9 January 2020

The 2019 book ‘Science communication in South Africa’ is a collection of current reflections about the drivers, objectives, challenges and role players in science communication, with a focus on local context. Contributions have been developed from presentations at a 2018 science communication conference organised by the South African Research Chair in Science Communication at Stellenbosch University.

Published by African Minds, the book is available as a free PDF download.

If you would like to order a print copy of the book, please email editor@africanminds.co.za.

List of chapters and authors:

  • Introduction (Peter Weingart, Marina Joubert & Bankole Falade)
  • Why science communication? (Janice Limson)
  • Putting responsible research and innovation into practice at a local level in South Africa (Penelope S. Haworth & Anne M. Dijkstra)
  • Developing a targeted behavioural change communication strategy for a linguistically and culturally diverse community (Konosoang Sobane & Wilfred Lunga)
  • The challenge of communicating science effectively in fisheries management (Doug S. Butterworth)
  • Science and social media: Opportunities, benefits and risks (Shirona Patel)
  • The quackery virus: A preliminary analysis of pseudoscientific health messages on Twitter (George Claassen)
  • The amplification of uncertainty: The use of science in the social media by the anti-vaccination movement (François van Schalkwyk)
  • Why impact evaluation matters in science communication: Or, advancing the science of science communication (Eric Allen Jensen)