of Agência Bori texts based on five essential questions

“…Thus, we agree with Shipman (2014) when he states that a press release can be both a public communication tool of science and an institutional marketing tool, because it gives journalists access to scientific results produced in research institutions, encouraging them to make their coverage based on these data, while these same institutions gain prestige in the media sphere. We conceived the hybrid model of science communication of the Agência Bori in this duplicity.…”

Information-Sharing and Community-Building: Exploring the Use of Twitter in Science Public Relations

“…With the above caveats in mind, this study has helped advance our understanding of a critical area at the intersection of social media and science public relations. Prior research has identified the key role of public relations practices in facilitating effective science communication (Borchelt & Nielsen, 2014;Shipman, 2014), and the public has increasingly shifted toward online sources such as blogs and social media for news and information (Pew Research Center, 2016;Su, Akin, Brossard, Scheufele, & Xenos, 2015). The ubiquity and interactive characteristics of social media provide unprecedented opportunities for organizations to actively communicate with the public; yet, despite the importance of understanding science public relations practitioners' social media usage patterns (Lee et al, 2017;Lee & VanDyke, 2015), substantial gaps in this line of research remain.…”

“…Public relations techniques often serve as science communication tools, insofar as scientific organizations utilize them to achieve strategic goals and facilitate dialogic communication with the public (Shipman, 2014). Operating within the broader paradigm of science communication, science public relations efforts such as news releases and blog posts may help increase public engagement with science, enhance public understanding and awareness of it, and embed it in day-to-day culture (Sanchez-Mora, 2014;Shipman, 2014). Moreover, effective public relations aids science organizations in cultivating and maintaining the trust of their stakeholders (Borchelt & Nielsen, 2014).…”

Importância da Comunicação em Saúde

“…Atualmente, para que uma instituição seja bem-sucedida tem de ter a devida visibilidade e reconhecimento por parte dos cidadãos. De facto, para atrair os melhores alunos e os melhores cientistas, as grandes instituições têm de ter uma atitude pró-ativa na divulgação e promoção das atividades por si desenvolvidas, quer ao nível do ensino quer da investigação (Shipman, 2014). Por exemplo, é necessário desenvolver estratégias fortes e assertivas de "apresentação" da Escola, promovendo, por exemplo, visitas aos espaços de investigação e criação de conhecimento.…”