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As the ecosystem of actors communicating science has become more complex, there is a need to understand the motivations and deterrents of those involved in the communication of science, technology and health topics. This article reports on a survey of 465 communication actors based in seven European countries. The findings suggest strong commonalities between role and country, with personal enthusiasm a key motivator, and from a theoretical perspective, these motivations can be viewed as relatively pragmatic. More variation was found between countries and roles in barriers to communication, though these suggest a perception that institutions do not value this work.

Introduction: We report an investigation on collaboration practices in research papers published in the most prestigious English-medium astrophysics journals. Method: We propose an evaluation method based on three numerical indicators to study and compare, in absolute terms, three different types of collaboration (international, national and local) and authors' mobility on the basis of co-authorship. Analysis: We analysed 300 randomly selected research papers in three different time periods and used the student's t-test to determine whether the paired two-sample differences observed were statistically significant or not. Results: International collaboration is more common than national and local collaboration. International, national and local authors' mobility and intra-national collaboration do not seriously affect the indicators of the principal levels of collaboration. International collaboration and authors' mobility are more relevant for authors publishing in European journals, whereas national and intra-national collaboration and national mobility are more important for authors publishing in US journals. Conclusions: We explain the observed differences and patterns in terms of the specific scope of each journal and the socio-economic and political situation in both geographic contexts (Europe and the USA). Our study provides a global picture of collaboration practices in astrophysics and its possible application to many other sciences and fields would undoubtedly help bring into focus the really big issues for overall research management and policy.

Recent efforts in the science education community have highlighted the need to integrate research and theory from science communication research into more general science education scholarship. These synthesized research perspectives are relatively novel but serve an important need to better understand the impacts that the advent of rapidly emerging technologies will have on a new generation of scientists and engineers including their formal communication with engaged citizenry. This cross-national study examined postsecondary science and engineering students' (n = 254 from five countries: Austria, Finland, France, Israel, and USA) perspectives on the role of science communication in their own formal science and engineering education. More broadly, we examined participants' understanding of their perceived responsibilities of communicating science and engineering to the general public when an issue contains complex social and ethical implications (SEI). The study is contextualized in the emergent technology of nanotechnology for which SEI are of particular concern and for which the general public often perceives conflicting risks and benefits. Findings indicate that student participants' hold similar views on the need for their own training in communication as future scientists and engineers. When asked about the role that ethics and risk perception plays in research, development, and public communication of nanotechnology, participants demonstrate similar trajectories of perspectives that are, however, often anchored in very different levels of beginning concern. Results are discussed in the context of considerations for science communication training within formal science education curricula globally.

The mass media has a fundamental role to sustain an informed citizenry as a prerequisite for democratic politics. It is, therefore, vital that an evidence-based approach is used when reporting on climate change. Yet, multiple and arguably irreconcilable tensions exist between science and mass media. For example, as media workers are trained to provide a "balanced" approach, this can result in bias in climate change reporting. Additionally, various industry-related pressures mean that mainstream journalists often have limited resources and time to check the accuracy of their climate news stories with researchers. Such tensions and media coverage of alleged climate research misconduct formed the basis of a survey we have developed for an interface group of researchers and journalists who have a vested interest in climate science. The aim of this survey is to compare their attitudes on the performance of the media as a channel of climate change information. The survey was conducted in mid-2010, with responses from journalists and researchers who attended international fora for science-media interface and research integrity discussions, or accessed the survey via an international climate research programme website. Survey findings reveal, contrary to tensions described in the existing literature, a mutual intelligibility and general trust between this core group of journalists and researchers, who have a vested interest in evidence-based climate science reporting. We argue that scientifically informed interface journalists, by collaborating with scientists, can help influence mainstream journalists to better inform the public about the urgency for society to overcome the diabolical climate challenge.

Explores several engineering concepts as the basis of teaching programs for schools, examines ways in which these concepts are modified and adapted to technical and vocational education, and identifies consequences for teacher education. Focuses on the transformation of models in academic disciplines and extracts knowledge useful for decision making concerning teacher education. (Author/AEF)

Knowledge and attitudes of 154 Israeli 12th graders, expected to be very aware of water-related agricultural issues, and of 447 French 12th graders were compared, focusing on possibilities of change of existing situations. Israeli students put much greater emphasis on the role of scientific knowledge and the authorities in water control issues. (SLD)

Describes efforts to maintain scholarly and scientific collaboration in France during Germany's occupation (1940-44). The Subgroup for Library Protection, established by the Germans, is explained; the exchange of scientific journals between Germany and France is discussed; and two indexing services for scientific literature are described, one approved by the Germans and one published illegally. (23 references) (LRW)

Reviews science and technology policymaking in five countries with free-market economies: the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Republic of Korea, and the United States. Implications for eastern European and other countries currently reorganizing toward domestic market economies and greater orientation toward world trade are discussed. (61 references) (LRW)

One hundred French children in grade five participated in an experiment to determine how the problem frame facilitates comprehension of a problem solution text. Results demonstrate the positive role of frames in macrostructure construction and support the model of T. A. van Dijk and W. Kintsch (1983). (SLD)

Provides background on the holdings, services, and layout of the mediatheque (multimedia library) at the Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie (originally the Museum of Science, Technology, and Industry) in Paris. The library's online public access catalog and use of the catalog by children and the visually handicapped are described. (four references) (MES)

This description of the characteristics of scientific and technical information databases in France highlights database production and distribution across scientific fields regional distribution of producers, types of data included, recency of creation of databases, and users of databases. (4 references) (CLB)

Discusses the goals of French academic research policy in the field of information science, emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of the field. Areas of research highlighted include communication, telecommunications, co-word analysis in scientific and technical documents, media, and statistical methods for the study of social sciences. (LRW)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the ANRT, its purpose and activity in the French national network for the dissemination and preservation of PhD theses. Design/methodology/approach – The paper includes a historical study and an evaluation of current activities and future perspectives. Findings – The ANRT has played a significant role in the back-office of the French network for the dissemination and preservation of PhD theses for over 40 years. Its online catalogue contains more than 200,000 PhD theses that academic or other research institutions can order in print format or on microfiche. Complementary to this national mandate, the ANRT runs a print-on-demand service for more than 7,200 PhD theses called "Thèses à la carte". Today, the development of electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) and open access is challenging the future of the ANRT. Originality/value – The ANRT Lille is one of those institutions that are more or less unknown to the wider public and even to LIS professionals. This paper presents it for the first time to a larger and international readership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last fifty years, French public authorities have played a major role in developing a policy for scientific and technical information (STI) in France. Four distinct periods can be identified. During the first, from 1955 to 1973, policy was dominated by de Gaulle's concern to combat American hegemony and, since that time, STI policy has always been considered a part of French global politics. The second period from 1973 to 1982 saw the construction of the national STI infrastructure which was followed by a focus on content and database coordination up to 1993. Since that date, France's policy has been marked by the deregulation of telecommunications and the privatization of public services. The question addressed in this paper concerns the current role of public authorities in preparing French society for active participation in the knowledge society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]