ANY QUESTIONS ?

We hope our FAQ will answer your question. If not don't hesitate to contact us at info@scicom-network.com

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q.     Are you an educational website or a fact-checking website like Snopes ?

Neither. SciCom provides a bird's-eye view of topics through the lens of scientific knowledge. People often lack the time to read lengthy explanations and want to know who to trust when scientific findings seem contradictory.

SciCom offers an easy-to-understand overview of scientific opinions, presenting the full spectrum of perspectives rather than just the minority shared on social media. This bird's-eye view helps people discern which information is backed by science and which is not.

Q.    How do you plan to disseminate your findings ?

We employ a two-pronged approach to share our knowledge with the world:

1. The Media: SciCom offers its knowledge and network to journalists directly. As more and mor media outlets reduce their scientifically educated staff, which can hinder science reporting, having access to a large body of scientists' opinions is highly valuable.

2. Our website provides direct access to our findings. We aim to collaborate with major social media platforms, which are already working to combat misinformation. Since SciCom offers easy access to expert opinions, it will be instrumental in helping platforms identify and prevent misinformation.

Q.      Who is your target audeince? 

We have three distinct target groups:

1. The Media: The modern media landscape often lacks scientifically trained staff, leading to accidental misrepresentation in reporting. SciCom can clarify the distribution of scientific opinions, enabling journalists to distinguish reasonable from unreasonable arguments and adjust their reporting accordingly.

2. The concerned and uncertain population: The abundance of (mis)information on social media makes it difficult for the general public to distinguish facts from fiction. SciCom offers a more accurate overview of the real state of scientific research on a topic and serves as a guiding light for trustworthy information.

3. Lawmakers: Scientific consensus (or lack thereof) is frequently used as an argument in politics, and misrepresentation is common. Direct access to a wide range of scientific opinions allows politicians to keep each other honest and prevent cherry-picking of convenient opinions.

Q.      Do you think you can convince everyone? 

No. There will always be extreme cases that cannot be swayed. However, SciCom aims to counter the spread of misinformation by providing a bird's-eye view of opinions from a diverse range of actual scientists, serving as a "vaccine" against misinformation and uncertainty.

Q.  Is there even a scientific consensus on every topic ?  

No. A clear 100% consensus does not exist for every topic. However, disagreements often involve smaller details, while the bigger picture generally has more uniform opinions. SciCom aims to show this bigger picture rather than explaining every contested detail, revealing the common ground.

Q.  How do you make sure you will get honest answers ?

Researchers can submit their survey answers anonymously to prevent external influence and avoid pressure to respond in a specific way.

Q.  How do you make sure you get expert opinions ?

Our volunteers receive our survey questions with specified expertise tags and forward the survey to the most appropriate scientist. To distinguish answer quality, we implement an expertise scale: 1. High expertise with publications on the topic 2. Medium expertise with publications in a connected topic 3. Low expertise with publications in the general area.

We also use a two-field approach, sending surveys for additional opinions from a second related research field. This allows us to look at a problem from multiple angles and provide a more comprehensive picture.