Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed October 10, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 291-305).

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Health scientists agree that the media is a crucial conduit for communicating life-saving, preventative and curative health messages to a wider audience. They also concur that they are the gatekeepers, and the responsibility of communicating their findings and health information to the public rests with them. And yet, their relationship with journalists is often unhealthy and in need of attention. Many health scientists lack knowledge and understanding about who the media are, and what they require to do the job of reporting ethically and professionally. They often lack the skills needed to frame simple, succinct messages timeously, especially on controversial issues such as vaccines and drug safety, immunisation and drug treatment for infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS. This study argues that health scientists/professionals globally, irrespective of culture, ethnicity, creed, language or media systems, need training on how to communicate with the media in the interests of public health. This is especially so in the modern world with its complex, high-speed communication. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of a WHO media communication training programme for health scientists worldwide. More specifically, the study sought to shed light on whether the training shifted their perceptions and attitudes to the media. And, if so, in what way? It also aimed to find out if the trainees learned any skills on how to deal with reporters. The research methodology was qualitative. A review of the literature, to establish current thinking in the field, was followed by interviews with health professionals. The interviewees are from China, South Africa and Ghana and received the same basic training either in South Africa, China or Sri Lanka. Some were trained in 2005, others in 2004 and others before that. Most had been trained together with participants from other countries. Two focus groups were conducted in China before and after training. Included, is an account of the aims and objectives of each module of the actual training. The study also made use of WHO documents and news and feature articles from newspapers, radio and the internet. Most participants had never had media communication training but had been interviewed by reporters. While some had positive experiences, others felt bruised by their interactions with journalists. After training, however, they registered a shift in attitude toward feeling more positive and less fearful of the media. They felt more confident and better equipped to engage with journalists. Most participants desired more training to consolidate the skills that they had learned. Some had managed to put the training to good use by developing similar programmes in their own country. Others who were trained more recently were enthusiastic about the prospect of sharing ideas with colleagues. Those who were unlikely to deal with the media directly said they felt they could at last contribute to discussions on the media in the workplace. The WHO training, albeit a first step aimed at bridging the gap between health professionals and journalists, goes a long way in addressing the frustrations and the complexities of dealing with the media. Health professionals want to communicate because they need to reach their target population, the ordinary person in the street. Training and facilitation can empower health professionals to deal constructively with the media in getting health messages to the public. This training programme, which imparts practical skills including how to prepare and manage interviews, could be adapted to meet the needs of scientists from different disciplines. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gesondheidswetenskaplikes is dit eens dat die media ‘n uiters belangrike middel is om lewensreddende, voorkomende en genesende gesondheidsboodskappe aan ‘n groter gehoor oor te dra. Hulle stem ook saam dat hulle die hekwagters is en die verantwoordelikheid het om hul bevindinge en gesondheidsinligting aan die publiek oor te dra. Tog is hul verhouding met joernaliste dikwels ongesond en sorgwekkend. Talle gesondheidswetenskaplikes het geen kennis en begrip van wie die media is en wat hulle nodig het om hul taak – verslaggewing – eties en professioneel te verrig nie. Hulle kort dikwels die vaardighede om eenvoudige, saaklike boodskappe betyds te formuleer, veral as dit kom by omstrede aangeleenthede soos veilige entstowwe en medisyne, immunisering en medisyne vir die behandeling van aansteeklike siektes. Hierdie studie voer aan dat wetenskaplikes/gesondheidsberoepslui wêreldwyd – ongeag kultuur, etnisiteit, geloof, taal of mediastelsels – ‘n behoefte het aan opleiding om beter met die media te kommunikeer ter wille van openbare gesondheid. Dit is veral belangrik vir die ingewikkelde en snelle kommunikasie van die moderne wêreld. Die doel van die studie was om die uitwerking van ‘n wêreldwye opleidingsprogram van die WGO oor kommunikasie met die media te bepaal. Die studie het meer spesifiek probeer lig werp op die vraag of die opleiding hul begrip van en ingesteldheid