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Bats surf storm fronts, and public perception of preprints

2025/1/9

Science Magazine Podcast

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Jeff Brainard

Sarah Crespi

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Jeff Brainard: 我认为这场辩论在COVID-19大流行期间真正浮出水面。许多记者和读者不确定预印本是什么以及它们的可靠性如何。由于大流行的紧迫性，许多科学家发表了他们想尽快与同事分享的科学发现，以帮助加快治疗方法、药物和其他公共卫生措施的研发。我认为许多记者觉得有必要在稿件经过同行评审之前报道这些预印本，这是可以理解的。但在某些情况下，报道结果不佳的预印本最终得到的关注可能超过了它们应得的程度。早期的例子包括针对COVID-19的药物治疗，例如羟氯喹。因此，此后记者们重新评估了他们应该在何时以及在什么情况下报道预印本。阿姆斯特丹大学的社会科学家Alice Fleerackers进行了一系列研究，阐明了这一点。她采访了记者，了解他们如何使用预印本以及在什么情况下会根据预印本撰写新闻报道。她采访了大约30名记者，结果好坏参半，一些经验丰富的记者认为他们能够通过采访该领域的许多科学家来进行某种形式的同行评审。其他记者则不确定他们是否有能力进行这种审查或寻求足够的专家意见。因此，在大流行期间采取了一种做法，即记者应该附加某种免责声明。通常，该声明会说明预印本尚未经过同行评审或尚未发表在学术期刊上，或者两者兼而有之。在评论她的研究结果的重要性时，Fleerackers博士鼓励记者和阅读基于预印本的研究结果的公众保持开放的心态，但也要保持适当的怀疑态度。Fleerackers博士鼓励记者提供适当的背景信息，以便读者能够自行决定对报道中发现的结果给予多少可信度。这不是一项容易的任务，但她认为，如果记者咨询该领域与这项研究无关的足够范围的专家，这是可以做到的。生物医学研究人员对预印本的采用相对滞后，部分原因是长期以来同行评审期刊模式占据主导地位。COVID-19大流行改变了生物医学研究人员对预印本的态度，导致生物医学领域的预印本数量达到历史最高水平。一些期刊过去曾劝退作者在投稿前发布预印本，但COVID-19大流行改变了这种情况，一些期刊现在已经放宽了相关政策。 Sarah Crespi: 新闻媒体对预印本的报道在COVID-19大流行初期显著增加。公众对新闻报道中预印本的了解程度值得关注。在COVID-19大流行期间，新闻报道中预印本的覆盖引发了争议，记者们在是否以及如何报道预印本方面存在分歧。一项调查显示，仅仅提及研究是预印本并不会影响公众对其可信度的判断。Alice Fleerackers 认为，读者应该被告知科学发现的不确定性，预印本可能存在一定程度的不确定性。预印本与最终发表的期刊论文在实质内容上并没有很大的差异。生物医学研究界对预印本的迟缓采用，部分原因是担心公众会误将预印本视为最终结论。美国政府正在改变其开放获取规则，要求立即公开发布由联邦政府资助的研究论文。新的政策也涉及到数据的可用性。大学需要考虑如何支付数据存储的费用。一些蝙蝠会迁徙，但追踪它们的夜间迁徙活动一直很困难。未来可能会出现类似于鸟类迁徙预警的蝙蝠迁徙预警，以减少人类活动对蝙蝠迁徙的影响。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

Why did the COVID-19 pandemic accelerate the use of preprints in biomedical research?

The urgency of the pandemic led scientists to share findings quickly to aid in developing remedies, drugs, and public health measures. Preprints allowed for rapid dissemination of research before peer review, which was critical during the fast-paced response to COVID-19.

What challenges do journalists face when reporting on preprints?

Journalists often struggle with determining the credibility of preprints, especially when they lack expertise in the subject matter. Some conduct their own vetting by consulting experts, while others include disclaimers to inform readers that the findings have not been peer-reviewed.

How do readers perceive preprints in news articles?

A survey found that only about a third of U.S. adults could accurately define a preprint. Many readers did not distinguish between preprints and peer-reviewed studies in terms of credibility, even when informed that the findings were from a preprint.

What new technology is used to track bat migration patterns?

Researchers use Icarus TinyFox Bat Tags, which transmit data over the Sigfox network. These tags allow for remote tracking of bats without needing to physically retrieve the tags, providing insights into their migration behavior and environmental factors influencing their movements.

How do storm fronts influence bat migration?

Bats migrate in alignment with storm fronts, utilizing favorable wind conditions to conserve energy. They often surf along the front of storms, taking advantage of wind support to aid their long-distance journeys.

What are the conservation implications of bat migration research?

Understanding bat migration patterns is critical for mitigating threats like wind turbines, which pose significant risks to bats due to collisions and barotrauma. This research can inform strategies to protect bats during their migrations.

How does the U.S. government's new open access policy impact scholarly publishing?

Starting in 2025, federally funded research must be immediately published in public repositories upon acceptance. This policy aims to make scientific findings more accessible to the public but has raised concerns among researchers and publishers about logistical and financial challenges.

Chapters

This chapter explores public understanding of preprints, focusing on a study by Alice Fleerackers which reveals that only about a third of survey respondents accurately defined preprints. The study also examined how the presentation of preprints in news articles affects public perception of their credibility.

Only about a third of survey respondents could accurately define what a preprint is.
Mentioning that a study was a preprint did not significantly affect respondents' perception of its credibility.
The study suggests that readers need clear communication about the uncertainty inherent in scientific findings based on preprints.

Shownotes Transcript

First up this week, as preprint publications ramped up during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, so did media attention for these pre–peer-review results. But what do the readers of news reports based on preprints know about them? Associate News Editor Jeff Brainard joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss studies that look at the public perception of preprints) in the news and how to inject skepticism into stories about them.

Next, placing tiny tags on bats to follow them across central Europe. Former Science intern Edward Hurme)—now a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Migration at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior—revisits the podcast after 13 years. He discusses the difficulty of tracking bats as they fly long distances at night) and what new tagging technology is revealing about their migration patterns.

This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy).

About the Science Podcast)

Authors: Sarah Crespi; Jeff Brainard

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