Alice Fleerackers
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Using Preprint Sources in Science News: Do Transparent Disclosures Enhance Credibility? Open
This study tested whether the transparent use of preprint sources affects perceived credibility of science news and scientists. In an experiment, U.S. adults read a news report describing COVID-19 research as a “preprint” (with varying lev…
Using Preprint Sources in Science News: Do Transparent Disclosures Enhance Credibility? Open
This study tested whether the transparent use of preprint sources affects the perceived credibility of science news and scientists. In an experiment, U.S. adults read a news report describing COVID-19 research as a “preprint” (with varying…
View article: “It’s messy and it’s massive”: How has the open science debate developed in the post-COVID era?
“It’s messy and it’s massive”: How has the open science debate developed in the post-COVID era? Open
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the global adoption of open science (OS) practices. However, as the pandemic subsides, the debate around OS continues to evolve. This study investigates how the pandemic has shaped the OS discourse and ide…
Preprints in COVID‐19 news coverage: Comparing student and general population perceptions of preliminary science about booster vaccination Open
News framing of preprint research during the COVID‐19 pandemic varied widely, with some articles reporting the findings of preprint studies with a high degree of certainty and others highlighting the preliminary and unpublished nature of t…
View article: “It’s messy and it’s massive”: How has the open science debate developed in the post-COVID era?
“It’s messy and it’s massive”: How has the open science debate developed in the post-COVID era? Open
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the global adoption of open science (OS) practices. However, as the pandemic subsides, the debate around OS continues to evolve. This study investigates how the pandemic has shaped the OS discourse and ide…
View article: Preprint servers and journals: Rivals or allies?
Preprint servers and journals: Rivals or allies? Open
This paper examines the evolving role of preprint servers within the scholarly communication system and their relationship with peer-reviewed journals. Historically prominent in fields like physics and mathematics, preprints have flourishe…
View article: From impact metrics and open science to communicating research: Journalists’ awareness of academic controversies
From impact metrics and open science to communicating research: Journalists’ awareness of academic controversies Open
This study sheds light on how journalists respond to evolving debates within academia around topics including research integrity, improper use of metrics to measure research quality and impact, and the risks and benefits of the open scienc…
Preprints in COVID-19 news coverage: Comparing student and general population perceptions of preliminary science about booster vaccination Open
News framing of preprint research during the COVID-19 pandemic varied widely, with some articles reporting the findings of preprint studies with high degrees of certainty, despite their preliminary nature, and others highlighting the unpub…
Using Preprint Sources in Science News: Do Transparent Disclosures Enhance Credibility? Open
This study tested whether the transparent use of preprint sources affects perceived credibility of science news and scientists. In an experiment, U.S. adults read a news report describing COVID-19 research as a “preprint” (with varying lev…
View article: Stark Decline in Journalists’ Use of Preprints Postpandemic
Stark Decline in Journalists’ Use of Preprints Postpandemic Open
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of preprints, aiding rapid research dissemination but also facilitating the spread of misinformation. This study analyzes media coverage of preprints from 2014 to 2023, revealing a significant post…
Public understanding of preprints: How audiences make sense of unreviewed research in the news Open
News reporting of preprints became commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the extent to which the public understands what preprints are is unclear. We sought to fill this gap by conducting a content analysis of 1702 definitions of t…
“Giving them the best information I could with whatever I had at hand”. Physicians' online health communication practices in a post-normal science context Open
This study describes US-based physicians' online public communication practices, particularly on the social media platform Twitter/X, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We draw on 28 semi-structured interviews to examine how they responded to t…
View article: Bridging science communication and open science—Working inclusively toward the common good
Bridging science communication and open science—Working inclusively toward the common good Open
The 2020–2022 pandemic highlighted concerns about “information disorders”, pressing for approaches capable of guiding the science-society alliance toward a mutually beneficial direction. This essay advocates for and presents a framework pr…
View article: Preprint servers and journals: Rivals or allies?
