The Science Communication sector - what is it?

As you know, this project was set up to explore if professionalisation could be of benefit to the science communication sector. During our conversations with science communicators, several sector-wide issues have arisen that will influence if, and how, professionalisation could move forwards. Many of these issues are well recognised, but some are less obvious or less frequently discussed.

Do you recognise these characteristics of our sector?

1. People working within science communication are motivated by a wide range of agendas
2. People working within science communication have many different institutional homes (e.g., freelance, science centre, museums…) and therefore draw on different disciplines (e.g., education, interpretation, performance…)
3. It is not clear how many people currently work within science communication and of those, which currently lack routes for career progression and professional development
4. The operational structures within science communication are very diverse, with some people operating as businesses, others are volunteers and for some it is an occasional or add-on aspect of their work
5. There is a limited body of knowledge about the distinctive features of science communication
6. Some argue that science is a specialism within broader communication practice
7. There are no agreed and shared quality standards for science communication
8. The underpinning economics of the sector make it piecemeal, competitive, with little job security, unclear career progression routes and results in a community with little autonomy
9. Funding has been fragmented, often responding to a short-term need, rather than in the sector overall

We shared these (along with a report) to the National Forum for STEM. In response they have asked us to look at mapping the sector so we can understand more about its make up (issues 2, 3, 4), to explore quality frameworks for science communication (7), and to look at possible frameworks to identify knowledge, skills and attributes for science communicators (7 and 5).

Helen will be at the BIG Event next week exploring these next steps in more depth.