Tips for Scientists to Communicate about Animal Research

Tips for Communicating about Animal Research

Workshop provides tools to improve conversations about the importance of animal research.

Communication on research involving animals has long been a fraught topic. The dialogue among opponents of animal research, researchers and the public has oscillated between openly hostile to ineffective or nonexistent. In recent years, public polling has shown that the scientific community has an opportunity to improve public perception on animal research by providing more context. This requires the research community to participate in an open dialogue with the public regarding research that involves the care and use of animals. 

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), capitalized on this opportunity by convening a workshop, Effective Communication with the General Public about Scientific Research that Requires the Care and Use of Animals in December 2023. APS members, as well as the former chair of the APS Animal Care and Experimentation Committee, Jeff Henegar, PhD, and APS Science Policy Manager Alissa Hatfield, participated on the planning committee for the workshop. APS member Bill J. Yates, PhD, FAPS, spoke at the event.

“The workshop highlighted the problems we face to effectively communicate about animal research,” Henegar says. “It provided excellent tools for understanding and overcoming those problems.”

The workshop convened 27 presenters and over 530 participants, including academic and industry researchers, veterinarians, educators and communications specialists. The large number and diversity of participants indicates a broad interest in improving communications on this topic. 

The workshop addressed:

• Public opinion regarding animals involved in research.
• Interactions with the media science writers, nonscientists and institutional leadership.
• Challenges and opportunities in communicating about research activities involving animals
• Openness in communication.

While most researchers may not do media interviews about animal research, many will talk with friends and family. The workshop emphasized that all these interactions benefit from the researcher being open to a two-way dialogue and can improve public understanding. “The event reiterated the complex communication skills needed to communicate about animal research to avoid a message being lost or misconstrued,” Yates says.

This article was originally published in the January 2025 issue of The Physiologist Magazine. Copyright © 2025 by the American Physiological Society. Send questions or comments to tphysmag@physiology.org.