Preprint servers and journals: Rivals or allies? Open
This paper examines the evolving role of preprint servers within the scholarly communication system and their relationship with peer-reviewed journals. Historically prominent in fields like physics and mathematics, preprints have flourishe…
View article: “Does it feel like a scientific paper?”: A qualitative analysis of preprint servers’ moderation and quality assurance processes
“Does it feel like a scientific paper?”: A qualitative analysis of preprint servers’ moderation and quality assurance processes Open
In recent years, preprints—i.e., scholarly manuscripts that have not been peer reviewed or published in a journal—have emerged as a major source of research communication and a critical component of open science. However, concerns have bee…
View article: Preprint servers and journals: Rivals or allies?
Preprint servers and journals: Rivals or allies? Open
This paper examines the evolving role of preprint servers within the scholarly communication system and their relationship with peer-reviewed journals. Historically prominent in fields like physics and mathematics, preprints have flourishe…
Science News Agencies in SciComm: an exploratory index for evaluating and enhancing public interest in mass-distributed press releases Open
Scientific press releases are reaching the public directly through press reproduction or institutional dissemination. Science News Agencies (SNAs) mediate this process, distributing texts to thousands of journalists while also "leaking" th…
View article: From impact metrics and open science to communicating research: Journalists’ awareness of academic controversies
From impact metrics and open science to communicating research: Journalists’ awareness of academic controversies Open
This study sheds light on how journalists respond to evolving debates within academia around topics including research integrity, improper use of metrics to measure research quality and impact, and the risks and benefits of the open scienc…
View article: “I’d like to think I’d be able to spot one if I saw one”: How science journalists navigate predatory journals
“I’d like to think I’d be able to spot one if I saw one”: How science journalists navigate predatory journals Open
Predatory journals—or journals that prioritize profits over editorial and publication best practices—are becoming more common, raising concerns about the integrity of the scholarly record. Such journals also pose a threat for the integrity…
Public Understanding of Preprints: How Audiences Make Sense of Unreviewed Research in the News Open
News reporting of preprints became commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the extent to which the public understands what preprints are is unclear. We sought to fill this gap by conducting a content analysis of 1,702 definitions of …
View article: ‘My doctor self and my human self’: A qualitative study of physicians' presentation of self on social media
‘My doctor self and my human self’: A qualitative study of physicians' presentation of self on social media Open
Introduction When using social media, physicians are encouraged and trained to maintain separate professional and personal identities. However, this separation is difficult and even undesirable, as the blurring of personal and professional…
Teaching to bridge research and practice: perspectives from science communication educators across the world Open
Despite growing awareness of the need to bridge research and practice in science communication, methods of facilitating meaningful interactions between them remain elusive. This practice insight explores how teaching efforts can help to fi…
View article: The impact of COVID-19 on the debate on open science: An analysis of expert opinion
The impact of COVID-19 on the debate on open science: An analysis of expert opinion Open
This study is an analysis of the international debate on open science that took place during the pandemic. It addresses the question, how did the COVID-19 pandemic impact the debate on open science? The study takes the form of a qualitativ…
Data for: The impact of COVID-19 on the debate on open science Open
This dataset contains the appendix, analysis protocol, search strategy, and corpus of works included in the associated publication. A full description of the methodology can be found in the publication.
View article: Second-order citations in altmetrics: A case study analyzing the audiences of COVID-19 research in the news and on social media
Second-order citations in altmetrics: A case study analyzing the audiences of COVID-19 research in the news and on social media Open
The potential to capture the societal impact of research has been a driving motivation for the use and development of altmetrics. Yet, to date, altmetrics have largely failed to deliver on this potential because the primary audience that c…
Unreviewed science in the news: The evolution of preprint media coverage from 2014–2021 Open
It has been argued that preprint coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic constituted a paradigm shift in journalism norms and practices. This study examines whether and in what ways this is the case using a sample of 11,538 preprints posted …
The neglect of equity and inclusion in open science policies of Europe and the Americas Open
National, international, and organizational Open Science (OS) policies are being formulated to improve and accelerate research through increased transparency, collaboration, and better access to scientific knowledge. Yet, there is mounting…