"Science" Magazine's Science Communication Research

The publication of Science magazine played an important role in the development of science communication in modern China.From January 1915 to May 1949,Science magazine published 350 issues in 31 volumes,leaving a heritage of about 30 million words.Since the 1990 s,the research in Science magazine has gradually attracted attention both in domestic academic circles and abroad.So far,researches in Science magazine have made abundant achievements,reaching a high level both in depth and width.However,it is relatively rare to analyze the changes,characteristics and effects of its thoughts from the perspective of science communication.This paper is a study on the publication contents of Science in the background of the development of modern science and the social and historical changes in China from 1915 to 1949.I first sort out the practice of the science communication activities of Science magazine in terms of the personal behavior and the social behavior of the communication subjects.Based on this,I analyze the formation and change of the social role of the diversified communication subjects,the formation and evolution of the concepts of science communication,the interaction and changes between science communication practice and communication content,as well as the ways and strategies of science communication.In the end,I investigate the effect of science communication.Taking Science magazine as a miniature of science communication in modern China,this study attempts to present a panoramic view on the evolution of science communication from knowledge transmission to value transmission through a comprehensive investigation of science communication process,communication subjects,transmission concepts,transmission content,transmission modes and strategies,and transmission effects.Findings in this research may provide ideological guidance and historical reference for contemporary science communication activities.The dissertation consists of seven chapters.Chapter 1,Introduction.This part introduces the background,related research status at home and abroad,theoretical concept and thinking method and content.It also points out the key difficulty and the innovation in this study.Chapter 2,the dissemination process of Science magazine.This part studies the Chinese social reality on which the dissemination of Science target was based,including different periods of magazine development behind the social factors such as economic,political and cultural analysis.I point out that the science of science communication between practice and social reality of China has gone through the following stages of development,namely,expression of communicative concept,formation of communication paradigm,priority of communication decryption,response of communication crisis,and transformation of communication ideology.Chapter 3,Diversified roles of communication subjects of Science magazine.In this section,choosing representatives from administrative personnel,editors,and scientist,I carry out a quantitative analysis on their amount of publication,content of publication,evolution of their science ideology,and their science practices,with an aim to reveal that the communication practice based on Science magazine is a cultural practice initiated by a group of natural scientists who had studied in the United States.It is a cultural practice dedicated to the scientific enlightenment of Chinese people,which is jointly participated by politicians,industrialists and social activists.Subjects of science communication had multiple roles of as organizer,administrator,and practitioner.Sharing common“spiritual traits”,those scientists established their roles as scientists proper in the process of disseminating science,and at the same time also changed their roles.Chapter 4,Formation and evolution of science communication ideology with Science magazine.Based on the study on the formation and evolution of science communication ideology held among the communicative subjects,we find that the science communication ideology of “seeking the truth and implementing in reality” is actually a unification of traditional Chinese value and modern science value.In the communicative process of Science magazine,such an ideology was evidently represented by the genre arrangement of its columns and content,truthfully conveying the essential concepts of science concepts and reflecting the changes in social science interest.The evolution of science communication ideology was substantiated in the real world,as the ideology of “seeking the truth” helped promote the essential science concepts in social changes,and the ideology of“implementing in reality” helped push forward the practice of scientification of China and domestication of science in ChinaChapter 5,Evolution of science communication content with Science magazine.Based on the publication of Science magazine from 1915 to 1949,according to the changes of science communication contents in different periods,I study the publication issues and contents in details.Starting with the dissemination of science concepts,I put them in four stages,namely,(1)paradigm formation,(2)priority of riddle resolution,(3)crisis reaction,and(4)transformation of ideology.The content of science communication underwent multiple shifts,from dissemination of conceptual expressions to the formation of paradigm,to priority of riddle resolution,to crisis reaction and finally to the transformation of ideology.The content of science communication displayed various characteristics such as general science popularization,scientification of China and Chinese domestication of science,the thought of “anti-Japanese invasion to save China”,and the thought of “constructing China with science”,and so on.Chapter 6,Modes and strategies of communication with Science magazine.When deciding on the modes and strategies of science communication,those scientists established the legitimacy of essential concepts of science communication by multidimensional discussion about the issue“whether there is science in China” and dissemination of overall science and the scientific thought of“science”.They built up the basis of authority by initially responding to hot topics in society,promoting exchanges in science information,and establishing science communicative institutions.They achieved gradual expansion of science communication via promoting science communication within science communities,communication beyond the communities,and international communication.Chapter 7,Review on the effect of science communication with Science magazine.Starting from the “crisis” confronted by contemporary science and communication,I reveal the fact that,in its communication process,Science magazine to a certain extent re-constructed science.I further point out that this reconstruction neglected the fact that communication is social activities among human beings,hence leading to the unavoidable conflict between the development of science proper and its dissemination.This is an intrinsic conflict which shed light on the necessity that science communication must follow scientific principles as well as communicative principles.Therefore,a unified way of science and humanity is called upon.Finally,based on a brief summary of the points in Chapter 2 to Chapter 7,this paper makes an overall evaluation on the current research and proposes a few points for next step of research.