Dr. Craig Cormick, Australia's leading science communicator has published
his new book, The Science of Communicating Science, together with Centre for
Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) and Commonwealth Scientific
and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The book aims to help solve a
major problem that many scientists face at some point in their career: how
do I communicate my work to society? The Science of Communicating Science is
a rare book that combines academic rigor with the ease of reading a blog.
It's a solid one-stop-shop where scientists can learn about the main aspects
of science communication without "having to read several hundred academic
papers and blogs and books." The book also helps to solve an unusual problem
surrounding science communication: the disconnect between scientists and the
information available on science communication.



The book has a comprehensive but digestible road map for science
communications. Part 1: The ground rules lays facts and truths that are
essential to understand before wading into setting up Facebook accounts or
drafting press releases. It covers the importance of observing and
understanding one's audience. Part 2: Communication tools is the book's main
section and includes practical advice about specific communication tools.
Part 3: When things get hard is one of the most interesting parts of the
book, since it tackles exactly those times that scientists dread the most:
what to do when things get hard. Part 4: Science communication issues is the
final section of the book and includes some thought provoking issues,
including ethics.



The book also contains interesting and relevant case studies, with each
chapter ending with a section entitled 'What to do with what you now know',
which offers practical steps for taking action, as well as 'Key summary
points' to capture the highlights of each chapter. There are also excellent
endnotes for further reading, with charts, illustrations and tables to
enhance the book's messages.



[blog.cabi.org]