As you probably already know, scientists are becoming increasingly aware of their responsibility to communicate more broadly, especially to the public.
Moreover, given the significant change in the way information is disseminated and accessed, people want more from researchers, academic institutions, and industry than ever before. As a result, the topic of science communication is a growing area of interest.
It is now widely accepted that broader science communication is a fundamental aspect of a scientist’s career. While many do recognise this, it can be a challenge to do it effectively. SciPod offers a professional communication and dissemination service to support and enhance science. We make science understandable, enjoyable, accessible, and open.
We believe:
• Good science communication helps people make informed decisions and motivates them to take appropriate and affirmative action.
• Good science communication encourages everyday people to be scientifically literate so that they can analyse the integrity and legitimacy of information.
• Good science communication encourages people to pursue STEM-related fields of study and employment.
• Good public science communication fosters a community around research that includes both members of the public, policymakers and scientists.
Why SciPod?
Our mission is to connect science and society, which in turn creates innovation. We provide a tangible channel to profile the real-world impact and importance of scholarly research and university-driven innovation. We do this by enabling organisations (including universities, funding bodies, NGOs, publishers and scholarly societies), alongside individual researchers, to share, disseminate and promote their scientific and societal endeavours to a broader and more diverse audience than traditional publication outlets can readily provide. We are not here to change or challenge the traditional scholarly publishing format, but instead we aim to complement this accepted form of dissemination and help enhance communication and impact.
You do not have to look far to see that world is currently on information overload. We live increasingly fast-paced lives, and we have so much more information to process.
A very interesting survey suggested that 75% of people would rather listen to an audiobook than read text (even with imagery), and 50% would choose to listen over watching a video. In fact, a large proportion of those who watch videos on YouTube are actually listening to the audio whilst multitasking.
The popularity of SciPod corroborates this phenomenon; we embody the Audible generation and the way the modern world loves to learn at pace and learn while multitasking.
With an estimated 285 million visually impaired people, and 700 million dyslexic people, we should also not underestimate the value that an audio service offers to a community who are often overlooked in academic publishing.
What is SciPod?
A SciPod is a 10-minute audiobook covering scientific research in a layman friendly language. A SciPod could be summarised as a ‘post print’ form of communication, or a more in-depth and accessible plain language summary produced into the modern communication format of an audiobook.
Each SciPod is written by our team of PhD-level science writers who work diligently to transform complex technical papers into a plain language summary.
Our professional voice artists beautifully narrate the summary into an understandable, enjoyable, and impactful audiobook.
Our dissemination team promote each SciPod to our audience of 26,000 listeners (and growing). As well as promoting to our direct audience and through our social media channels, we publish through all major audio sites including iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Breaker, Pocket Cast, Radio Public, and Overcast.
Our team of editors, scientists, designers and media specialists is unique in the industry and is perfectly placed to help you achieve far reaching impact for your research. Find out how we can support you: www.scipod.global/get-a-scipod