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What do laypersons want to know from scientists? An analysis of a dialogue between scientists and laypersons on the web site Scienzaonline

Museo Civico di Zoologia, Via Ulisse Aldrovandi 18, 00197 Roma, Italy, e.falchetti{at}comune.roma.it

Silvia Caravita

National Research Council in Rome

Alessandra Sperduti

Scienzaonline is an interactive web site developed by the Museum of Zoology of Rome that offers various services. After the site had been online for three years, we examined approximately 800 questions received by the service Expert on line to understand what laypeople's interests in science are and in which life contexts they emerge. The contents of the questions were categorized to reveal the function and the nature of the knowledge that people expect from "experts". Some kind of actual accomplishment motivates most of the questions, though a considerable number of them have knowledge and understanding as their objective. Information is the main form of expected knowledge and disciplinary knowledge is viewed as the privileged source of it. A relevant percentage of messages reveal the desire to obtain explanations and validations of reported facts, an aid to go beyond factual knowledge. Striving to find answers to "great unanswered questions" emerges as a passionate intellectual endeavor for some people.

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Public Understanding of Science, Vol. 16, No. 4, 489-506 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0963662505063797


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Falchetti, E. Articles by Sperduti, A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?