A Manifesto for Science Communication as Collective Intelligence | SciBeh

"To address these challenges, science communication needs to embrace innovation. We suggest scientists need to focus on the following:

• Scientists as a collective need to define what constitutes expert consensus, as opposed to just group opinion.
• More research is needed to determine how audiences perceive and understand sources of scientific uncertainty, so that scientists can communicate this effectively to society.
• Researchers and social media businesses should continue to develop powerful artificial intelligence tools for sifting through large datasets, identifying misleading content, and flagging it for users.
• Systems that allow for comments on published research could enable experts in the field to draw on scientific consensus to provide ongoing re-evaluation of peer-reviewed publications. Machine learning algorithms that monitor new publications could be used to keep evidence syntheses up to date.
• Online platforms could be used to help facilitate rapid knowledge exchange between scientists as well as discussion of evidence, and consensus formation.
• A “machine of scientific accumulation” might be constructed to depict the global state of scientific evidence over time. As further data and evidence are generated in support of or against certain policies, the global state variable could indicate drift diffusion processes demonstrating the amount of evidence and confidence among the scientific community. This could assist scientists in making specific policy recommendations.
• Scientists could develop more strategic communication programmes, similar to those used in public relations.
• To minimise risks of polarisation, entrenchment, and degeneration of discourse, new methods are needed to enable scientists to prioritise ideas, evidence, and arguments...."