teenoor die media verander het. En, indien wel, op watter manier? Dit het ook probeer vasstel of deelnemers enige vaardighede aangeleer het oor hoe om met verslaggewers om te gaan. ‘n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodiek is gevolg. Bestaande literatuur is bestudeer om huidige denkrigtings op die gebied te bepaal, waarna onderhoude met gesondheidsberoepslui asook ‘n TV-gesondheidsverslaggewer van Beijing, China, gevoer is. Die ondervraagdes kom van China, Suid-Afrika en Ghana en het dieselfde basiese opleiding in Suid-Afrika, China of Sri Lanka ondergaan. Sommige is in 2005 opgelei, party in 2004 en ander vroeër. Die meeste is saam met deelnemers van ander lande opgelei. Twee fokusgroepe is voor en ná opleiding in China bestudeer. ‘n Verslag oor die oogmerke en doelwitte van elke module van die werklike opleiding is ingesluit. Die studie het ook gebruik gemaak van WGO-dokumente, nuus- en artikels uit nuusblaaie, die radio en die internet. Die meeste deelnemers het nooit opleiding in mediakommunikasie gehad nie, hoewel verslaggewers al onderhoude met hulle gevoer het. Terwyl dit vir sommige ‘n aangename ondervinding was, het ander nie goeie herinneringe aan hul interaksie met joernaliste nie. Ná opleiding het hulle egter getuig van ‘n positiewer gesindheid teenoor en minder vrees vir die media. Die meerderheid van die deelnemers wou graag verdere opleiding hê om hul pas verworwe vaardighede uit te bou. Party kon selfs soortgelyke programme in hul eie lande ontwikkel. Van die meer onlangse deelnemers was geesdriftig oor die vooruitsig om gedagtes met kollegas te wissel. Diegene wat waarskynlik nie veel met die media te doen sou hê nie, het gesê hulle kon nou minstens by die werk aan gesprekke oor die media deelneem. Hoewel dit maar die eerste tree is om die gaping tussen gesondheidsberoepslui en joernaliste te oorbrug, slaag die WGO se opleiding in ‘n groot mate daarin om die frustrasies en verwikkeldhede van omgang met die media te oorkom. Mense in die gesondheidsberoepe wil graag kommunikeer omdat hulle hul teikenbevolking – die gewone mense – moet bereik. Opleiding en tussentrede kan hulle toerus om konstruktief met die media om te gaan ten einde gesondheidsboodskappe aan die publiek oor te dra. Hierdie opleidingsprogram kan aangepas word om in die behoeftes van wetenskaplikes in verskeie vakgebiede te voorsien.

Thesis (MPhil(Journalism))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / The 21st century is less than a decade old, but it is already evident that South Africans will need to improve their scientific literacy (that is, their knowledge about science, the environment and health) if they are to become active citizens in a world which is dominated more and more by complicated scientific and technological advances. It is a world in which average people are increasingly required to understand and make appropriate local decisions regarding numerous scientific debates, including alternative energy sources, climate change and new medical techniques. For most South Africans, the press is their main source of science news. Thus, a huge responsibility rests on the shoulders of newspaper journalists to empower their readers with scientific knowledge and to share the excitement that comes from discovering more about how the universe works. It is within this context that the question arises as to how Cape Town’s newspapers cover science news. Having determined from a review of the literature that a large knowledge gap existed in this field, it was decided to conduct research about science coverage in three daily newspapers (the Cape Argus, the Cape Times and Die Burger) and three weekend newspapers (the Saturday Argus, the Sunday Argus and the Saturday edition of Die Burger) in Cape Town. The quantitative research method of content analysis was employed in order to provide statistical evidence for the study’s problem statement, namely that science news is covered very differently in the six newspapers. This exploratory comparative analysis formed the bulk of the research. The qualitative research methods of surveys and in-depth interviews with the newspapers’ specialist science writers were then used to address the thesis of the study, namely that the science writers are “gatekeepers” (as predicted by the theoretical model of gatekeeping) and that their education, knowledge, interests, beliefs about science, attitudes towards their reporting, and interactions with editors within the newspaper structures determine the science coverage in their newspapers. Thus, this study asks (primarily) what science is covered, and (secondarily) why. The content analysis yielded a wealth of information which confirmed that the six newspapers cover science news very differently, while the surveys and interviews with the science writers validated the prediction that they are the dominant (but not the only) influence on the coverage of science in their newspapers. This study’s goal is to provide a comprehensive comparative overview of the coverage of science news in Cape Town’s newspapers, which will not only create a foundation for future research, but will also provide useful information for the six newspapers, their science writers and editors. Key words: Cape Argus, Cape Times, Cape Town, Die Burger, environment, gatekeeping, health, journalism, media, newspaper, reporter, Saturday Argus, science, South Africa, Sunday Argus, technology.