Abstract
AbstractThis qualitative study explores how and why journalists use preprints — unreviewed research papers — in their reporting. Through thematic analysis of interviews conducted with 19 health and science journalists in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it applies a theoretical framework that conceptualizes COVID-19 preprint research as a form ofpost-normal science, characterized by high scientific uncertainty and societal relevance, urgent need for political decision-making, and value-related policy considerations. Findings suggest that journalists approach the decision to cover preprints as a careful calculation, in which the potential public benefits and the ease of access preprints provided were weighed against risks of spreading misinformation. Journalists described viewing unreviewed studies with extra skepticism and relied on diverse strategies to find, vet, and report on them. Some of these strategies represent standard science journalism, while others, such as labeling unreviewed studies as preprints, mark a departure from the norm. However, journalists also reported barriers to covering preprints, as many felt they lacked the expertise or the time required to fully understand or vet the research. The findings suggest that coverage of preprints is likely to continue post-pandemic, with important implications for scientists, journalists, and the publics who read their work.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Reference68 articles.
1. Preprints for the life sciences
2. Preprints: An underutilized mechanism to accelerate outbreak science
3. Technical and social issues influencing the adoption of preprints in the life sciences
4. Preprints: Their Evolving Role in Science Communication
5. Funk, K. , Meadows, A. , Mendonça, A. , Rieger, O. & Swaminathan, S. Preprint authors optimistic about benefits: preliminary results from the #bioPreprints2020 survey. ASAPbio https://asapbio.org/biopreprints2020-survey-initial-results (2020).
Cited by
2 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献