Dear Members of the Zoological Society of Japan

I am writing to inform you that we have received the following email from the Federation of Japanese Biological Scientific Societies.
Zoological Society of Japan Secretariat

From here
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We received an issue raised by the Molecular Biology Society of Japan suggesting that Japanese media outlets do not link to research papers, which is likely why the Altmetric scores are not increasing. After discussion in the steering committee, we will distribute the following document to major media outlets. However, we would like to strongly request the professors of each member organization to share this with the members of their respective societies, and to urge each member to ensure that when they issue press releases regarding their research results, they clearly specify the source paper for the media to cite.
I believe this is a very important point for ensuring that Japan's scientific capabilities receive the proper recognition they deserve, and I would greatly appreciate your cooperation.

*****
February 9, 2023
A Request from the Japan Consortium for the Life Sciences to Media Representatives
Kazushige Higashihara, Representative, Federation of Japanese Biological Scientific Societies

Thank you for regularly covering science research-related news across various media outlets such as newspapers, magazines, television, and web distribution. The results of scientific research are usually published in specialized journals in the form of original research papers, but conveying their content in an easy-to-understand manner to the general public is also one of the extremely important research activities.

Here, regarding getting media coverage for researchers' press releases, we have a request. It is that in all reporting related to scientific research, the original research paper be cited. By referencing the original source, readers and listeners can learn the details of the research and accurately understand the background of the results. It also helps prevent the danger of misinterpretations spreading needlessly.

I would especially like to request that you include links to the original sources (such as unique identifiers like DOIs or PubMed IDs) in the website version of the articles. While many readers may not actually consult the original sources, providing these links enhances accuracy and transparency, and also strengthens the impact of the coverage. Furthermore, in recent years, altmetrics—an index that incorporates attention and social impact—has come to be used in evaluating academic papers. Therefore, including links to the original sources in news coverage is expected to have the effect of significantly increasing the recognition of our country's research in the international community.

Researchers have limited channels for communicating information, and the help of journalists is essential for the general public to access the latest research findings. To further develop research in Japan, we kindly ask for your cooperation in citing original sources in your reports.

Federation of Japanese Biological Scientific Societies: 34 member societies
Population Ecology Society of Japan, The Chromosome Society, Japanese Association for the Study of Taste and Smell, Genetics Society of Japan, Japanese Society for Biological Sciences in Space, The Japanese Association of Anatomists, Japan Society for Cell Biology, Japanese Society for Chronobiology, The Japanese Association for Laboratory Animal Science, The Botanical Society of Japan, The Japanese Society of Plant Morphologists, Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists, The Society of Evolutionary Studies, Japan, Japanese Society for Neurochemistry, The Japanese Society for Neuroscience, The Anthropological Society of Nippon, The Japanese Biochemical Society, The Ecological Society of Japan, The Society of Biological Education, Japan, The Biophysical Society of Japan, The Physiological Society of Japan, Japanese Society of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry, The Protein Society of Japan, Zoological Society of Japan, Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry, Japanese Society for Bioinformatics, The Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists, Japanese Society for Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry, Japan Society for Comparative Endocrinology, Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology, The Molecular Biology Society of Japan, The Japanese Union of Sociological Societies for Taxonomy, The Japanese Society for Immunology, The Japanese Pharmacological Society (in Japanese syllabary order)