Standing up for Science 2 - the nuts and bolts

Standing up for Science 2-the nuts and bolts is a guide for early career scientists, engineers. medics and others who want to promote good science and fight misinformation. It contains examples of different ways how to stand up for science in public - from hunting down the evidence behind product claims to correcting misinformation in all kinds of media - along with practical tips on how to do it.

The guide has been developed by a team of early career scientists who, after attending VoYS workshops and working on There Goes the Science Bit…, The Detox Dossier and other myth busting activities, wanted to share their experiences and advice.

The VoYS network want to inspire others to join them and get involved, but they also want to send the message that it doesn’t always have to be about big actions and no matter who you are, what your background is or how much experience you have, there are plenty of things that can be done that have an effect on public debates about science.

Standing up for Science 2 is available to download here. Hard copies can be requested via .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

With thanks to all thank all the contributors and the following VoYS members: Harriet Ball, Rosemary Coates, Anne Corbett, Maria Cruz, Frances Downey, Elizabeth Gaskell , Johnny Kelsey, Jennifer Lardge, Ian Mabbett, Suzanne MacKenzie, Nicola Powles-Glover, Fiona Randell, Andrew Russell, Simon Shears, Tom Sheldon, Juliet Stevens, Frank Swain, Richard Van Noorden, Debbie Wake, Thomas Wells, Sarah Whitehead and Robin Wilkinson.

The Launch

The background

Since 2004, VoYS Standing up for Science media workshops have been responding to early career researchers’ concerns and fears about the media head on. These range from queries as to why not all science journalists have science backgrounds, to accusations of misrepresentation of science by the media.

Many of our participants wanted to go on and spread the word about getting involved in public debates about science to their friends and colleagues. In response to this Sense About Science created the VoYS network, which operates to support early career researchers wanting to make their voices’ heard in public debates about science. The VoYS network have their own forum and have produced the following publications:

Standing up for Science, a guide to the media which provides insight into how the media reports science and gives practical tips on what to do if a journalist calls.
There Goes Science Bit…, a hunt for the evidence behind pseudoscientific product claims
The Detox Dossier, a hunt for the evidence behind detox claims made for products and diets, and their campaign to alert the public.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the following organizations for help with its production and dissemination:

Last updated: February 04 2009