Explaining Research: How to Reach Key Audiences to Advance Your Work [Paperback]

Dennis Meredith (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0199732051 | ISBN-13: 978-0199732050 | Publication Date: February 25, 2010 | Edition: 1

Explaining Research is the first comprehensive communications guidebook for scientists, engineers, and physicians. Drawing on knowledge gleaned from a forty-year career in research communications, Dennis Meredith maps out how scientists can utilize sophisticated tools and techniques to disseminate their discoveries to important audiences. He explains how to use websites, blogs, videos, webinars, old-fashioned lectures, news releases, and lay-level articles to reach key audiences, emphasizing along the way that a strong understanding of the audience in question will allow a more effective communication tailored to a unique background and set of needs. In addition to drawing on the experience of the author, the book also includes excerpts from interviews with 45 of the country's leading science communications experts, including academics, authors, journalists, and public information officers.

As the "information age" places new demands on scientists, Explaining Research will be a valuable resource not only for current professional scientists, but also for students who are the voice of the science community's next generation.

This authoritative guide shows how to:



· Develop a "strategy of synergy" that makes research communication efficient and effective

· Give compelling talks

· Build a professional Web site

· Create quality posters, photos, animations, videos, e-newsletters, blogs, podcasts, and Webinars

· Write popular articles and books

· Persuade donors, administrators and other key funding decision-makers

· Produce news releases that attract media coverage

· Give clear media interviews

· Serve as a public educator in schools and science centers

Visit www.explainingresearch.com to learn more about the book and additional resources.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Meredith delivers an avalanche of guidance on every facet of explaining research, from giving compelling Powerpoint presentations to advising museum exhibits, shooting videos, writing press releases, and talking with the media and with policymakers. Explaining Resarch includes some astonishing and useful minutiae: When writing for print or the Web, one should revise sentences that contain too many short letters such as a, c and n, because its easier to read text that combines short letters with tall ones. Readers are reminded to go to the bathroom before participating in Web conferences, and to wear tall socks for television interviews, lest their calves peek out below their pant legs." -- American Scientist

"Research Explainer Meredith provides more than an expression of opinion regarding the urgent need to reach the public and bridge the gap in science. He provides data and information on the trends that will be quite surprising to most scientists in his "Introduction: Explaining Your Research Is a Professional Necessity." The remainder of the book is a well thought out How-to guideline for scientists who wish to create a communication strategy that is effective in today's world. [Meredith] creates a compelling case to motivate scientists into action and he provides an authoritative guide to show how it can be done. Any scientist in today's culture of media should have 'Explaining Research' on hand."--The Physiologist

"...a huge range of tools and techniques are presented and successfully explained, with additional material available online through Meredith's blog and website. The book is consistently positive and encouraging, convincing the reader the step up and engage with the public, balancing aspirational suggestions with cautionary tales. Meredith wears his extensive experience lightly and his engaging style and up-to-date material are sure to make this book extremely popular as the need to tailor research communication to new audiences grows."--Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry

"During his 40-year career, veteran US science communicator Dennis Meredith has written thousands of press releases and magazine articles while serving a string of leading American universities. In Explaining Research: How to Reach Key Audiences to Advance Your Work Meredith distils this experience into a fabulous guide for scientists seeking to communicate the fruits of their labours. Meredith offers stacks of advice on everything from creating a great website and crafting a well-written press release to preparing online videos and writing a blog. It is inspiring stuff, yet rooted in reality for example, Meredith provides useful PowerPoint tips (F5 starts a presentation; the space bar shifts to the next slide) and offers a list of "thrifty" words that can substitute for long ones ("do" not "perform", "end" not "terminate" and so on)."-- Physics World

"An excellent guidebook, full of practical tips and advice and, just as important, key things to avoid and illustration of how not to do it, so that readers can, as the subheading says, 'reach key audiences to advance their research'." --Chemistry World

"A highly readable compendium of techniques to get your message out from a PR pro. No matter how good you are at gaining "mind-share", you will learn something new from this book."
-- Brian Snow, NSA IAD Technical Director, 1996-2002

"It is so important for scientists and engineers to communicate their work to the public no matter what field they are in. Explaining Research provides great advice to those new to the experience, and there's opportunity for the more experienced among us to learn, too." -- Peter Agre, M.D., Nobel Laureate

