NEW! Unreliable science: Unraveling the impact of mainstream media misrepresentation (2024-2026)
This project tackles the pressing problem of unreliable scientific information permeating mainstream media, impacting public perception on crucial matters like public health, environmental policies, and emerging technologies. Our project aims to gauge the prevalence of academic mis- and disinformation in mainstream media by scrutinizing representations of unreliable scientific information. By assessing public awareness and exploring potential legal or regulatory remedies, we aim to empower policymakers, journalists, educators, and the public to navigate and critique scientific reporting accurately. Special emphasis is placed on enhancing public discernment to better evaluate scientific information encountered in mainstream media.
NEW! Societal Impact Of Unreliable Scientific Information: The Influence Of Retracted Scientific Articles On Public Perceptions, Attitudes, And Evidence-Informed Decision-Making (2024-2028)
In an era marked by unprecedented information access, the rampant spread of misinformation and dissemination of unreliable scientific claims present significant societal challenges. This research aims to address concerns regarding the impact of unreliable scientific information on public trust, decision-making, and societal well-being. Focusing on online platforms, the study seeks to unravel how such information spreads, amplifies, and influences critical issues like public health and environmental policies. By examining its influence on public perceptions, attitudes, and pseudoscientific movements, our goal is a comprehensive understanding of challenges posed by unreliable scientific information. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, this research sheds light on the complex interplay, offering insights for evidence-based strategies to mitigate adverse effects and foster a more informed public.
Wellbeing From Sense Of Belonging – Measuring And Developing Societal Impact Of Local Sports Clubs (2021-2024)
The aim of the research is to broaden the understanding of the local mechanisms through which the dual goals of sports policy – expanding active participation in sport and improving the quality of elite sports – are realized in club activities and guide the social impact of club activities. The project will thus respond to the growing need for sports clubs to measure and demonstrate their social impact transparently and regularly. Furthermore, the project will complement the information gap on local mechanisms that 1) promote cohesion in sports club activities (grouping, social skills, interactivity, and so-called 21st millennium skills) and 2) further transform cohesiveness into well-being of individuals and communities.
Altassess – The Applicability Of Altmetrics For Research Assessment (2020-2024)
The research field of altmetrics analyzes these mentions of scientific outputs from various online sources, such as various social media sites, blogs, and news sites, with the purpose of gaining new insights into how this activity might be used to enhance research assessment, support open science, and demonstrate some form of societal impact. Understanding who consumes, disseminates, or discusses scientific documents online and for what reason has a profound influence on the applicability of altmetrics for research assessment. This project will analyze an extensive set of data aggregated from different online data sources and use a mixed methods approach to investigate why and by whom research outputs are being shared and discussed in different contexts. The project will give a more comprehensive and contextualized understanding of the applicability of altmetrics for research assessment.
Completed projects
Memestonks – Developing An Early Signal System To Identify Shifts In Global Stock Market Trends (2021- 2023)
Advances in the ability to collect and analyze tremendous amounts of data has seen an increase in efforts to develop methodology to analyze social media conversations in attempts to forecast everything from the results of presidential elections to Bitcoin price trends, and from traffic patterns to spread of influenza. The decision to invest in certain stocks often precedes by reading other people’s recommendations and participating in online discussions. Thus, identifying and analyzing such discussion can provide even earlier signals about stock market trends and of possible rising interest towards specific stocks. The aim of this project is to create an early signal system that will identify such social media discussions that may have impact on stock markets.
Measuring The Societal Impact Of Open Science (2015-2016)
Novel quantitative indicators of the impact that various research products have had and the attention they have received from a wider audience will be the focus of this research project as we develop methods and tools to measure the societal impact of Finnish research in Finland and beyond. This research will 1) investigate the current state of research in Finland using altmetric research methods and data, 2) develop data mining methods to capture the societal impact of Finnish research in Finland and beyond, and 3) develop novel quantitative indicators of research impact to incentivize researchers in adopting the open science movement.