Evidence-Based Science Communication

Abstract

Use of the literature review in scientific publications is often poorly thought out and unsystematic. The reader, therefore, has no insight into the quality of the conclusions that were drawn from the literature used. Those conclusions are often based on a coincidental, and not necessarily complete, set of articles. A set of empirical findings resulting from methodologically sound research, as well as a set of essays or editorials can be interesting and peer-reviewed, but the informational value, based on the validity and relevance of both types of literature, is different. This has consequences for which publications should weigh more heavily in the conclusions of a literature review or in the design of an educational science campaign, for example. We make a plea for a systematic literature search within the field of science communication. We will propose a system for evidence-based science communication based on the principles of evidence-based medicine.