With the rapid development of network information technology, the channels for the public to obtain scientific knowledge have changed. Short video platforms represented by Tik Tok are playing an increasingly important role in science popularization. There are huge differences among the communication effects of various science popularization short videos on Tik Tok. Therefore, it’s meaningful to introduce “communication capacity” as an index to measure video’s communication effect and investigate the influencing factors. This paper quantifies the communication capacity based on the entropy method. 100 science popularization short videos ranking at the top on Tik Tok between November 1st 2019 and Feburary 1st 2020 were examined to find their common characteristics of high communication capacity. In the light of characteristics of top science popularization videos, it is recommended to produce high-quality content adapted to target platform, develop personalized science popularization accounts and increase user engagement.

Taking the short videos of the CDC paper event on Tik Tok as an example, this paper examines the scientific image presented by science short videos, based on the framework of defining the scientific image as “scientific image in the scientific community context” and “scientific image in the public context”. The results show that the number of short videos that can receive a certain amount of attention related to the CDC paper event is limited and the videos in the sample tend to present the scientific image in the public context. Further investigation finds that the transition process from the traditional media to Tik Tok is a filtering process of scientific image in the scientific community context. Producers, the characteristics of short videos and audience may affect the videos’ presentation of the scientific image in scientific community context.

By investigating 82 official hospital Tik Tok accounts with more than 10,000 followers in China, this paper tries to understand the current status of science popularization short video communication mechanism in hospitals. To find problems, the author further conducted a detailed textual analysis of the Tik Tok account of Xiangya Hospital of Central South University to discuss the various factors that influence the effect of the transmission. In the end, this paper puts forward following suggestions to improve the effect of communication: cultivating authoritative actors of Tik Tok accounts, making proper design of rich and exciting communication content, and producing videos in applicable presenting mode.

The study dealt with 21 science popularization Tik Tok accounts that are listed within the top 50 or 100 from five popular rankings, and sampled 10 most upvoted short videos from these accounts. By analyzing their subject types, scientific content, narrative methods and scientific accuracy, we found that: some of the short videos lack scientific accuracy by emphasizing visual impact instead of profound narration of scientific content, some short videos tend to use sensational headlines that might represent risk, and short video producers rarely use platform operation rules to expand influence. To solve these problems, this paper puts forward the following thoughts and suggestions: science popularization institutions improve their operational capabilities in presenting appealing Tik Tok content; information sources be reliable to strengthen the authority of accounts and their content; products with distinctive features be created to increase the recognizsability of science popularization Tik Tok accounts; and producers make much use of platform operation rules to enhance the influence of science popularization Tik Tok accounts.

In order to cope with the spread of rumors on Internet and the occurrence of gathering behavior, which may endanger public security and social governance in public emergencies, the author established a database using the data collected from a Sina Weibo official account 'Weibo Rumor Refuting' from January 19 to February 19, 2020. Nvivo was used for data coding and analyzing, by which it was found that rumors circulating in public emergencies bear obvious characteristics of localization and high reproducibility, and could be disguised as of administrative power. On the basis of previous studies and taking into consideration the peculiarities of public health emergencies, the author believes that improving the communicating mode of refuting rumors, regenerating expression strategy of refuting rumors and establishing communicating mechanism with rumor-involved Web-bloggers are key measures to be taken to reconstruct social order and help to repair social trust in a risk society.

As a combination of science and game, the science game is not only a new direction of science communication, but also a new hotspot in the new field of game. By systematically reviewing the research literature on the science game in major Chinese and English journals, this paper first classifies the materials studied into themes, and then analyzes and comments on the relevant researches and their progresses from the aspects of theory, design and function of the science game. On this basis, the paper puts forward the prospect of future research, aiming to provide reference ideas for the research and development of the science game in China.

Taking two authoritative academic journals Science Communication and Public Understanding of Science as the research objects, this paper collects the research articles published in the two journals from 2000 to 2019. It carries out bibliometric analysis from the aspects of the amount of papers published, the spatial distribution of papers, the author’s organization, cooperation network, highly-cited papers and research hotspots. It is found that Pareto law applies in the field of science communication research and academic regional differences also exist in this field. The research topics of science communication experienced a transition from media content analysis and public participation in science to the new focus on climate change and emerging science and technologies, etc. Also, the science communication research related to China has gradually entered the views of scholars. China’s science communication research must not only keep up with the international frontiers, but also respond to the major needs of the country and society, and form its own research interest and style.

Learning Unlimited Programs (LU), implemented by university students, is an educational program aiming at secondary school students. Taking the practices of the MIT Educational Studies Program and its different branches as an example, this paper describes the science popularization practice of LU and its influence. The analysis shows the characteristics of LU as sticking to core values and service principles at the macro-level while organizing activities and designing curriculum for secondary school students at the micro-level. Given the actual situation in China, the enlightenment of the science popularization practice of LU in connecting universities and secondary schools should include: encouraging university students to attend science popularization activities, accumulating science popularization resources, strengthening the construction and application of new media, and expanding activity forms. The practice of LU has strong reference significance for the training of science popularization talents, the expanding of science popularization activity connecting universities and secondary schools, and the comprehensive improvement of secondary school students’ scientific literacy.

The paper investigates the communication practice of China’s first illustrated science popularization magazine Science Pictorial, and explores the role of Science Pictorial in the process of science popularization in modern China. The study found that pictorial magazines had been playing an enlightening role since they had been introduced into China, which laid a solid foundation for Science Pictorial to undertake the task of science popularization. Science Pictorial possessed many advantages over other science popularization media of the time that enabled it to cover much more audiences. Specifically, Science Pictorial was excellent in both illustration and text, and its language style, fit for knowledge, news reporting and entertainment, served well as a science popularization media. This study concludes that the communication practice of Science Pictorial in the Republic of China brought science from the scientific community to the people and contributed to the popularization of science. The communication research of Science Pictorial has referential significance for science popularization in the new media era.