Measuring engagement with shark research in science, news and social media, and policy: A bibliometric analysis

Shark conservation is an urgent and complex biodiversity matter. While research on sharks is an important output of the knowledge production processes that could inform conservation policy and management decisions, whether all relevant knowledge is reaching the public and policy-makers has been questioned. Concerns have been expressed that attention given to research is skewed towards specific and often more sensationalist topics that do not provide an accurate picture of the shark-related issues and of possible solutions to decision-makers and the general public. This study thus analysed Web of Science publications related to sharks to determine the degree of attention different areas of shark-related research received in science, social media, news media, and policy documents. Highly concentrated distributions of citations, and mentions in social media, news media, or policy documents were found, but little relationship exists between the attention that individual publications or research areas receive in the different spheres. These findings show the diversity of shark-related research and its audiences and suggest a need for research evaluation to acknowledge that research impact can take many forms. In addition, developing outreach strategies is needed to ensure that relevant research is adequately disseminated to the public and policy-makers. This study can help researchers, resource managers, and other stakeholders better understand the diverse body of scientific evidence that could be mobilized into policies and practices for shark conservation. •Conservation of sharks is an urgent and complex biodiversity and policy matter.•Uneven public attention is given to the diversity of subjects of shark research.•Policy and news attention is skewed toward a small proportion of research outputs.•Shark conservation receives more media and policy mentions than other shark subjects.•Research impact analysis should expand beyond traditional citation measurements.