Measuring Knowledge Diffusion from Academia to Journalism and Policy-Making
In this project, a meta-analysis of knowledge transfer from research institutions to external actors will be analyzed.
Background
Researchers use various channels and pursue a wide range of activities to communicate their results to the “outside world”. There are a large number of studies on possible transfer channels and transfer results such as licenses, patents or spin-offs in the STEM fields - these studies are to be reviewed.However, knowledge transfer in the social sciences often uses other channels and outcomes, relying on multi-stakeholder events or forums, consultations or novel approaches to science communication (e.g. via blogs or social media). As social science knowledge is less tangible, measuring the success of transfer activities is a challenge.
Objective
The aim of the project is to shed interdisciplinary light on the cross-sectoral dissemination of knowledge between research, journalism and politics and to investigate factors that determine the successful diffusion of academic knowledge.
The analysis is based on a longitudinal study of communication science concepts as a particularly relevant example for the understanding of knowledge diffusion processes in the social science research landscape.
In addition to a presentation at the Weizenbaum Institute, the findings will also be presented to a wider scientific audience at the International Communication Association (ICA) conference and the International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics (ISSI).
