Science communication bibliography

Screenshot of the bibliography linked to at the bottom of this post.

If you’re looking for a starting point for understanding evidence-based, inclusive science communication, the literature about science communication can be overwhelming. This body of literature, sometimes known as the science of science communication, is actually a collection of disciplines that ranges from behavioral psychology to economics, and from writing studies to data visualization, and more.

The course bibliography I distribute in my undergraduate and graduate courses on science communication can be a helpful orientation to these bodies of literature and how you can apply them to a range of concepts and challenges inherent in science communication.

The course bibliography is organized by topic area, following the three major modules in my course on Applied Principles of Science Communication:

1. Foundations of Science Communication

   1. Science of SciComm 101

   2. Connecting Science & Society

   3. Understanding Interest Groups, Influencers, and Impacted Groups

   4. Goals & Planning

   5. Decision-making

   6. Politicization of Science & Misinformation

   7. Proposals & Annotated Bibliographies

2. Tools for Science Communication

   1. Plain Language

   2. Graphic Design Essentials

   3. Social Media for SciComm

   4. Fine-Tuning SciComm Messaging

   5. One-Pagers, Issue Briefs & Policy Briefs

   6. SciComm Blogs

3. The Practice of Science Communication

   1. Implementation

   2. Reflection

   3. Assessment

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Download bibliography

Now, if we asked another 10 people what their bibliography for teaching (or getting started in the literature on) scicomm would be, we'd likely get ten very distinct reading lists. That's great! This is not the entirety of what we could/should all be reading to inform our teaching, research, and work in scicomm. It's just the literature that underpins my course, and it's a wide-ranging starting point you can jump from.

I'd love to hear what you'd add to this list!