Under the scope of FOODSTORIES, quality criteria can be defined as “standards used to assess and evaluate the quality of practices. In various fields, including research, education, and communication, quality criteria help establish benchmarks and ensure that certain standards are met.”

To define the quality criteria for this project, partners used the QUEST project as the starting point. QUEST is a Horizon 2020 funded project which developed tools and guidelines for improving the effectiveness in dialogue between the scientific community and the non-expert audience.

QUEST developed a toolkit for science communicators and trainers that presents 12 indicators of quality in science communication divided into 3 main pillars. These criteria illustrate the elements that ensure clear and effective communication of scientific results. 

Within the first pillar, trustworthiness and scientific rigour, communication must be:

• - Scientific – based on reliable and rigorous scientific information and sources
• - Factual – accurate, objective and fact-checked information
• - Balanced – includes the “voice” of key stakeholders and comments by independent experts
• - Transparent – provides information about the scientific process

As for the presentation and style pillar, communication must be:

• - Clear – simple and accessible language, with a clear focus and which outlines key messages
• - Factual – provides a wider context and is coherent in structure and style
• - Spellbinding – is emotionally engaging
• - Interacting with the audience – respects the audience and involves it in a dialogue

The third and last pillar states that the communication must establish a connection with the society:

• - Purposeful and targeted – has a clear objective and is tailored to reach the target groups
• - Impactful – generated changes in individuals and in the society
• - Relatable – addresses real-life questions and relates scientific results to everyday life problems
• - Responsible – is socially and politically conscious and follows ethical standards

All of these criteria will be taken in consideration by the FOODSTORIES consortium when analysing the good practices on food science storytelling, so that only the best ones are selected and featured on the platform.

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