Given current science-related crises facing the world such as climate change, the targeting and manipulation of DNA, GMO foods, and vaccine denial, the way in which we communicate science matters is vital for current and future generations of scientists and publics.
The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Communication scrutinizes what we value, prioritize, and grapple with in science as highlighted by the rhetorical choices of scientists, students, educators, science gatekeepers, and lay commentators. Drawing on contributions from leading thinkers in the field, this volume explores some of the most pressing questions in this growing field of study, including:
- How do issues such as ethics, gender, race, shifts in the publishing landscape, and English as the lingua franca of science influence scientific communication practices?
- How have scientific genres evolved and adapted to current research and societal needs?
- How have scientific visuals developed in response to technological advances and communication needs?
- How is scientific communication taught to a variety of audiences?
Offering a critical look at the complex relationships that characterize current scientific communication practices in academia, industry, government, and elsewhere, this Handbook will be essential reading for students, scholars, and professionals involved in the study, practice, and teaching of scientific, medical, and technical communication.
Cristina Hanganu-Bresch is Associate Professor of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of the Sciences, USA. She has authored a variety of books and articles in the area of rhetoric of medicine, in particular psychiatry, and in scientific communication. Among her books is Effective Scientific Communication: The Other Half of Science, with Kelleen Flaherty (2020).
Michael J. Zerbe is Professor of Rhetoric and Writing Studies at York College of Pennsylvania, USA. He is the author of Composition and the Rhetoric of Science: Engaging the Dominant Discourse, and his work has also appeared in the Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, Configurations, and POROI.
Gabriel Cutrufello is Associate Professor of Composition and Rhetoric in the Department of Communication and Writing at York College of Pennsylvania, USA. His research interests include the rhetoric of science and the history of technical writing. His work has been published in Rhetoric Review and Written Communication.
Stefania M. Maci is Professor of English Language and Translation at the University of Bergamo, Italy. Her research is centered around ESP with a corpus linguistics approach, focusing, in particular, on medical and popularized discourse across genres (research articles, research letters, posters) from an intercultural perspective.