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background: Scientists seem to have an 'international corporate culture' of mistrusting the media. Attitudes of South African scientists to the media and their experiences of reporting findings to the public and media have not been documented. The South African Medical Research Council (MRC) is a statutory research body with an excellent research record - but awareness of the MRC among the South African public is almost non-existent. The MRC needs to publicise and increase knowledge of its goals and research findings by promoting scientists' engagement with the public and other stakeholders. Objective: A postal survey was carried out among MRC scientists to obtain a 'baseline' indication of attitudes and experiences regarding communication to the public and media. Results would inform development and implementation of strategies to fast-track a turnaround in culture at the MRC towards promotion of science communication. Method: A questionnaire with prompted responses was sent to 253 MRC scientists. One hundred were returned (39.5%), representing an impressive assemblage of the MRC's research leaders. Findings: Although 48.9% of the scientists had each published over 30 articles in peerreviewed journals, 38.9% had never had these articles mentioned in the lay media. Yet the scientists regard 'the public' and 'policy makers' as the most important groups they should communicate with, and most think the public glean their knowledge of scientific research and its implications from the lay media. The scientists might not trust the media to provide accurate scientific information, but they feel that the general public do. The vast majority (92.8%) strongly agree or tend to agree that they have a duty to communicate their research and its implications to the public, and 70.8% would like to spend more time on this. However, the scientists also agree that the day-to-day requirements of their jobs leave them with too little time to communicate the implications of their research to others (47.5%) or even to get on with research (36.4%). Most of the scientists had never had contact with the media, or only every few years. When the source or subject ofa news story, 65.4% had been either 'very satisfied' or 'somewhat satisfied' with the coverage. Many of their comments reflected unrealistic expectations which can only be addressed by training in what the media are all about. Most (86.9%) had never had any training in dealing with the media, but 80.8% would be interested in such training. Conclusions: It is clear that the scientists generally want to communicate and see the potential benefits. For the MRC to become a communicating organisation it must spell out to its scientists the importance and value placed on their communication activities. Science communication and development of links with community and media should be seen as part and parcel of scientific research, and given due recognition and support. Policies must be agreed and communicated with the scientists about recognising, encouraging and rewarding such efforts. The MRC also needs a clear media strategy giving guidelines on specific situations, as well as on the Ingelfinger rule. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Agtergrond: Dit kom voor asofwetenskaplikes 'n 'internasionale gedragskode' het om die media te wantrou. Gesindhede van Suid-Afrikaanse wetenskaplikes teenoor die media en hulle ondervinding van die bekendmaking van hulle bevindinge aan die publiek en die media is nog nooit opgeteken nie. Die Suid-Afrikaanse Mediese Navorsingsraad (MNR) is 'n statutêre navorsingsliggaam met 'n uitstekende navorsingsgeskiedenis - maar die Suid-Afrikaanse publiek is haas onbewus van sy bestaan. Die MNR moet sy doelwitte en navorsingsbevindinge openbaar maak deur wetenskaplikes se kontak met die publiek en ander belangegroepe te bevorder. Doelwit: 'n Posopname is onder die MNR se wetenskaplikes gedoen om 'n 'basislyn' aanduiding van hulle gesindhede teenoor en ondervinding van kommunikasie met die publiek en media te verkry. Die resultate hiervan sal die ontwikkeling and implimentering van strategie om 'n vinnige handomkeer in gebruike by die MNR ten einde die bevordering van wetenskapskommunikasie te weeg te bring, stuur. Metode: 'n Vraelys met voorgestelde antwoorde is aan 253 MNR wetenskaplikes gestuur. Eenhonderd is teruggestuur (39.5%), wat 'n indrukwekkende groep van die MNR se navorsingsleiers verteenwoordig. Bevindinge: AlhoeweI48.9% van die wetenskaplikes elk al meer as 30 artikels in portuurevalueerde joernale publiseer het, het 38.9% nog nooit enige dekking in verband met hierdie artikels in die lekemedia ontvang nie. Desondanks beskou die wetenskaplikes' die publiek' en 'beleidmakers' as die mees belangrike groepe waarmee hulle moet kommunikeer. Die meeste dink ook die publiek verkry hul kennis van wetenskaplike navorsing en die gevolge daarvan vanuit die lekemedia. Die wetenskaplikes mag nie die media vertrou om akkurate wetenskaplike inligting weer te gee nie, maar hulle dink die algemene publiek vertrou wel die media. Die oorgrote meerderheid (92.8%) stem sterk saam of stem