Document Type
Article
Department
Office of the Provost
Abstract
COVID science is being both done and circulated at a furious pace. While it is inspiring to see the research community responding so vigorously to the pandemic crisis, all this activity has also created a churning sea of bad data, conflicting results, and exaggerated headlines. With representations of science becoming increasingly polarized, twisted, and hyped, there is growing concern that the relevant science is being represented to the public in a manner that may cause confusion, inappropriate expectations, and the erosion of public trust. Here we explore some of the key issues associated with the representations of science in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these issues are not new. But the COVID-19 pandemic has placed a spotlight on the biomedical research process and amplified the adverse ramifications of poor public communication. We need to do better. As such, we conclude with 10 recommendations aimed at key actors involved in the communication of COVID-19 science, including government, funders, universities, publishers, media, and the research communities.
Publication (Name of Journal)
FACETS
DOI
10.1139/facets-2021-0018
Recommended Citation
Caulfield, T.,
Bubela, T. M.,
Kimmelman, J.,
Ravitsky, V.
(2021). Let’s do better: Public representations of COVID-19 science. FACETS, 6, 403-423.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/provost_office/727
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Comments
Issue no. is not provided by the author/publisher. This work was published before Tania joined Aga Khan University.