Science News is Good News For Scientists and Journals

A Well-crafted News Release Reaps Benefits

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by Liz Osborn © Current Results Nexus

When a study on mice vocalizations was published in a 2005 issue of PLoS Biology, the paper was downloaded over 40,000 times in one week [1]. Popularity of the mice acoustics article was fuelled by The Guardian, The New York Times and other news media reporting on the research.

While not all research covered by major newspapers attracts this amount of follow-up, there is no doubt that media publicity focuses valuable attention on scientists' accomplishments.

Scientists Value Publicity

"Feedback from our authors," report the editors of BMC Biology, "makes it clear that they value the 'added extras' that publishing in BMC Biology brings." Most important among these extras, they note, is accompanying many research papers with press releases that "generate considerable media interest" [2].

One substantial benefit this kind of publicity can bring scientists is greater financial support for their research. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research advises scientists that positive media coverage of research significantly influences decisions about awarding of research grants [3].

That point is echoed by Lisa Lapin, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Media Relations at University of California, Davis [4]. "Numerous research institutions," she explains, "have stories about funding that was obtained because granting agencies or foundations learned about a research project through the mainstream media."

Media Coverage Boosts Journal Impact

It's not just funding agencies that take notice of science stories in the news. When publicity about research travels beyond scientific circles, studies have shown that the research garners greater attention from the science community itself. Newspaper coverage of articles appearing in science journals subsequently leads to more frequent citation of those journal articles by other scholars [5,6].

Additional insight into the influence of news media exposure on journal impact comes from an investigation of website traffic data for the journal Tobacco Control [7]. Out of 553 articles that the journal published over a six-year period, 47 were announced to news outlets through a press release. The articles accompanied by a press release were downloaded 2.5 times more often than were unpublicized papers. Furthermore, articles with news releases were over twice as likely to be cited later by other scholarly papers.

Many Benefits For Small Journals

Bill Black, editor of Pan American Journal of Public Health, finds that with a little publicity, even smaller journals gain greater visibility and attract higher-quality submissions, among other returns [8]. "For example, news coverage that you produce might lead to new subscribers for your journal," he adds, "new memberships in your society, or additional advertising revenue for your journal."

News Editors Prefer Peer-reviewed Findings

The relationship between journals and journalists is well-established and mutually beneficial. Published research results are often newsworthy.

Several studies confirm that newspaper reporters rely heavily on news releases from journals for their science story ideas and content [9,10,11]. Research findings, for instance, were the most frequent theme of articles printed from 1980 to 2000 in the weekly science section of The New York Times [12].

Large science news websites such as ScienceDaily.com also depend upon press releases [13]. ScienceDaily's editor, Dan Hogan points out that his readers are most interested in "any new research finding, especially those tied to a peer-reviewed journal article."

How to Gain Media Coverage

From his experience, journal editor Bill Black reports, it doesn't take a big name journal with a media relations team to garner journalists' attention [8]. Even a small journal with modest time and budget can generate and benefit from news headlines.

An efficient and cost-effective way for journals or research organizations to produce news releases is by collaborating with a freelance science writer. Liz Osborn specializes in translating journal papers on biology, the environment or natural resources into news stories that appeal to a wide audience.

To find out how Liz can help your organization or journal gain media coverage, email her at info@currentresults.com.

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References
  1. Public Library of Science. PLoS Progress Report June 2009. San Francisco: PLoS. 2009. http://www.plos.org/downloads/progress_report.pdf
  2. Moylan EC, Hodgkinson MJ, Kowalczuk M, Edmunds SC, Webb PA. Editorial – BMC Biology turns five. BMC Biology 2008, 6:53.
  3. Government of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The research-media partnership. http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/2169.html (accessed June 26, 2009).
  4. Lapin L. Media relations. in Research Administration and Management. Edited by Kulakowski EC, Chronister LU. Boston: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. 2006, 109-112.
  5. Kiernan, V. Diffusion of news about research. Science Communication 2003, 25:3-13.
  6. Phillips DP, Kanter EJ, Bednarczyk B, et al. Importance of the lay press in the transmission of medical knowledge to the scientific community. New England Journal of Medicine 1991, 325:1180-3.
  7. Chapman S, Nguyen TN, White C. Press-released papers are more downloaded and cited. Tobacco Control 2007, 16:71.
  8. Black B. Small journals can get press coverage too. Science Editor 2004, 27:111-116.
  9. Bartlett C, Sterne J, Egger M. What is newsworthy? Longitudinal study of the reporting of medical research in two British newspapers. British Medical Journal 2002, 325:81-84.
  10. de Semir V, Ribas C, Revuelta G. Press releases of science journal articles and subsequent newspaper stories on the same topic. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association 1998, 280:294-295.
  11. Ward S. Where do science stories come from? Science Journalism Research Group, University of British Columbia (May 10, 2008). http://www.sciencejournalism.net/where_do_science_stories_come_from.html
  12. Clark F, Illman DL. A longitudinal study of the New York Times Science Times Section. Science Communication 2006, 27:496-513.
  13. Hogan D. ScienceDaily Magazine. ScienceDaily: Contribute. http://www.sciencedaily.com/contribute.htm (accessed June 19, 2009).