Engaging the public and peer review: online workshops with Sense about Science

Taylor & Francis is proud to support Sense about Science, a  charity that aims to put science and evidence in the hands of the public. This Autumn, they will be hosting two free online events.

‘Standing up for Science’ offers valuable advice on how to make your voice heard in public debates about science, while the ‘Quality and Peer Review’ workshop examines the process of peer review, its future and the associated challenges. Both workshops offer insights and guidance from experts and academic professionals.

Find out more below.

Standing up for Science workshop

18 September 2020 – online event (full day)

Interested in engaging with the public, the media, and policy makers about science and evidence in public discussions? These popular full day events are free to attend and for early career researchers (PhD, post-docs or equivalent) who want to make their voice heard in public debates.

Researchers will learn how the media works; how evidence informs policy; what journalists and policy makers want and need from researchers, and how to communicate research effectively.

“Very encouraging and motivating”; “really helpful for me as a PhD student”; “good diversity of panelists and good amount of time for questions”; “enlightening – made me think about new aspects”.

Quality and Peer Review workshop

23 October 2020 – online event (half day)

What does peer review do for science and what does the scientific community want it to do for them? Does it illuminate good ideas or shut them down? Should it detect plagiarism, bias or fraud? How can early career researchers engage with the process?

These half-day workshops are aimed at all early career researchers, scientists, social scientists, engineers and medics. Each event examines the process of peer review in detail through a combination of group work, panel talks from experienced editors, authors and reviewers, and audience discussion.

Participants have the opportunity to discuss their questions and concerns about peer review, hear why peer review matters to the public as a tool to evaluate the status of research claims, gain insights into the journal publishing scene, and tips on how to get involved in peer review. The attendees will also become part of Voice of Young Science (VoYS), a network of early career researchers who play an active role in public debates about science.