French universities typically publish these journals, university associations, “grandes écoles,” or even research organizations. These articles are meant for a broad readership and are written and produced by researchers to advance the conversation between society and the sciences.
The creation of these scientific periodicals by higher education and research institutes spans from 1984 to 2023, and the ministry views them as evidence of “the vitality of this tool of communication, valuation, and mediation”. According to the first list of these publications, scientific magazines are often free publications based on an assessment of 30 periodicals.
Presentation Of Scientific Mediation
A dynamic map can be used to find these magazines:
- The goal of Empreinte, the Université Littoral Côte d’Opale’s yearly magazine, which was first published in 2017, is to “develop the appetite to know further, discover, share, and collaborate”;
- The Université de Toulouse (a grouping of all the institutions in the city and region) created Explorer in 2016, and it describes itself as “the shortest way between science and you”;
- Université de Lille founded Inspirons demain in 2023. The inaugural issue of this “magazine of transitions” prepares the stage for the “energy transition”;
- CNRS, le Journal, a quarterly periodical first published in 1989, is a well-known source of scientific literature!
- Launched in 2023, Campus is a quarterly magazine that combines publications related to higher education and research. This journal was created by the staff of L’Est Républicain and the Républicain Lorrain as a supplement;
- Prisme is a publication that is solely focused on research and was established by the Université Caen Normandie in 2015;
- One of the first scientific periodicals, the Université de Franche-Comté’s En Direct, is published every two months. Its 304th edition takes readers through the Far North in Paul-Émile Victor’s footsteps.
- A biannual publication from the University of Strasbourg is called Savoir(s). It provides two editions of its magazine: a transversal approach for the print edition and a news-focused approach for the digital edition;
- The Université de Lyon launched Pop’Sciences Mag in 2017; a biannual magazine focused on research topics with a theme for each edition.
Magazines Gone Digital
The French ministry has conducted comparative research to pinpoint the traits these editions have in common. These periodicals are not only free, but they also feature a variety of media. Even if “digital has largely taken over from physical editions” in the modern day, certain periodicals were created in paper form and still do.
These editions rarely have a print run of more than 5,000 copies, according to the ministry, and the majority of them are only intended for “distribution on campuses and in laboratories or to an individual or group such as institutional and socio-economic partners”.
These periodicals are now accessible online to expand their audience and reach more readers beyond this little circle. Any approach is viable: a short version enhanced with working links, videos, supplementary reading, etc.
Spreading Knowledge Resources
According to the ministry, the main objective of publishing a scientific journal is to “bring to life the dialogue between science, research, and society,” which is “unquestionably one of the usual initiatives carried out by HEC and research establishments.”
These publications have been created to give as many people as possible a chance to understand current affairs. Still, they have also been designed to “provide food for thought as well as valuable insight into the major issues shaping our communities, and to promote scientific endeavours as well as those who carry them out.”
Uniting Projects
The third feature that all these scientific journals have in common is that they are internal and federative initiatives in that “a large part of the scientific and academic communities” must be mobilized to generate a journal of this kind.
Editorial coordination is thus primarily “carried out either by the communication department, by the research department, or both,” according to the ministry. Additionally, “communication experts, scientists, or internal experts, with sporadic assistance from specialized journalists,” write the content.
