Scientific Communication Has Been Learningcommunication from the COVID-19 ‘Infodemic’ Impeded by a Barrage of Misinformation

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The Project ECHO webinar featured a diverse array of expert contributors from various scientific backgrounds.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, clear scientific communication has been Learningcommunication from the COVID-19 ‘Infodemic’ impeded by a barrage of misinformation.

According to Dr Sridhar, “I think policy makers during the pandemic. given the fast pace of COVID-19 “Given the When we asked Dr Devi Sridhar which The COVID-19 pandemic has taken place in an age of rapid digital communication. Scientific voices can become lost fast pace of in the noise. Worse, some were not accessible to the general public in the first place. On th7 December 2020, Project policy, it’s been hard for them to COVID-19 policy, strategies she has found effective for ECHO held a Global Series webinar: “COVID-19 global learning collaborative - science and the response to the communicate the evidence base it’s been hard for breaking down complex data and [policymakers] to COVID-19 ‘infodemic’”. The goal of the webinar was to discuss the importance of clear communication of science in behind decisions. This is why it has Photo Credit: Inglis Alan research accurately and accessibly for response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We spoke to four of the expert contributors to dig further into their thoughts on communicate the come to independent scientists to evidence base time-pressured government officials the most important and interesting topics raised during the webinar. explain alongside governments what behind decisions.” and organizations her answer was clear: is happening and why.” “I think reading complex scientific – Dr Devi Sridhar papers, digesting them, and then What are the dangers of adversely affect public acceptance “In many countries, people are During the webinar, Dr Swaminathan trying to communicate simple and clear misinformation? of treatments and vaccines. Accurate reluctant to take vaccines despite briefly alluded to “scientists and public messages that people can understand Throughout the webinar, there was and trustworthy communication is an their availability. Reaching people with health experts not always being the “This pandemic has exposed people easily. It has to be accessible, in plain discussion around the ‘infodemic’ of important factor in increasing public accurate information through trusted best communicators”. She went on to to a vast array of new concepts and language and logical.” misinformation during the COVID-19 trust, which will then increase the uptake channels is critical for increasing expand on some of the common pitfalls unfamiliar scientific terminology, pandemic. It was argued that an of effective treatment and vaccines.” vaccine acceptance.” and barriers faced by researchers and including an incredible amount of Dr Siouxsie Wiles, a microbiologist infodemic could cause preventable organisations who wish to convey information overall. Building scientific and associate professor at the deaths during the pandemic – and Is there a problem with complex scientific concepts. literacy is a longer-term solution. We University of Auckland, has taken the that finding solutions for the infodemic “Accurate and scientific communication? must train young scientists how to interesting route of working with a could save more lives than developing trustworthy Dr Devi Sridhar is a British-American “Communicating complex concepts in communicate to the public and make cartoonist. Dr Wiles described working a new treatment of COVID-19. communication public health researcher who holds lay language, using formats that people sure they are active and visible at the with cartoonist Toby Morris to share is an important factor in increasing the Chair of Global Public Health can access, is a skill that must be science–policy interface.” scientific knowledge with the public as Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief public trust, which at the University of Edinburgh. We learned; many professionals in science “the most incredible collaboration of Scientist at the World Health will then increase asked her whether she thought and public health have not been trained How can researchers better my working life”. Organization, explained why the uptake of effective treatment policymakers are effectively to do this. It is also important to have engage the public? and vaccines.” – Dr Soumya she believed this to be the case: Swaminathan communicating research behind credible and popular leaders convey A seismic shift has occurred in how “If we really want to engage the “Misinformation can severely and health policies to the public. these messages.” science is communicated to public health public, then it seems obvious that we

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During the pandemic, public policy has shifted at a rapid pace.. Blue Planet Studio/Shutterstock.com Planet Blue

The webinar addressed various different communicative avenues, and stressed the need to reach a broader public audience. “If we really want to engage the public, then it seems obvious submission requirements on authors. declined 20-40% of submissions the institutions rely on the overheads that we should On medRxiv, these include the need in 2020, as they did not meet they charge the funders to function.”

Photo Credit: Arvid Eriksson collaborate with for studies to have ethical approval requirements.” people who are or a waiver and the registration of “All of this acts as a disincentive to experts at engaging with different audiences.” – Dr Siouxsie Wiles clinical trials.” Is there a moral imperative to communicating beyond just writing communicate effectively? papers, because communicating “We have a multistep screening Dr Siouxsie Wiles revealed in the more broadly takes time – both to “I think what many researchers process for each manuscript, involving webinar that she, “felt a moral learn the necessary skills and to do may underestimate is just how scrutiny by a scientifically trained obligation to communicate” her the communication. Many times in transformative the results and impact in-house team and working scientists research. However, she added that my career I’ve been told by senior of our research can be, when we work we call affiliates. Screening is not “currently the dissemination of research people that I’m wasting my time with people with very different skills peer review and does not judge the is not valued in academia, which communicating to the general public and approaches. That the research or quality or importance of the work privileges the publication of papers in and should focus on writing papers and work becomes more than the sum of described: the aim is to eliminate peer-reviewed journals that are only grants. I think they probably meant well its parts.” non-science, opinion or hypothesis accessible to a narrow audience.” and were just looking out for me.” not accompanied by data, and claims We asked her why she thought this is How can we screen for misinformation? about medicines or clinical procedures currently the case. “But I’d much rather we change what Dr John Inglis co-founded and that would cause public alarm.” we value and how we measure success. manages bioRxiv, the largest source of “I think this is largely down to what is Because ultimately, relying on such a preprints of research papers in the life considered success in academia, and narrow definition is bad for research sciences, and medRxiv, a preprint server “The aim is to that is publication of papers in high and for our communities.” for health sciences that launched six eliminate non- impact journals and being awarded months before the pandemic began. science, opinion prestigious grants. And you can’t You can watch the full “ECHO COVID or hypothesis not Together, medRxiv and bioRxiv have accompanied by have one without the other, because 19 GLOBAL CONVERSATIONS” posted more than 14,500 pandemic- data, and claims the majority of funding bodies make webinar and hear more from related preprints. We asked him how about medicines or decisions on who to award a grant not all of the researchers here: clinical procedures that would cause bioRxiv and medRxiv had responded to just on the idea but on the applicant’s https://www.youtube.com/ public alarm.” – Dr John Inglis the challenges of the infodemic. track record – their publications.” watch?v=7mWDr4L6F-0. Dr Siouxsie Wiles has collaborated with cartoonist Toby Morris to help communicate vital scientific information through a visual medium. Their collaboration has highlighted the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to medical communication. According to Dr Inglis, “The number “The pandemic prompted us to widen “At the institutions I’ve worked at, of manuscripts posted to medRxiv the scope of screening, to look in academics need to be publishing and should collaborate with people who Morris. He is a visual thinker and increased ten-fold from January to addition for conspiracy theories and getting grants to get pay rises and ProjectECHO are experts at engaging with different communicator. So, it’s been my job May in 2020 and around 70% were therapeutic claims based solely on promotions. So even if your research audiences, like writers, illustrators, to explain the science to him and he pandemic-related, so managing computer modelling or retrospective doesn’t need funding, people are still W: https://hsc.unm.edu/echo/ artists, and performers. That is what I transforms it into something that visual this volume has been challenging. analysis of patient data. Our screening pressured into applying for it. That have loved about working with Toby thinkers like him understand.” Both servers have always placed meant that medRxiv and bioRxiv makes sense when you understand that