"This book is what every scientist needs - a communication coach who gives you the tools to succeed while simultaneously urging you forward and cheering you on." -- Bruce Lewenstein, Professor of Science Communication, Cornell University

"Explaining Research is a must-have, must-read not only for its primary target audience, scientists, researchers, and engineers, but also, given the new media landscape, for just about anyone eager to enhance his/her science communication skills." -- Ben Patrusky, Executive Director, Council for the Advancement of Science Writing

About the Author

Dennis Meredith's career as a science communicator has included service at some of the country's leading research universities, including MIT, Caltech, Cornell, Duke and the University of Wisconsin. He has worked with science journalists at all the nation's major newspapers, magazines, and radio and TV networks and has written thousands of news releases and magazine articles on science and engineering over his career.

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (February 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199732051
• ISBN-13: 978-0199732050
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dennis Meredith's career as a science communicator has included service at some of the country's leading research universities, including MIT, Caltech, Cornell, Duke and the University of Wisconsin. He has worked with science journalists at all the nation's major newspapers, magazines, and radio and TV networks and has written well over a thousand news releases and magazine articles on science and engineering over his career.

He has served on the executive board of the National Association of Science Writers and is a contributor to its magazine ScienceWriters. He wrote the NASW handbook on media relations, Communicating Science News. He has also served as a judge for the NASW Science-in-Society Awards and the AAAS Science Writing Awards. He won the latter award himself - for newspapers under 100,000 circulation - in 1974.

He was a creator and developer of EurekAlert!, working with AAAS to establish this international research news service, which now links more than 4,500 journalists to news from 800 subscribing research institutions.

He has also worked with federal agencies and scientific journals, including NSF and the Public Library of Science, to help them develop policies for communicating research and collaborating with public information officers. He has given seminars on science communications and public affairs for NASA, NASW and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, among other organizations. He has worked as a consultant on research communication for such organizations as the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory and as a consultant on multimedia museum exhibits.

He holds a B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of Texas (1968) and an M.S. in biochemistry and science writing from the University of Wisconsin (1970).

In 2007, he was elected as a AAAS Fellow "for exemplary leadership in university communications, and for important contributions to the theory and practice of research communication."

He is currently writing science articles and books and consulting on research communications (see www.DennisMeredithConsulting.com).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable guide for scientists, March 5, 2010

By 

Jeff Grabmeier (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Explaining Research: How to Reach Key Audiences to Advance Your Work (Paperback)

In an era in which science and technology plays such an important role in our lives, we need to have scientists and engineers talk to us about their work. That's why I am so pleased to have found "Explaining Research" by Dennis Meredith. Even scientists who want to explain their work to the public may be at a loss on how to do that. "Explaining Research" shows the way in an engaging, informative format. Scientists learn how explain their work clearly to the public, target key audiences, and work with the news media. While Meredith discusses all the traditional ways of reaching the public, he also delves into new media like blogs and podcasts. As someone who works with scientists all the time, I will highly recommend this book to the researchers I meet. Scientists who read and follow Meredith's advice will feel more confident and able to communicate their research to a broad audience.Explaining Research: How to Reach Key Audiences to Advance Your Work

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Because sometimes it IS rocket science!, February 1, 2010

By 

Dianne L. Izzo (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Explaining Research: How to Reach Key Audiences to Advance Your Work (Paperback)

This book helps everyone with a need to communicate science to non-scientists (I'm talking to you, my lawyer compadres). Every chapter provides targeted tips for the evolving media world, from wikis to webinars.
Before law school I was a technical copywriter and for decades I've been married to a journalist. Thus, I can personally vouch for the authentic truths spoken in this handy volume -- cover to cover, it packs in everything you should know about turning the most intricate research into a story people will enjoy hearing.
Bravo! "Explaining Research" is a tour-de-force that I immediately put on my desk for easy reference. Dennis Meredith practices what he preaches -- the tone is readable and the content is bona fide.
My advice? Buy two and give one to a very good friend.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable resource for improving communication skills, January 29, 2010

By 

M. BRATCHER (Houston TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Explaining Research: How to Reach Key Audiences to Advance Your Work (Paperback)

This book, while primarily aimed at the scientific researcher, is really all about communicating, and contains an abundance of useful info that could and should appeal to a wider audience of researchers than just the scientific kind. The author presents the topics and tools in a format that has just the right amount of details and is entertaining to read. For anyone who wants to "get the word out" this book would be a valuable resource and I highly recommend it.