Research Communication in the Social and Human Sciences: From Dissemination to Public Engagement

The sharing of knowledge is one of the key elements of a society’s economic, social, scientific and cultural development. Social and human science research addresses some of society’s most pressing problems, such as poverty, illiteracy, high dropout rates in schools, marginalization of social groups to name but a few. Despite its vital role in building a civil society, research in the social and human sciences has been criticized for being little known by the public. This lack of large-scale visibility detracts from its social and scientific significance and legitimacy in a media-driven society.

To address this pressing need for sharing social and human science knowledge and to overcome the paradox of its invisibility, this book brings together researchers from across disciplines in the social and human sciences who have identified the challenges in communicating across boundaries of researcher and practitioner communities and who have begun to develop solutions ranging from research dissemination in the media to stakeholder engagement in research networks and partnerships.