In this episode, hosts Stephanie Castillo and Reyhaneh Maktoufi explore the complexities of competence in science communication.

They delve into the importance of credibility and trust in the scientific community, particularly in the context of social media influencers who may misrepresent their expertise. They discuss the ethical implications of using valid science communication principles for marketing purposes, the importance of credibility and trust in science, and the role of sponsorship in shaping public perception.

Veritasium’s PFAS video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC2eSujzrUY

Science Sam’s Instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/science.sam/

Here are some of the studies they referenced:

Study Black female scientists being preceives as less warm and competent “Race and gender biases persist in public perceptions of scientists’ credibility.”

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-87321-z

Dual promotion strategies where you promote others alongside yourself

Dual-promotion: Bragging better by promoting peers.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37561455/

Love this quote from the paper “Should We Retire the Concept of Source Credibility? An Experimental Exploration of When Credibility Is (and Is Not) Useful.” The concept of competence and credibility “has lost some of its swag” 

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/10755470251334094

“Does the CSR Message Matter? Untangling the Relationship Between Corporate–Nonprofit Partnerships, Created Fit Messages, and Activist Evaluations”
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0893318919897059