Essential Concepts of Science Communication

This A–Z guide provides readers with a comprehensive overview of fifty core concepts in the global field of science communication. It explains the origins and research foundations of each essential concept, analyses how they have been applied in different scholarly and professional contexts, and demonstrates their use as guides to action.

When governments proclaim they want to improve scientific literacy and enhance public trust in science, when universities promise to promote public engagement with research, and when funders require scientists to demonstrate the impact of their research on society, they are all using core concepts from the field of science communication. Essential Concepts of Science Communication defines and explains these key concepts and terms in an accessible and easy-to-navigate overview. It illustrates how these concepts relate to each other and connect more broadly to other ideas and disciplines, as well as including extensive recommendations for further reading. The entries are written by a range of experts from around the world, ranging from eminent scholars who were instrumental in the foundation and development of the field, to early-career researchers advancing knowledge in the discipline, along with scholar-practitioners who bridge the divide between the university, and the world of practice.

Edited by two scholars who also have substantial experience of practical science communication, this book will be an invaluable resource for students studying degrees and modules on the subject, practitioners entering professional practice, and new entrants to the field - including scientists who seek a grounding in the conceptual basis 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).