Portuguese labs and science communication: from tradition to social media

Abstract

Science communication is an essential activity for institutions, research units and scientists seeking to reach out to the public, find funding opportunities or career advancement. In this article, we intend to better understand and present the reality of science communication practices in Portuguese research units. A questionnaire was drawn up and data from 124 research centers were analyzed. More traditional communication strategies and methods such as public events, science fairs or open days continue to be a strong ally for scientists and laboratories in Portugal, as does direct communication with journalists through press releases. But social networks, used by 109 of 124 respondents, are becoming crucial in the daily lives of units that seek to communicate the science they produce with the public. The Portuguese scientific community, especially in the areas of Humanities, Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences, and Natural Sciences, is creative and lively, experimenting in the multimedia space with videos, animations, applications, or podcasts, suggesting that practice in science communication is becoming more demanding, specialized, and focused on finding different ways to reach different audiences.