Science and the Internet: Communicating Knowledge in a Digital Age

“This is a timely volume, introducing scholars of rhetoric to the often radical changes that scientists are experiencing in their internal and external communication practices as a result of digital media technologies. Anyone who is serious about understanding scientific argument today needs to be familiar with the rich multimedia environment available to those who make and contest scientific claims in such fora as online journal articles, blogs, wikis, podcasts, and tweets. The diverse case studies in this book are well designed to acquaint readers with some of the most significant developments to occur in science communication in recent years.” – Leah Ceccarelli, Professor, Department of Communication University of Washington, Seattle

“The essays in Science and the Internet address the timely topic of how digital tools are shaping science communication. Featuring chapters by leading scholars of the rhetoric of science and technology, the volume fills a much needed gap in contemporary rhetoric of science scholarship. Spanning science-related blogs and podcasts through open access notebooks, data visualization tools, and online peer review, the book offers insight into how the Internet influences the generation of scientific knowledge and reconfigures the relations among varied publics, scientists, and technological interfaces. Overall, the essays reveal how digital technologies may both fray the boundaries between experts and non-experts and enable more collaborative, democratic means of public engagement with science.” – Lisa Keranen, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies Department of Communication, University of Colorado Denver

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Revolution or Evolution? Casing the Impact of Digital Media on the Rhetoric of Science
Chapter 2. Learning to “Share Your Science”: The Open Notebook as Textual Object and Dynamic Rhetorical Space
Chapter 3. The Scientific Journal: Making It New?
Chapter 4. Evaluation After Publication: Setting the Record Straight in the Sciences
Chapter 5. The Online Research Article and the Ecological Basis of New Digital Genres
Chapter 6. The Chemistry Liveblogging Event: The Web Refigures Peer Review
Chapter 7. Controversies on the Web: The Case of Adult Human Neurogenesis
Chapter 8. Radiolab and Parasites: Podcasting Horror and Wonder to Foster Interest in Science
Chapter 9. Online Visualizations of Natural Disasters and Hazards: The Rhetorical Dynamics of Charting Risk
Chapter 10. Meltdowns in the Media: Visualization of Radiation Risk from The Printed Page to the Internet
Chapter 11. Intersections: Scientific and Parascientific Communication on the Internet
Chapter 12. Why People Care About Chickens and Other Lessons About Rhetoric, Public Science, and Informal Learning Environments
Chapter 13. Afterword: Social Changes in Science Communication: Rattling the Information Chain