Turn your scientific abstract into a vlog: evaluating best-practice in vlog production

Social media platforms enable scientists to engage with a range of public audiences from science-oriented professionals to less aware, topic-interested lay publics. Increasingly, short videos, including vlogs, have proven a valuable communication method thanks to their audiovisual nature, which allows their creators to move beyond traditional, written scientific content. In particular, recent work has shown that embedding multimedia storytelling into science communication strategies such as vlogs is a powerful means of conveying the relatable ‘human face’ behind the science. However, creating video content can be daunting for many scientists who are unfamiliar with stepping across the art-science divide. Developing an effective video is an art that one can only learn by making videos and receiving feedback from professional media producers and the intended audience.

Accordingly, to enhance vlog capabilities amongst earth scientists and share EGU abstract content beyond the science community, we have led vlog training short courses with EGU attendees to develop their skills in video-making for science-interested, but not topic-aware, audiences. The objectives of the short course were: to explore the processes of designing, storyboarding, and filming effective vlogs, grounded in science communication theory and practice. Short course attendees used their training to produce a vlog of their EGU abstract to document the motivations, tribulations, and human nature behind the science – a side that conference abstracts rarely convey. Vlogs were promoted via social media platforms to EGU conference participants and science-interested audiences beyond. 

By embedding reflection and discussion throughout, as part of a co-production approach, here we evaluate: 1) the art and guiding principles for producing an effective vlog, 2) the practice of training earth scientists to develop vlogs, including challenges and considerations for further dissemination of this approach.