Special Topics Call for Submissions
Civic Science for Transformative Policy Solutions to Societal Challenges
The Rita Allen Foundation is pleased to support this special civic science issue of JSPG. Our goal is to create a culture of civic science—seeding networks to accelerate learning, inclusion, and impact to ensure that science and evidence help to inform solutions to society’s most pressing problems. Policy can be a powerful civic science tool, making equitable systems and innovations possible through partnerships between communities, scientists, and public leaders to link scientific methods with democratic decision-making.
— Elizabeth Christopherson, President and CEO of the Rita Allen Foundation
Sigma Xi is thrilled to partner with the Rita Allen Foundation and JSPG to publish a special issue on civic science. This call for papers provides the unique opportunity for policy thinkers to articulate policies that can advance civic science as well as improve the use of science in public policy for the good of society. We hope to illustrate a new vision for science that is more collaborative, inclusive, and impactful.
— Jamie Vernon, Executive Director and CEO of Sigma Xi, and Publisher of American Scientist
Today’s young scientists play a critical role in addressing important societal challenges through policy change.Science policy has the potential to bridge the gap between science and society through civic science. JSPG is thrilled to launch this call for papers and competition in developing future policy leaders to improve our society.
— Adriana Bankston, CEO & Managing Publisher of the Journal of Science Policy & Governance
SPECIAL CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:
The Journal of Science Policy & Governance (JSPG), Sigma Xi, and the Rita Allen Foundation are pleased to announce a call for papers and competition on: Civic Science for Transformative Policy Solutions to Societal Challenges. The Special Issue will promote the concept of civic science to broad audiences, provide a platform for emerging leaders in civic science to showcase the policy implications of their work, and elevate policies needed to advance civic science initiatives to serve society.
Civic science is an interdisciplinary approach to scientific research and practice for creating transformative solutions to complex problems at the intersection of science, innovation, and civic life. Civic science practices transcend disciplinary boundaries, combining insights from across the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and beyond to address the most pressing problems facing society.
We invite students, post-doctoral researchers, policy fellows, early career researchers and young professionals from around the world to submit bold and innovative policy ideas to develop capacity for developing the next generation of civic scientists—boundary-spanning leaders building new relationships and collaborations enabling individuals across several sectors of society to shape science and benefit from its power and promise. Submission deadline: October 29, 2023.
This Special Issue is supported in-kind by outreach partners from Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS), Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), as well as Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally (ESAL) and the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST).
Follow JSPG on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Join our monthly newsletter. Tweet using #JSPGCivicScience.
Civic science is an interdisciplinary approach to scientific research and practice for creating transformative solutions to complex problems at the intersection of science, innovation, and civic life. Civic science practices transcend disciplinary boundaries, combining insights from across the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and beyond to address the most pressing problems facing society.
We invite students, post-doctoral researchers, policy fellows, early career researchers and young professionals from around the world to submit bold and innovative policy ideas to develop capacity for developing the next generation of civic scientists—boundary-spanning leaders building new relationships and collaborations enabling individuals across several sectors of society to shape science and benefit from its power and promise. Submission deadline: October 29, 2023.
This Special Issue is supported in-kind by outreach partners from Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS), Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), as well as Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally (ESAL) and the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST).
Follow JSPG on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Join our monthly newsletter. Tweet using #JSPGCivicScience.
Submission Guidelines & Competition:
Submissions to the Special Issue will be accepted until EOD on October 29, 2023. All article formats published by JSPG can be submitted to this Special Issue. Submissions will be reviewed by the JSPG editorial board. Accepted articles will undergo peer review by the JSPG editorial board. Following peer review, accepted articles will be entered into a policy paper competition in which a committee of expert reviewers selected by sponsors and JSPG will select the top three articles.
First, second, and third place article winners will have the opportunity to receive monetary awards and present their published papers at future Sigma Xi and Rita Allen Foundation events. The criteria by which competition winners will be chosen can be found in this rubric.
Competition cash prizes:
All published authors will be supported through strategic communications and interviewed for episodes of JSPG's podcast SciPol SoundBites and will be invited to participate in outreach events and opportunities organized by JSPG, Sigma Xi, and Rita Allen Foundation once the issue is released.
First, second, and third place article winners will have the opportunity to receive monetary awards and present their published papers at future Sigma Xi and Rita Allen Foundation events. The criteria by which competition winners will be chosen can be found in this rubric.
Competition cash prizes:
- First prize: $1,000
- Second prize: $750
- Third prize: $500
All published authors will be supported through strategic communications and interviewed for episodes of JSPG's podcast SciPol SoundBites and will be invited to participate in outreach events and opportunities organized by JSPG, Sigma Xi, and Rita Allen Foundation once the issue is released.
Guiding Events:
Leading up to the submission deadline, JSPG, SigmaXi, and Rita Allen Foundation will organize a series of training sessions to provide prospective authors with opportunities to practice policy writing, and to inspire and empower them with expert perspectives on civic science to inform their submissions to the Special Issue. These events may be co-hosted by JSPG, Sigma Xi, and/or Rita Allen Foundation as part of the Rita Allen Foundation’s Civic Science Connect Series.
