Essential Concepts of Science Communication

Declan Fahy is an Associate Professor at the School of Communications, Dublin City University, Ireland. He is the author of The New Celebrity Scientists: Out of the Lab and Into the Limelight (2015). He is Book Review Editor for the Public Understanding of Science journal.Todd P. Newman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA. He is co-author of Science Communication for Scientists: Linking Strategy with Creativity, Practice, and Respect (2025) and editor of Theory and Best Practices in Science Communication Training (2020).

• Introduction: Concepts in Science Communication 1. Activism 2. Anticipatory governance 3. Audience 4. Basic science communication 5. Brand of science 6. Citizen science 7. Co-creation 8. Cultural authority of science 9. Cultural representations of science 10. Decolonising Science Communication 11. Deficit model and deficit model thinking 12. Dialogue and deliberation 13. Dissemination 14. Empathy 15. Ethical science communication 16. Evaluation 17. Expertise 18. Gender 19. Humor 20. Inclusive science communication 21. Indigenous knowledge systems and non-western science 22. Informal science learning 23. Journalism about science 24. Keji and science communication 25. Lay expertise 26. Medialisation of science 27. Misinformation and disinformation about science 28. Models of science communication 29. Narratives 30. News media coverage of science 31. Popularisation 32. Public and publics 33. Public engagement 34. Public opinion and media effects 35. Public understanding of science 36. Public trust in science 37. Responsible research and innovation (RRI) 38. Risk 39. Science art 40. Science controversies 41. Science policy communication 42. Scientific culture 43. Scientific literacy 44. Social media and science communication 45. Strategic science communication 46. Technocracy tolerance 47. Training 48. Uncertainty 49. Underserved audiences 50. Visible scientists

"Examining both long-standing and more recently emerging issues and ideas in science communication, this collection of fifty short essays by authors, who are also a mix of established and early-career, is a valuable introduction and reference book for a continuously diversifying field."Brian Trench, co-author of Science Communication: The Basics (2025) and co-editor of Routledge Handbook of Public Communication of Science and Technology (2008, 2024, 2021)"As science communication continues to grow as both a scholarly field and a professional practice, it’s more important than ever to make its core ideas accessible to the people doing the work. Essential Concepts of Science Communication is a wonderful contribution to this growing field. In bringing together key concepts grounded in practice, it will be an invaluable resource for students, researchers, and practitioners alike, helping to connect the rich scholarship of science communication with the everyday work of engaging people thoughtfully and effectively."Laura Lindenfeld, Executive Director of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, co-author of Science Communication for Scientists: Linking Strategy with Creativity, Practice, and Respect (2025)