As a science policy analyst, or even just as an informed citizen, it is not always enough to know where and how science policy is made, but to also have an informed opinion on the typical tensions and challenges that arise whenever science policy is created. Aside from being able to help you think critically about policy issues affecting society, having a solid grasp on common issues will help you anticipate, and hopefully mitigate the worst of problems that arise with science policy should the policy you’re assessing someday be written by you.

So, just as entomologists have their butterfly nets and nanoscientists have their nano-tape measures (we presume), science policy analysts and the like should have their own set of tools and methods to make sound judgments of important science topics.

In this section, we present a toolbox of issue spotting topics we find applicable to most, if not, all science policy. Included for each issue spotting topic is an in-depth explanation of the issue, a case example and resources for further reading. We suggest starting each section by first reviewing the case study they proceeding to remainder of the topic.

Below you’ll find a quick overview of these topics with an accompanying question or two that you can use to quickly remind yourself of the finer points of each. 

Open the topics below and select the link to go to the lesson page.