The toolbox : a guide to help scientists share their research

Science and society Article published on 21 January 2026 , Updated on 02 February 2026

La Diagonale · Paris-Saclay, the Université Paris-Saclay's Arts, Culture, Sciences and Society Department, has developed a toolbox for scientists wishing to disseminate and share their knowledge with a wide audience. Available both online and in hard copy, the guide features fact sheets giving them everything they need to create and participate in science outreach projects in a variety of formats. (This article was originally published in L'Édition n°28.)

Videos, podcasts, exhibitions and even comic strips, scientists today can take advantage of a wide range of formats to make their knowledge and research accessible to different audiences. But embarking on a science outreach project is not always an easy task. Which format should you choose? How should you go about it? What resources are needed? To answer these questions, La Diagonale · Université Paris-Saclay, the Université Paris-Saclay's Arts, Culture, Sciences and Society Department, has developed a unique guide.

"We regularly receive requests from scientists asking about courses or tools for conducting outreach projects," begins Mathilde Bryant, who worked on the project at La Diagonale."We also have plenty of scientists who are already communicating, but who need funding, partners, etc. Our guide aims to support all those who wish to disseminate and share knowledge, whatever their chosen format and level of expertise."

Themed fact sheets for creating or participating in initiatives

More than just a guide, La Diagonale has designed a genuine toolbox. "The idea of this toolbox is to be as practical as possible, enabling researchers, PhD candidates and other scientists to pick and choose the information they need for their outreach projects," continues Mathilde Bryant. The guide is divided into two parts: the first is designed for those who want to create their own project, while the second is aimed at those who want to take part in an initiative. 

Each fact sheet corresponds to a theme. One of the fact sheets in the "create" section covers setting up an exhibition. Another focuses on making a podcast. The "participate" section includes fact sheets on working with the media or showing people around your laboratory, for example. "For each fact sheet, we explain the benefits of the format in terms of science outreach. There's also a table detailing the level and duration of involvement, as well as the resources needed for such a project," explains Charlène Corty, former science-society project manager at La Diagonale. "For example, creating anonline video channel doesn't require the sameresources as organising a workshop for aschool audience."

In addition to this information, each fact sheet also gives project owners some questions to ask themselves before getting started, along with the background information they need. "With these fact sheets, we want scientists to be able to answer their questions, gather all the web links or contacts they need, and explore what already exists for this type of outreach action," continues Mathilde Bryant. 

Various existing mechanisms

Université Paris-Saclay already has a number of solutions in place to assist scientists with outreach initiatives. Founded in spring 2025, the Lumen Games Working Group supports scientists who want to create or use games as outreach tools. The group is led by La Diagonale, the Department of Libraries, Information and Open Science (DiBISO) and the DesignSpot, Université Paris-Saclay's design centre. On 27 November, it held a professional day at Lumen. 

Other existing solutions at the university include introductory courses in science outreach organised by COMPAS, the Scientific Communication, Outreach and Heritage Service of the Orsay Faculty of Sciences. Open to anyone wishing to make their knowledge accessible to a variety of audiences, they offer various practical exercises, covering topics such as journalistic writing and radio interviews.

Additional resources and ongoing deployment 

In each of the fact sheets in the toolbox, the team at La Diagonale also provides a selection of resources for project owners looking for inspiration: films to watch, podcasts to listen to, games to explore and initiatives to discover. "We realised that there's a lack of awareness of everything that's being done to promote and popularise research. So we wanted to draw up a representative sample of resources for each theme," explains Mathilde Bryant.

The toolbox is available on the Université Paris-Saclay's Sciences & Société (Science and Society) website. The team at La Diagonale will update it regularly to include new developments in each area. There is also a printed version of the guide with pull-outfact sheets. This is available at various locations around the university, including Lumen on the Moulon plateau, in Gif-sur-Yvette.

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This article was originally published in L'Édition n°28.
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