saam dat hulle 'n verpligting het om hulle navorsing en die implikasies daarvan met die publiek te deel, en 70.8% sou graag meer tyd hieraan wou afstaan. Die wetenskaplikes stem egter ook saam dat die dag tot-dag eise van hulle beroep te min tyd oorlaat om die implikasies van hulle navorsing aan ander te kommunikeer (47.5%) of om selfs hulle navorsing te doen (36.4%). Die meeste van die wetenskaplikes het nog nooit enige kontak met die media gehad nie, of dan wel slegs met tussenposes vanjare. Wanneer hulle die bron ofonderwerp van 'n nuusstorie was, was 65.4% óf 'baie tevrede' óf 'effens tevrede' met die dekking. Baie van hul kommentaar dui op onrealistiese verwagtinge wat slegs aangespreek kan word deur opleiding oor die 'hoe' en 'wat' van die media. Die meeste (86.9%) het nog nooit enige opleiding gehad om met die media te werk nie, maar 80.8% sou belangstel in sulke opleiding. Gevolgtrekkings: Dit is duidelik dat die wetenskaplikes oor die algemeen wil kommunikeer en ook die moontlike voordele daarvan insien. Om 'n kommunikerende organisasie te word, moet die MNR die belang en waarde wat geheg word aan wetenskaplikes se kommunikasieaktiwiteite, aan hulle uitspel. Wetenskaplike kommunikasie en die vorming van netwerke met die gemeenskap en die media moet gesien word as 'n deel van wetenskaplike navorsing en moet paslike erkenning en ondersteuning geniet. Beleid rakende die herkenning, aanmoediging en beloning van sulke pogings moet vasgestel en oorgedra word aan die wetenskaplikes. Die MNR het ook 'n duidelike mediastrategie nodig wat riglyne oor spesifieke situasies en die Ingelfinger reël gee.

Climate science and the effective public communication of it havebecome increasingly vital in a world that is changing atan unprecedentedrate. For many scientists and journalists, the Internet hasgrown to be the preferred medium of climate science communication. As the issues thattextsabout climate changedeal with are ratherpressing, it is crucial that thescientific knowledge is recontextualized for non-expert audiencesin the mosteffectiveand engaging way. Science communicatorshave rhetorical strategiesof recontextualization and discursive strategies of newsworthinessat their disposal to achieve the desired science communicationand ultimately createan inclusive and engaging discourse with theirreaders. This qualitative study is a comparative analysis of two different typesof writers:scientists and journalists. The analysis of onlinetexts about climate change, written by these two types of writers, showsthat scientists and journalists employ many of the same strategies.Nonetheless, the findings reveal distinct differences in how extensively certain strategies are/ are not used.Generally, the scientists recontextualized the scientific knowledge in a more personalizedand inclusivemanner. The journalists, in turn, made use of more discursive strategies of newsworthiness. This qualitative comparative studyalsoprovides a novel analytical framework for further studies of the same kind.

This thesis investigates quantum physics narratives for non-physicists, covering four interlocking modes of writing for adults and children, fictional and nonfictional, from 1900 to the present. It brings together three separate scholarly fields: literature and science, science fiction, and science communication. The thesis has revealed parallels between the approaches to quantum physics in these disparate narratives that have not been addressed before, shedding new light on the mutual influences between science and narrative form. The thesis argues that similar narrative tropes have been employed in popular science writing and in fiction across all age groups, changing non-physicists' ideas of quantum physics. This understanding differs significantly from the professional understanding of quantum physics, as I establish by means of a series of case studies, including popular science books for adults by Alastair I.M. Rae, George Gamow and Robert Gilmore; popularizations for children by Lucy and Stephen Hawking, Russell Stannard, and Otto Fong; children's fiction by Philip Pullman and Madeleine L'Engle; and fiction for adults by Greg Egan, David Walton, Blake Crouch, and Iain Pears. An analysis of authors who wrote for various audiences or in multiple genres, such as Fred Hoyle, Stephen Hawking, and Ian Stewart, shows how the same concerns and conflicts surface in a wide range of stories. Quantum physics is not yet fully understood; the Copenhagen, conscious collapse, many-worlds and other interpretations compete for both scientific and public acceptance. Influential physics communicators such as John Gribbin and Brian Cox have written popularizations in which they express a personal preference for one interpretation, arguing against others. Scientific conflict, which tends to be omitted from university teaching, is thus explicitly present in popularizations, making it clear to the reader that quantum physics is in a constant state of flux. I investigate the conflicts between Fred Hoyle and George Gamow, and Stephen Hawking and Leonard Susskind, to see how they undermine the alleged objectivity of science. The interplay between the different stories of quantum physics shows how the science not only shapes the stories: the stories shape the science, too.

