IF on the study and classification of the natural, complementary and alternative therapies through the media and social networks

Brief description of the institution:

The University of Valencia (UV) stands out as one of the main public research organisations in Spain, with more than three thousand researchers integrated in 90 departments, 19 institutes and other research units belonging to social, biomedical, human, experimental and formal sciences. Along with human resources, the UV state-of-art premises and facilities, guarantee the quality of a vast scientific and technological offer available to the service of society.

The UV is a leading academic organisation at national level. Shanghai 2014 ranks UV among the top 200-300 universities in the world, and 4th best university in Spain. As per URAP 2014, the University of Valencia ranks third among all Spanish universities, first in Valencia region and 193th in the world.

University of Valencia is participating in several European projects under the subsequent RTD European Framework Programmes (I to VIII) and other European programmes: Erasmus, Leonardo, Life+, Cost, Third Health Programme, EEA Grants, Daphne III, Creative Europe… acting as several roles: coordinator, contractor, associated contractor, member, host institution... having experience in the development and management of more than 300 European projects as a whole.

UV participated in 78 community actions financed under the VII FP (CSA, Collaborative Projects, MSCA, ERC grants, etc.) with the role of coordinator in 29 of them. Currently, we are participating in 20 projects financed under Horizon 2020, with the role of coordinator in 8 of them, and 16 projects under several European Programmes other than H2020

Brief description of the Centre/Research Group (including URL if applicable):

ScienceFlows group: http://scienceflows.com/

"ScienceFlows" is a multidisciplinary group covering areas such us Health Sciences, Engineering, Education Sciences and Social Sciences. ScienceFlows group team has established a permanent set of researchers in conjunction with the CIEMAT, along with the Autonomous University of Madrid and the University of Oviedo. ScienceFlows have just finished the project Analysis of the institutional campaigns about the Human Papillomavirus vaccination, whose results can be found in the webpage, under the acronym of ANCAVA–VPH.

Currently, the whole team is developing a research project called ESTENAS: Study and classification of the natural, complementary and alternative therapies through the media and the social networks. Transfer ideas and values applied to the social imaginary; funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.

The research lines of the ScienceFlows team are focused on:

- Public comprehension and social perception of science.

- Scientific dissemination.

- Scientific journalism.

- History of science and the contemporary scientific culture. 

Project description:

Study and classification of the natural, complementary and alternative therapies through the media and the social networks. 

The debate about unconventional therapies is opened. This debate has two important cores in the construction of arguments: a) The incorporation into the governance of this kind of “unconventional medicine” through regulations and legislation. b) The way in which this knowledge is spread through the media and the social networking, building an idea or imaginary around these therapies, which generate an attitude in the public opinion.

The main objective of the present project is to analyse what images the mass media and social networks create about natural, complementary and alternative therapies, and what values are spread to society on these unconventional therapies.

Currently, groups for and against these therapies are being generated, coinciding with a stage when the Administration seeks to regulate the selling of homeopathic products. Besides, we find the data derived from some studies, such as the “White Paper on Homeopathy” (University of Zaragoza). In this report, it is estimated that in Spain, about 10,000 health professionals, turn to homeopathy as a treatment (as exclusive or as a complementary option). Also, the unconventional therapies are part of the catalogue of postgraduate services from Spanish universities offers. With this atomized scenario, we set out this research project with the idea of studying and classifying the presence of unconventional therapies in the media. Answering questions such as: How should we name them? (scientific, pseudoscientific, para-scientific; What kind of therapy has greater representation in the media?; Or, what is the role of scientific evidence?

Applications

-CV extended

-Motivation letter

 -A letter with a short description of his/her research areas