Science and Development Network
News, views and information about science, technology and the developing world
Key Documents archive results 1-20 of 29 in Science Communication
This policy brief, prepared by the Africa Progress Panel, African Development Bank and UN, outlines the implications of climate change for Africa, emphasising the need for a strong and cohesive negotiating position at the December 2009 climate talks in Copenhagen. The authors argue that African...
KEY DOCUMENT | EN
This article, published for The Rockefeller Foundation's conference series 'Making the eHealth Connection', assesses the barriers to quality health information in developing countries, which hamper the development of health systems and services. While the Internet has improved access to health...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2008 | EN
This report, published by the Center for International Development at Harvard University and the International Livestock Research Institute in Kenya, asks which institutions and approaches are most effective in using scientific knowledge to inform development strategies. The authors evaluate...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: July 2008 | EN
The WHO has provided its own estimates of how non-communicable diseases are set to rise in developing countries. These authors pool data from national registries and international databases to compare data on the differing burden from individual diseases. They outline the risk factors associated...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: January 2005 | EN
This special issue of Biotechnology Journal collects together opinion and case study articles to explore a multitude of challenges around public communication of biotechnology in different parts of the world. Topics include combating the negative emotions that many members of the public feel...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: September 2007 | EN
Research can only contribute to the progress of humanity once it is effectively communicated to policymakers so that it can influence decisions and actions. This article explores the link between research and decision-making systems, and suggests strategies for more effective communication. The...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2005 | EN
This is a thorough and in-depth analysis of the link between media coverage of science stories and the public understanding of science. The 56-page document was prepared for the UK Economic and Social Sciences Research Council by British media experts Ian Hargreaves and Justin Lewis, with the...
KEY DOCUMENT | EN
The South African press has often been criticised for its lack of science and technology coverage. This is the report of a study which aimed to determine how and to what degree science and technology were reported in a representative sample of the South African press. The study surveyed the...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2002 | EN
Anil Gupta, Founder Coordinator of the Honey Bee networkhttp://www.sristi.org/honeybee.html and Founder President of the Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions, describes the barriers to communication that stand between researchers, policy-makers, policy...
KEY DOCUMENT | EN
These guidelines, produced by the UK Social Issues Research Centre, the UK Royal Society and the Royal Institution of Great Britain, address the issues of health reporting and science reporting on health-related issues such as new drugs and medical technologies. The first section is addressed...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: December 2001 | EN
The US National Association of Science Writers has produced this guidance communicating science news. It introduces the different types of media and their different journalistic techniques; the role of the public information officers in creating science news; the dos and don'ts of media...
KEY DOCUMENT | EN
This is the Association of British Science Writers' booklet on how to enter the field of science journalism. It is addressed to all aspiring science journalists, including researchers and science graduates who are considering a move away from academic research and into science writing. ...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2002 | EN
In this paper, G. Pascal Zachary, an experienced development journalist, discusses the challenges to quality development reporting from both developed and developing countries. He explores the different interpretations of what development is, whether it is positive or negative and how...
KEY DOCUMENT | EN
Produced by the World Health Organization (WHO), this handbook is an introduction to the science behind bird flu and the potential for an influenza pandemic. It contains background information including influenza pandemics of the 20th century, general questions about pandemics, the uncertainty...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: December 2005 | EN
This report analyses key issues surrounding decision-making on GM crops in developing countries. The document was written by Ehsan Masood and others as part of PanosS Communicating Research through the Media Programme, Relay. Using case studies from Brazil, India, Kenya, Thailand and Zambia,...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2005 | EN
This document summarises the 12th email conference of the FAOSs e-forum on biotechnology, which took place during January and February 2005. The topic was public participation, and particularly the involvement of people in rural areas. Some 70 international participants contributed to the...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2005 | EN
This is the written evidence given by Britain's largest science and technology publisher to a UK parliamentary inquiry on scientific publications. In the statement, Reed Elsevier defends the traditional 'user-pays' model of scientific publishing. It argues that by introducing an 'author-pays'...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: March 2004 | EN
This is an extract of a letter from Richard Charkin, chief executive of Macmillan publishers, which was submitted as written evidence to a UK parliamentary inquiry on scientific publications. In the letter, Charkin argues that the 'author-pays' model used by open-access journals "potentially...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: March 2004 | EN
This is an overview of the open-access movement and its potential, designed for members of the research and academic communities. It highlights the key points to consider in thinking about and discussing open access, gives examples of open-access implementation, and provides sources for more...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: May 2003 | EN
This is a statement of principle that was drafted at a meeting in April 2003 at the headquarters of the US-based Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The statement spells out significant concrete steps that all relevant parties -- including scientific research organisations, scientists, publishers...
KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: June 2003 | EN
Our blog, by SciDev.Net columnist Priya Shetty, will fill you in, as will our interview with the Global Forum's Gill Samuels