世界上第一个科学媒介中心(Science Media Center)于十多年前出现在英国,其主要目的是为媒体提供科学且精确的信息,从而确保科学传播的有效性和正确性。到目前为止世界上正在运行的和成立之中的科学媒介中心大概有20多个,除英国科学媒介中心外,还有澳大利亚科学媒介中心、日本科学媒介中心、美国科学媒介中心、新西兰科学媒介中心以及加拿大科学媒介中心。
SMCs are independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations offering four key services:
Rapid response to media requests for interviews with top experts, background information, data
and analysis for fast-breaking news stories;
Advance briefings and alerts to keep journalists ahead of science and technology news and
discoveries;
Resources such as fact sheets, issues briefs and reports produced with evidence-based, replicable research about important science and engineering topics, questions and events; and
Training for scientists, engineers and health professionals to enable them to offer reporters the facts journalists need in the form they need them for broadcast interviews, on-the-record quotes and background or off-the-record discussions.