Practices and images of research communication by Italian scientists over the past five years

The modern debate over Public Understanding of Science goes back to the early 1990s. Over the years we experienced numerous changes in our understandings of the publics, of science communication and scientists. These changes speed up over the past few years, in parallel to the urgent economic crisis we experienced. Although publics are traditional focus of PUS scholars, over the past few years a growing number of scholars have been focusing on scientists as main subject of investigation. As CNR-IRPPS we run a total of four studies (two of which within the Italian Scientists multitechnique Auditing and Analysis on science Communication research program) focusing, in different ways, on scientists' understanding and practices of science communication to the publics. Reflecting on the key continuities and discontinuities that characterize our findings, we will explore some characteristics of scientists' communication activities and views. In times of crisis like ours, the role that science and technology can play in the future of our societies and the recovery from the crisis clearly depends from its relationship with society. It is therefore to our best interest to reflect on the main practices of science communication, limits and strengths. Our analysis indicates that scientists communicate science through a multiplicity of ways. We suggest that the latter cannot be enclosed in fixed models of science communication circulated amongst academics (deficit/dialogue model), and on the contrary include a variety of activities, opinions and forms of communication. All these formats can play a role in the future of science communication.