Journal podcasting of health and medical science

Podcasts are a growing medium of mass communication and are increasingly being produced by academic journals. However, little is known about the specific features of these journal-affiliated podcasts, particularly in the health and medical sciences. This study examines the characteristics and featur...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Scott Greeves, Rhesa Ledbetter, Rachel McGovern, Keith Wiley
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Communication
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1589099/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849231602217910272
author Scott Greeves
Rhesa Ledbetter
Rachel McGovern
Keith Wiley
author_facet Scott Greeves
Rhesa Ledbetter
Rachel McGovern
Keith Wiley
author_sort Scott Greeves
collection DOAJ
description Podcasts are a growing medium of mass communication and are increasingly being produced by academic journals. However, little is known about the specific features of these journal-affiliated podcasts, particularly in the health and medical sciences. This study examines the characteristics and features of journal podcasts through a content analysis of 400 episodes from 10 highly indexed journals. Using a quota sampling method, we analyzed the 40 episodes from each series. A systematic coding approach was employed to assess eight key variables, including host type, guest composition, topic, communication format, complexity, and audio quality. Findings reveal that the majority of episodes focus on research published within the parent journal and are primarily hosted by researchers. The prevalent communication format was scientific, with minimal use of narrative or emotive styles. This study represents an initial investigation into the emerging niche of journal podcasts and identifies opportunities for future research to further understand their role in the media ecosystem and to broaden public engagement with scientific research.
format Article
id doaj-art-e7b2917a6e2d4973b47a82b17ca0a260
institution Kabale University
issn 2297-900X
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Communication
spelling doaj-art-e7b2917a6e2d4973b47a82b17ca0a2602025-08-21T05:27:25ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Communication2297-900X2025-08-011010.3389/fcomm.2025.15890991589099Journal podcasting of health and medical scienceScott Greeves0Rhesa Ledbetter1Rachel McGovern2Keith Wiley3Department of Communication and Information, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United StatesDepartment of Biology, Hastings College, Hastings, NE, United StatesDepartment of Political Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United StatesDepartment of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United StatesPodcasts are a growing medium of mass communication and are increasingly being produced by academic journals. However, little is known about the specific features of these journal-affiliated podcasts, particularly in the health and medical sciences. This study examines the characteristics and features of journal podcasts through a content analysis of 400 episodes from 10 highly indexed journals. Using a quota sampling method, we analyzed the 40 episodes from each series. A systematic coding approach was employed to assess eight key variables, including host type, guest composition, topic, communication format, complexity, and audio quality. Findings reveal that the majority of episodes focus on research published within the parent journal and are primarily hosted by researchers. The prevalent communication format was scientific, with minimal use of narrative or emotive styles. This study represents an initial investigation into the emerging niche of journal podcasts and identifies opportunities for future research to further understand their role in the media ecosystem and to broaden public engagement with scientific research.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1589099/fullpodcastscience communicationhealthmedicinecontent analysishealth communication
spellingShingle Scott Greeves
Rhesa Ledbetter
Rachel McGovern
Keith Wiley
Journal podcasting of health and medical science
Frontiers in Communication
podcast
science communication
health
medicine
content analysis
health communication
title Journal podcasting of health and medical science
title_full Journal podcasting of health and medical science
title_fullStr Journal podcasting of health and medical science
title_full_unstemmed Journal podcasting of health and medical science
title_short Journal podcasting of health and medical science
title_sort journal podcasting of health and medical science
topic podcast
science communication
health
medicine
content analysis
health communication
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1589099/full
work_keys_str_mv AT scottgreeves journalpodcastingofhealthandmedicalscience
AT rhesaledbetter journalpodcastingofhealthandmedicalscience
AT rachelmcgovern journalpodcastingofhealthandmedicalscience
AT keithwiley journalpodcastingofhealthandmedicalscience