Overstating the importance of scientific results as optimal strategy to increase readership

Authors

  • Julieta Campi University of Leicester. Centre for Systems Neuroscience
  • Joaquin Navajas University College London. Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7594/revbio.15.01.08

Keywords:

Science journalism, neuroscience, divulgation, exaggeration, influence

Abstract

The relationship between science journalism and science is a complex relationship that has advantages and disadvantages for each of the actors involved. Often the mass media publishes scientific advances giving them more importance than they have in the scientific community, especially when it comes to advances in curing diseases. In this paper we propose one of many possible explanations for this problem, based on the model of influence Bayarri & DeGroot (1989). The main hypothesis is that the newspapers of less influence in society tend to exaggerate scientific results, while the most respected journals are more skeptical and cautious report on scientific developments

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Published

2018-04-23

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 1 (2016)

Section

Ensaio

License

We ensure that our journal does not retain any copyright and that these are exclusive of the author(s) of the text. In that sense, we intend to break any restrictions to the published material and to achieve more intensely our goal of communicating science.

How to Cite

Campi, J., & Navajas, J. (2018). Overstating the importance of scientific results as optimal strategy to increase readership. Revista Da Biologia, 15(1), 65-73. https://doi.org/10.7594/revbio.15.01.08