ABSTRACT
Science communication producers need to maintain an awareness of the risks associated with sacrificing rigour in an attempt to make the message more intelligible for the public. The scientific method is a process designed to explain phenomena, establish relationships among variables and formulate principles to extend and communicate scientific knowledge. Science communicators have already developed tools to evaluate rigour in the reporting of findings in journals and traditional mass media. Moreover, scientific dissemination in the media must extend beyond the basic objective of educating the public. The convergence of media and audiovisual content through the Internet facilitates access to knowledge and its democratisation to diverse publics. The videos from our sample on climate change in particular and, to a lesser extent, vaccines provide examples of controversial topics that exhibit lower levels of rigour. Certainly, ensuring scientific rigour in online videos is currently impossible for some main reasons.