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Ciência da Informação, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência da Informação, 2011. / Submitted by Fernando Leite (fernandodfc@gmail.com) on 2011-12-15T23:15:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese versão final homologada.pdf: 8931610 bytes, checksum: 5a7d0213c626e9017d7e6908dfa3b824 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Guimaraes Jacqueline(jacqueline.guimaraes@bce.unb.br) on 2011-12-16T10:10:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese versão final homologada.pdf: 8931610 bytes, checksum: 5a7d0213c626e9017d7e6908dfa3b824 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2011-12-16T10:10:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese versão final homologada.pdf: 8931610 bytes, checksum: 5a7d0213c626e9017d7e6908dfa3b824 (MD5) / Esta tese apresenta pesquisa de doutorado que teve como objetivo geral propor modelo genérico de gestão da informação científica para instituições de pesquisa, tendo por base os fundamentos da comunicação científica e do acesso aberto. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de natureza teórica e exploratória. Do ponto de vista metodológico, é um estudo de abordagem mista que adotou a estratégia de triangulação concomitante. Os dados foram coletados por meio da aplicação de questionários, realização de entrevistas e lista de verificação e, em seguida, submetidos à análise estatística e de texto. Além da coleta e análise de dados empíricos, realizou-se análise de modelos de comunicação científica e de gestão da informação identificados na literatura. O universo da pesquisa foi constituído dos pesquisadores vinculados às unidades de pesquisa do Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação e a base amostral, definida a partir de amostragem não probalística intencional, foram os pesquisadores do Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas e do Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins. Como principal resultado da investigação apresenta-se modelo genérico de gestão da informação científica para institutos de pesquisa, tendo por base a comunicação científica e o acesso aberto, em sua versão gráfica e textual. No modelo, fluxos de entrada e saída de informação são sistematizados por processos de gestão da informação científica que estão envolvidos pela perspectiva da comunicação científica e do acesso aberto. Sua estrutura, além de embutir conceitos essenciais, considera o ambiente do instituto de pesquisa como um sistema aberto onde ocorre o fluxo da informação científica. O modelo proposto é constituído também por elementos flexíveis que representam especificidades institucionais e disciplinares, e que variam em função dos contextos dos institutos de pesquisa. Além disso, todo o conjunto de elementos e relações entre eles estão sob influência constante de forças provenientes da comunidade científica em uma perspectiva ampla. _______________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT / This thesis presents a doctoral research aimed to propose a generic model of scientific information management for research institutes, based on principles of scientific communication and open access. This is a theoretical and exploratory research. From the methodological point of view, it is a mixed methods study which adopted the concurrent triangulation strategy. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews and checklist, and then submitted to statistical and text analysis. In addition to collecting and analyzing empirical data, it was performed the analysis of scientific communication and information management models identified in the literature. The research sphere was consisted of researchers linked to the research units of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and the sample basis, defined from intentional non-probabilistic sampling, were the researchers of the Brazilian Centre for Physics Research and Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences. The main result of the investigation is the generic model of scientific information management for research institutes, based on scientific communication and open access in its textual and graphical version. In the model, input and output information-flows are systematized by scientific information management processes which are involved from the perspective of scientific communication and open access. Its structure, beyond embedding key concepts, considers the ambient of research institute as an open system where there is the flow of scientific information. The proposed model is also constituted by flexible elements that represent institutional and disciplinary specificities, and vary depending on the research institutes' contexts. Besides, the whole set of elements and relationships among them are under constant influence of forces originating from the scientific community in a broad perspective.

