We are proud to announce our paper “A methodological approach to co-design citizen science communication strategies directed to quadruple-helix stakeholders“ has been published on the Journal of Science Communication!
This publication gives an overview of the innovative methodological approach of the NEWSERA project to co-design improved communication strategies for citizen science, in order to inform and inspire others who are reserching how to reach different stakeholders.
Publication’s overview
The interaction between science and society is constantly evolving, and in recent years the growth of participatory science has provided an invaluable opportunity to better align the goals, processes and results of research and innovation with the values, needs and expectations of society. Through citizen science, reliable scientific data can be co-produced and used by the quadruple helix (4H) stakeholders (civil society, academia and scientific community, policymakers, industry and SMEs). However, the implementation of citizen science still faces barriers and challenges, both at the level of its recognition and of its long-term sustainability. Improving communication is crucial to reach a wider base of participants, but also to increase projects’ impact – especially when initiatives have the potential to inform public policies and local lawmakers.
NEWSERA brought together interdisciplinary groups in order to co-create innovative communication strategies in an iterative process, fostering creativity and design-thinking. A set of ongoing citizen science projects were selected as pilots to participate in the NEWSERA Labs, held online and in parallel in Italy, Portugal and Spain. For each project taking part in each Lab, communities of practice were established, being composed by pilots representatives, invited 4H stakeholders, science communication and journalism professionals and NEWSERA facilitators.
The publication details the methodology behind the first round of the NEWSERa Labs, composed of 3 sessions:
- Session 1a: Perspectives and objectives
- Session 1b: Diagnosis
- Session 2a: Co-design of communication strategies
- Session 2b: Defining impact indicators
- Session 3: Presentation of results – The NEWSERA Fridays
Read the full publication on JCOM – Journal of Science Communication.
See the full list of the project’s publications
Cover photo by Element5 Digital/Pexels