Please register for the webinars and writing workshop below. More information on these events will be shared as it becomes available. Questions regarding these events may be directed to JSPG's Director of Programs and Events Julianne McCall.
Please register for the webinars and writing workshop below. More information on these events will be shared as it becomes available. Questions regarding these events may be directed to JSPG's Director of Programs and Events Julianne McCall.
Science policy paper writing workshop: July 18, 2023: Writing workshop on building capacity for civic science through interdisciplinarity to achieve policy change. This workshop will invite individuals across the civic science community and beyond to participate in an interactive workshop providing a broad overview of the topics in the Special Issue, followed by instructions for writing policy papers and opportunities for prospective authors to practice developing paper outlines in breakout rooms with feedback from reviewers. For the purposes of this workshop, breakout rooms will focus on the two subsequent webinar themes. Watch it here.
Webinar 1: August 8, 2023: Incentives and rewards for civic science, training and capacity building for the next generation of policy changemakers. This webinar will focus on defining civic science and discussing potential governance models, training environments, as well as incentives and rewards for interdisciplinary civic science engagement, including fostering public trust in science towards achieving desired policy change. Watch it here.
Webinar 2: September 5, 2023: Tools for equitable and inclusive civic engagement and policy change for the future of science. This webinar will focus on the role that civic scientists play in achieving positive societal change, provide tools for the next generation to engage with policymakers, and discuss community engagement of various actors in civic science practices in a manner that is interdisciplinary, equitable and inclusive. Watch it here.
Webinar 1: August 8, 2023: Incentives and rewards for civic science, training and capacity building for the next generation of policy changemakers. This webinar will focus on defining civic science and discussing potential governance models, training environments, as well as incentives and rewards for interdisciplinary civic science engagement, including fostering public trust in science towards achieving desired policy change. Watch it here.
Webinar 2: September 5, 2023: Tools for equitable and inclusive civic engagement and policy change for the future of science. This webinar will focus on the role that civic scientists play in achieving positive societal change, provide tools for the next generation to engage with policymakers, and discuss community engagement of various actors in civic science practices in a manner that is interdisciplinary, equitable and inclusive. Watch it here.
Guiding Themes & Questions:
The emerging movement behind civic science has the potential to accelerate much-needed culture change within research institutions in order to make science more inclusive and better serve society. A strong, interdisciplinary community of individuals and organizations can advance civic science projects through research, funding, and implementation. Policies will need to be enacted in order to fully achieve a future in which the processes of science reflect interdisciplinary civic science culture change. These policies can either incentivize culture changes leading to broad adoption of civic science approaches or directly support the work that embodies them.
These approaches are captured by the following five core pillars below developed by the Civic Science Fellows Practice and Science of Civic Science Advisory Committee:
Below are a few guiding questions to help spur creative thinking among prospective authors, and help provoke ideas.
These approaches are captured by the following five core pillars below developed by the Civic Science Fellows Practice and Science of Civic Science Advisory Committee:
- Understanding science in context—examining science as a way of seeking knowledge, comparing it with others, looking at the societal factors that influence its contours and application, and grappling with the ethics of decision-making related to science.
- Designing for equity and inclusion—working to understand and identify approaches to combat structural factors that lead science, science engagement, and decision-making around science to benefit and include some social groups over others.
- Communicating for the future—developing the knowledge, tools, and skills to effectively open lines of connection between science and individual and community priorities, values, curiosity, experiences, and ways of knowing.
- Scaffolding for learning and impact—exploring ways of building knowledge, methods of engagement, paths toward change, and evaluation frameworks to help guide each stage of civic science project development.
- Leading for systems change—cultivating approaches that individuals and teams can adopt to spark civic science change at the level of structures, culture, networks, and norms, whether locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally.
Below are a few guiding questions to help spur creative thinking among prospective authors, and help provoke ideas.
- Network-building, incentives and rewards for civic science: What language and examples are effective in bringing different disciplines and sectors together to advance civic science? What approaches and frameworks can help support civic science efforts in the policy arena? How do we create effective training environments to build capacity for civic science? How do we align institutional and societal incentives and rewards to facilitate civic science engagement?
- Trust, polarization and combating misinformation: What approaches can help to build trust between science and society, combat misinformation and enhance public participation in science, in a context that includes historic exclusion and political polarization? How do we ensure that marginalized communities can participate in civic science?
- Achieving societal change through policy change and community engagement: How do we ensure that scientific knowledge is available to policymakers as necessary? How can civic scientists engage with communities and achieve societal change through knowledge co-production?
- Engaging various actors in improving science and society through civic science: What role do various actors play in civic science practices? What is the role of philanthropy, academies, policy organizations, and scientific societies? How do we engage social entrepreneurs, as well as practitioners and beneficiaries of civic science in achieving a better society in a manner that is interdisciplinary, equitable and inclusive?