Customer Reviews

Explaining Research: How to Reach Key Audiences to Advance Your Work

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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

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.

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.

Science reporters everywhere will tell you that Dennis Meredith was, for many years, one of the smartest and most reliable university PIO's in the non-business business of higher education.

From this end, he could always be relied upon to give a clear and truthful pitch; his love of science made him a valuable publicist for what were often dense and difficult ideas. Bottom line: reporters trusted Dennis Meredith, which made him effective.

Now Meredith has put out a compendium of all he knows about getting coverage for academic research. His advice is...well, golden and professors should study it carefully.

This reporter, highly recommends it.

Claudia Dreifus

The author's point is that researchers need to be able to communicate research to non-research audiences - and that learning some communication techniques can improve their communication with fellow researchers as well. Well written, lots of good tips.

While written mainly for scientists, this is a useful handbook for science writers, journalists and university communicators who want to understand how the process of communicating research looks from the scientist's side. Anyone who spends a lot of time writing about research would benefit from reading this book and sharing it with the scientists at one's institution. The book should make it easier for scientists to understand science writers, and vice versa.

Carl Marziali

With rare expertise, academic rigor and an engaging writing style, Dennis Meredith has masterfully laid out in plain English the ABCs and fine points of explaining scientific research to scientists and non-scientists alike. Chapters on how to give compelling talks or create effective poster presentations will help researchers do a better job of explaining their work at scientific meetings. Numerous other chapters will prove indispensable to researchers who need to tell their story to administrators, funders, legislators, journalists, or the general public. With a super-keen understanding of his topic and insights born of four decades as a communicator for top-notch research institutions, Meredith has authored a book that is bursting at the seams with useful, relevant information. Extremely well-grounded in traditional methods of organizational journalism, such as news releases, feature stories and still photography, Meredith seems equally well-versed in newer ways of presenting research to wide audiences, such as video news releases, wikis and blogs. All in all, the book should be required reading not only for scientists, but for public information officers (PIOs), writers, editors, and multimedia producers at research institutions.

I had never even thought about the services a Public Information Officer (PIO) provides until I read this book. The author, Dennis Meredith, has been a science communicator who has worked at some of the countries leading research universities.

These include MIT, Caltech, Cornell, Duke, and the University of Wisconsin. He has also worked with science journalists at all of the nation's major newspapers, magazines, and radio and tv networks.

He notes that working with a Public Information Officer (PIO), can serve a researcher in many ways, such as:

* An editorial and media relations expert, writing and distributing news releases, pitching media on feature story ideas, developing media strategy, managing communications crises, and more.

* An institutional ambassador, conveying to administrators the significance of your research and your positions on issues important to your success.

* An educator, teaching you how to develop clear research explanations and work with media.

* A hard questioner, confronting you with those tough questions that you must answer if you are to preserve your reputation and advance your work.

Meredith states that PIO's can be invaluable allies in the researcher's efforts to spread their work. This guide is intended to help the researcher develop the most productive relationships with PIO's, whether they are in an institution, such as a university, at a journal, in a scientific society, or in a funding agency

The author explains the differences between the two types of PIO's, the Sales Rep, and the PIO journalist. He notes the PIO journalist is more effective and credible than the Sales Rep, and that understanding the difference can affect the credibility of your research communication to the media and other audiences.

This slim guide is most impressive and interesting, plus provides vital knowledge and tips for the serious researcher. It addresses multimedia, social media, crisis management, and so much more. A vital reference for today's serious researchers, to make their lives and work easier, and reach the broadest audience. Very highly recommended.