December  2020

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBSSE) has released a digital resource for helping researchers communicate newsworthy insights. Created by the National Academies’ Roundtable on the Communication and Use of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the resource is based on insights provided by journalists and scientists on what makes social and behavioral science newsworthy and what researchers and the media can do to ensure it is accurately reported.

The aim of the roundtable is to support the communication and use of reliable and relevant scientific research for addressing important societal issues. AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine serves on the roundtable. AERA, along with the American Psychological Association, the Institute for Social Research (at the University of Michigan), and SAGE Publishing, is a sponsor of the new resource.

“The National Academies is pleased to be able to provide social scientists with a resource that includes so many practical suggestions from seasoned science reporters and others to help them know what makes their research ‘news,’ how journalists go about their work, and how to prepare for and talk to the media,” said Holly Rhodes, director of the DBSSE Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication.

“This valuable resource will contribute greatly to the scientific community’s efforts to expand the visibility, reach, and use of high-quality data and evidence in all sectors of society,” said Levine. “We encourage not only education researchers, but all scholars and scientists, to review and return to this resource often when disseminating their work broadly and engaging with public audiences.”