Introduction to the "Science Communication Skills for Press Officers" course
The Basics of Scientific Research
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Pre-module assessment
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Learning objective - 1/12
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Introduction - 2/12
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What is research? - part 1 - 3/12
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What is research - part 2 - 4/12
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How research is done - 5/12
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Uses of research - 6/12
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Types of research 7/12
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Basic vs applied research - 8/12
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Experimental vs non-experimental research - 9/12
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Qualitative vs quantitative research - 10/12
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Descriptive vs correlational vs explanatory research - 11/12
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In summary - 12/12
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Post module assessment
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Module completed!
What makes news in science
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Pre-module assessment
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Learning objective - 1/13
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Introduction - 2/13
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What the media want from science - 3/13
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So, what is newsworthy in science? - part 1 - 4/13
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So, what is newsworthy in science? - part 2 - 5/13
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News values activity 1 - 6/13
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News values activity 2 - 7/13
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News values activity 3 - 8/13
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News values activity 4 - 9/13
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News values activity 5 - 10/13
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News values activity 6 - 11/13
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Application of science news values - 12/13
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Summary - 13/13
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Post module assessment
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Module completed!
Spotting the news in a scientific paper
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Pre-module assessment
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Learning objective - 1/11
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Introduction - 2/11
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Why you need to know how to spot the news - 3/11
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Differences between scientific papers and journalists’ stories - 4/11
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Why you need to read scientific papers - 5/11
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How scientists structure their papers - 6/11
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Understanding the title - 7/11
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The story at the bottom - 8/11
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Rest of the paper - 9/11
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Home work - 10/11
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Summary of how to spot the news - 11/11
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Post module assessment
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Module completed!
How to interpret research findings
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Pre-module assessment
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Learning objective - 1/11
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Introduction - 2/11
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Understanding study results - 3/11
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Sample mean vs whole group mean - 4/11
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p-value and statistical significance - part 1 - 5/11
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p-value and statistical significance - part 2 - 6/11
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Correlation and causation - 7/11
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Experimental vs non-experimental studies - 8/11
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Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence - 9/11
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Three other issues to look out for - 10/11
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Summary - 11/11
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Post module assessment
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Module completed!
How to find the story in a technical report
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Pre-module assessment
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Learning objective - 1/12
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Introduction - 2/12
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What’s in a technical report? - 3/12
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How journalists use information from technical reports - 4/12
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Structure of technical reports - 5/12
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Table of contents - 6/12
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Executive summary - 7/12
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Main body - 8/12
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Annexes - 9/12
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Application of news values to technical reports - 10/12
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Reading the report - 11/12
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In summary - 12/12
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Post module assessment
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Module completed!
How to simplify science without losing its meaning
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Pre-module assessment
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Learning objective - 1/12
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Introduction - 2/12
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To simplify science you have to understand it - 3/12
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How to simplify science - 4/12
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Avoid technical jargon where possible - 5/12
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What if you must use technical terms? - 6/12
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Make meaningful comparisons & Use relevant real life examples - 7/12
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Good use of images and audio & Use statistics sparingly - 8/12
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Keep it lean to avoid information overload - 9/12
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Give them something to see, touch and feel - 10/12
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Exercise and homework - 11/12
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In Summary - 12/12
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Post module assessment
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Module completed!
How to simplify numbers and statistics
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Pre-module assessment
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Learning objective - 1/9
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Introduction - 2/9
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Using fewer numbers in a sentence - 3/9
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Limit the number of digits and decimal places - 4/9
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Use familiar fractions - 5/9
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Use infographics - 1/2 - 6/9
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Use infographics - 2/2 - 7/9
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Compare with familiar items - 8/9
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Summary: How to simplify statistics - 9/9
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Post module assessment
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Module completed!
Making science Interesting to journalists
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Pre-module assessment
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Learning objective - 1/7
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Introduction - 2/7
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Newsworthiness may not be enough - 3/7
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Techniques for making science relatable - Humanise the science - 4/7
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Making science relatable - Ride on a trending topic - 5/7
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Making science relatable - Address people’s most pressing needs, problems and aspirations - 6/7
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Summary - 7/7
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Post module assessment
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Module completed!
How to find and work with science journalists
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Pre-module assessment
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Learning objective - 1/10
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Scientists vs journalists - 2/10
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Science journalists - 3/10
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Finding the right journalist - Look for the authors of good science stories - 4/10
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Finding the right journalist - See who is following your organisation online - 5/10
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Finding the right journalist - Use professional associations - 6/10
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Finding the right journalist - Introduce yourself to journalists at scientific meetings and events - 7/10
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Finding the right journalist - Referral from other communication specialists and and journalists - 8/10
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Working with journalists - 9/10
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Summary - 10/10
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Post module assessment
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Module completed!
Ethical issues in communicating research findings
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Pre-module assessment
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Learning objective - 1/6
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Introduction - 2/6
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Definition of ethics and reasons for ethical communication - 3/6
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Research, journalism and communication ethics principles - 4/6
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Application of the ethical principles - 5/6
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Summary - 6/6
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Post module assessment
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Module completed!
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Course completed!
