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In:Science Communication on the Internet: Old genres meet new genres
Edited by María José Luzón and Carmen Pérez-Llantada
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 308] 2019
► pp. 81–106

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Chapter 5
Scholarly soundbites

Audiovisual innovations in digital science and their implications for genre evolution

Published online: 4 December 2019
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https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.308.05row
Abstract
This study investigates a recent web-enabled feature, the use of brief audio/video recordings for the communication of scientific research findings to a non-specialized audience, and discusses the implications of these “scholarly soundbites” for genre evolution in the digital environment and for the mediatization of science. We focus on four types of audiovisual material, all characterized by their brevity: Three-Minute Thesis presentations, author videos, and podcasts on a popular science and a research journal website. An analysis of the moves and of the recontextualization strategies used to manage the knowledge asymmetry between scientists and audience highlights differences between the four types of soundbites as well as with the corresponding written genres (research articles, PhD dissertations).
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Data description
  • 3.Move analysis
  • 4.Recontextualization strategies in the soundbites
    • 4.1Reformulation and repetition strategies
    • 4.2Illustration procedures
    • 4.3Questions
    • 4.4Scientists’ comments on their work
  • 5.Genre implications
  • Notes
  • References
References (26)
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