“Is it enough to do good science and publish it in reputable peer-reviewed journals?” asks historian of science Naomi Oreskes.
A resume filled with peer-reviewed publications and presentations at scientific meetings is the standard scientific career. And yet, more and more scientists are finding themselves translating a piece of their work for a larger audience. There are scientists who enter fields that they know are more public—those who study climate science or gun violence or the outcomes of child poverty—and who, as such, can expect to be called upon to engage in the public space. But the spread of misinformation calls on the engagement of scientists of all stripes from time to time. What does a scientist do, in the performance of her research, when she feels the needs to speak out on an issue on which she is an expert, pushing beyond peer review into public view?
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