Navigating the two worlds of academic and public communication

The case of sociologists in Germany during the Covid-19 pandemic

Bibliographic Data

ID17832307
AuthorsTobias Tönsfeuerborn (University of Bonn), Katharina Hauck (0000-0003-3138-4169, University of Bonn, corresponding author), Jonas Volle (0000-0001-7187-7422, University of Bonn), David Kaldewey (0000-0002-7177-3321, University of Bonn)
Year2026
Volume13
Issue1
Publication date2026-03-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHumanities and Social Sciences Communications (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2662-9992 • E-ISSN: 2662-9992
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1057/s41599-026-07033-1
OpenAlexW7141215520
LanguageEN
References cited80

This article examines how German-speaking sociologists communicated their knowledge in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the pandemic as a textbook case of post-normal science, where uncertainty and urgency challenge science and its communication in an unprecedented way, it focuses on the relationship between sociologists’ contributions across public and academic spheres. Methodologically, the study employs an exploratory design based on two comprehensive datasets containing 1083 media contributions (2020–2021) and 1505 research contributions (2020–2023). Conceptually, the research distinguishes between public communication—through interviews, guest articles, citations, and mentions in the press—and academic communication—via journal articles, edited volumes, and monographs. The findings suggest that these forms of communication constitute two largely distinct and only loosely connected spheres. While their temporal misalignment is not unexpected, the investigation sheds light on socio-structural differences in the populations of both worlds. Moreover, statistical analysis confirms a strong negative correlation between the extent of media engagement and scholarly publishing. Sociologists visible in the public sphere during the first two years of the pandemic mostly have not published academically on COVID-19 related issues between 2020 and 2023. Conversely, sociologists with certified research publications within this time frame usually did not comment publicly on the pandemic at the outset. These findings challenge the linear model of science communication, which assumes that public dissemination naturally builds upon former research contributions. As the context of COVID-19 represents a lack of such established academic knowledge, post-normal conditions may loosen traditional norms linking public communication and research experience. As the results raise certain questions regarding the division of sociological labor and its relation to sociological expertise, the study highlights the need for more nuanced understandings of sociological expertise in view of the interplay between sociologists’ contributions to the public and the academic sphere

Exploratory research · Pandemic · Public awareness of science · Public engagement · Public sphere · Science communication · Social media · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Computational and Text Analysis Methods · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice

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