Divulgação científica em instituições públicas de ensino e pesquisa científica: uso dos repositórios digitais e sua conexão com o Instagram

Abstract

The democratization of scientific knowledge should be a fundamental task for universities and institutions that conduct scientific research. Open-access digital repositories and online social networks emerge as powerful tools in this context. Thus, this research proposes to investigate how public institutions engaged in scientific research can support the popularization of scientific content through digital repositories, also exploring the possible connection between these repositories and Instagram. To achieve this, the role of these organizations in scientific research is examined in promoting citizenship through the dissemination of scientific knowledge to society. To clarify the themes under discussion, a conceptual foundation is presented, addressing the following topics: open-access digital repositories; scientific dissemination, highlighting the differences between scientific communication and science outreach; discussions on contemporary science outreach, and social media platforms. For the execution of this research, a qualitative, applied, and exploratory methodology was proposed. Documentary research was used for data collection, aiming to map digital repositories and demonstrate which ones are committed to science outreach. Through this documentary research, the Instagram profiles of some institutions that are the subjects of this study were also examined. Subsequently, the results of the mapping of digital repositories of public institutions in Brazil, including universities and research institutes, were presented. The analysis of Instagram was also presented to verify whether this platform is being used to expand the reach of digital objects made available in the repositories' communities. Next, the perception of Digital Repositories in Brazil, with a focus on science outreach, was presented. The importance of the publicizing of science for promoting citizenship was then discussed, and how libraries at scientific research institutions can contribute to this process. Following this, guidelines for the creation of policies to improve communities and collections in digital repositories dedicated to the popularization of science were suggested. Finally, it was concluded that open-access digital repositories can be an effective strategy to disseminate knowledge produced by research institutions and universities, facilitating access to scientific information for a broad audience. Moreover, Instagram has the potential to complement this function, extending the reach of digital objects available in the analyzed repository communities. However, the study reveals a scenario with few consistent initiatives aimed at science outreach.