Ionica Smeets is professor of science communication at Leiden University, the Netherlands. Her main research interest is bridging the gap between experts and the general public. She enjoys working in interdisciplinary projects that focus on effective science communication about a specific topic, ranging from physics in newspapers to biodiversity in children’s books.
Scientist: Ionica Smeets
Why hype in press releases is ineffective – and how to fix it?
Press releases sometimes exaggerate scientific findings and omit study limitations. Scientists are investigating why, and testing ways to make them more accurate.
A scientist’s opinion: interview with Ionica Smeets on hype in press releases
Interview with Ionica Smeets, professor of science communication at Leiden University, the Netherlands. Prof. Smeets, how do you feel when you encounter buzzwords such as 'groundbreaking', 'world first' and 'landmark study' in a press release? Ionica Smeets: One of the first things a journalist should realise is that press releases tend to overstate findings using ...