Na busca pelo fortalecimento do debate público sobre Ciência Tecnologia & Inovação (CT&I), pesquisadores têm abandonado o confinamento de seus laboratórios para se comunicar diretamente com a sociedade, fazendo uso de diferentes suportes midiáticos, dentre os quais incluem-se os espaços de enunciação escrita como as colunas de jornal e os livros de popularização científica. A Tese de doutorado discute as possibilidades de aproximação da Ciência com a sociedade por meio das mídias escritas e propõe uma reflexão crítica sobre o papel de um tipo de autor: o cientista engajado com a Comunicação Pública da Ciência. Mais especificamente, discute o papel de transcriação autoral de um grupo de escritores cientistas no espaço de popularização da CT&I, por meio da comunicação verbal escrita, a partir da análise do discurso consubstanciado em seus livros de ensaios curtos. Metodologicamente, a compreensão da narrativa de popularização e das cenas de enunciação busca suporte na linha francesa de Análise do Discurso. Os resultados obtidos evidenciam que os escritores cientistas se utilizam de alguns recursos epistêmicos e linguístico-literários recorrentes, o que permite conceber o empreendimento ensaístico desses autores em termos de dois modelos estilísticos distintos, mas complementares: o racional e o sensível. A Tese sugere que a composição narrativa textual apoia-se em esquemas de pensamento peculiares, identificados como Refuta/Repara (preponderante no modelo racional) e Conecta/Cria (preponderante no modelo sensível). Demonstra, ainda, que a constituição do gênero de ensaios curtos requer um duplo exercício criativo dos autores: posicionar-se enquanto cientista a respeito de um tema de interesse público e fazê-lo por meio da construção de uma narrativa transcriadora. / In an attempt to empower the public debate about Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I), researchers are breaking the walls of their laboratories in order to communicate more directly with society through a variety of media, including written spaces of enunciation such as newspaper\'s columns and books of science popularization. The Thesis discusses the possibilities offered by written media to bridge the gap between science and society, and provides a critical analysis about the role of a particular kind of author: the scientist engaged with the Public Communication of Science. Particularly, it discusses the authorial transcreation effort conducted by a group of science writers, looking at their discourse in some popular short essays books. Methodologically, the understanding of both the narrative and the enunciation scenes draws on studies of the French school of Discourse Analysis. Results show that science writers tend to use, systematically, some epistemic and linguistic-literary resources, suggesting that their essayistic enterprise can be interpreted in terms of two distinct but complementary models: the rational and the sentient. The Thesis provides evidence that the authors\' textual narrative composition brings together peculiar ways of thinking, identified as Refute/Repair (predominant in the rational model), and Connect/Create (predominant in the sentient model). It also demonstrates that the constitution of the genre of short essays requires, from science writers, a double creative move: as scientist, to take position about issues of public interest, and to do it by means of a transcreative narrative.

To self-archive is to make research publications freely accessible by depositing them in an open digital archive or on a public website. The aim of this thesis is to explore what Swedish scientists think of self-archiving, what they know about it and how they make use of it, in order to understand why they do not self-archive more actively. A web survey was conducted which was answered by 296 scientists at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Results show that only 24 % have previous experience of self-archiving, but that a majority is willing to self-archive if there are no legal objections or if it is demanded by the research funder. The most important reasons why many scientists do not self-archive are that they feel uncertain about copyright issues and/or lack knowledge about self-archiving.

The diploma thesis "Communication of Science in the 19th Century with Regard to the Work of Jan Evangelista Purkyně" maps the development of communication of science during the Czech National Revival and proves the enormous role of science in the development of society, language, culture and politics. The work pays special attention to one of the greatest revivalists of this time, Jan Evangelist Purkyně, who had a huge influence on the formation of today's scientific society. The first part presents the theoretical basis of science communication, which serves as evidence of its influence on emancipation processes in the Czech lands in the 19th century. That means the overall context, then the biography and contribution of Jan Evangelista Purkyně, the development of Czech science, which is important for understanding this area, and finally the first Czech scientific journals, whose founder, or at least a partial initiator of their establishment, was Purkyně. The second part of the work is empirical and analyzes the editorials of the first period of publishing the scientific journal Živa in the years 1853-1867, ie during the leadership of Purkyně and Krejčí. With a qualitative content analysis, a political subtext and a challenging publishing activity in these years is illustrated there.