EurekAlert! News Releases

A website called EurekAlert gives journalists access to the latest scientific studies – and to press releases that science writers have written on those studies – before publication.

How to (seriously) read a scientific paper

This article features recommendations from a dozen scientists at different career stages and in a broad range of fields regarding how they approach reading a scientific paper.

Meagan Phelan

Meagan is the Communications Director for the Science family of journals, where she oversees efforts to boost the visibility of all forthcoming Science family of journal content for reporters worldwide.

The Uncertain Mind– How the Brain Handles the Unknown

This article provides an overview of different types of uncertainty and how metacognition, or “thinking about thinking,” can help us manage the anxiety that arises from uncertainty.

There’s A Lot of Uncertainty Right Now– This is What Science Says it Does to Our Minds, Our Bodies

This article provides an overview of what uncertainty is, what happens in the brain when we feel uncertainty, and how long-term uncertainty experienced by an entire population (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic) might affect community health

Certainty with Zakary Tormala

Dr. Zakary Tormala talks about what certainty is, how it affects people’s choices and resistance to change, and how the research about certainty and uncertainty can inform best practices in persuasion.

Varieties of Uncertainty in Healthcare

This article discusses the prevalence of uncertainty in healthcare, emphasizing the impact it has on evidence-based medicine, shared decision making, and patient-centered care.

Helping Patients and Clinicians Manage Uncertainty During Clinical Care

Uncertainty introduces substantial complexity to the decision-making process for patients, impacting their emotional wellbeing, the quality of their decisions, and their overall experience with healthcare.

Building Trust During Scientific Uncertainty: How Do We Better Respond to Outbreaks?

This article summarizes key takeaways from a panel discussion hosted by Boston University’s Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research (CEID).

The Effects of Communicating Uncertainty on Public Trust in Facts and Numbers

This peer-reviewed article investigates whether openly communicating scientific uncertainty undermines trust in facts or in communicators.