Abstract

SANTANA, Elaine et al. Science Communication and Citizen Science: Strategies for the Ordinary Citizen. RLEC/LJCS [online]. 2022, vol.9, n.2, pp.43-60.  Epub May 01, 2023. ISSN 2184-0458.  https://doi.org/10.21814/rlec.3993.

Citizen science (CS) is a paradigm shift in communicating scientific findings to society. CS aims to produce knowledge with society and democratize it through participatory approaches between researchers and citizens. International research entities have been developing strategies for communicating about scientific knowledge and getting closer to the citizen. This study aims to identify the strategies for communicating science to ordinary citizens used by international research entities practicing CS. This exploratory and descriptive study used documentary analysis on the websites of 23 internationally recognized scientific entities with relevant work mostly focused on the health area. The text corpus was organized and submitted to the thematic content analysis technique. The results reveal several strategies for communicating science to citizens, such as the review of information materials by citizens prior to their dissemination; courses and training of citizens on issues related to science and science communication; lectures and presentations in schools or informal settings (e.g., cafés, stores, theater plays, stand-up events); and digital information materials with simplified and user-friendly scientific content. Scientific entities tend to promote CS through innovative strategies to get closer to and engage with ordinary citizens.

Keywords : scientific diffusion; citizen science; scientific literacy.

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