Scholarly communication is a fact-driven enterprise, grounded in data across research, publication, and impact measurement. Yet empathy is equally vital to its success. This session begins by examining evidence on the benefits of empathy and explores ways to embed it throughout the scholarly communication life cycle—from collaboration and peer review to dissemination and assessment.
One focus will be the role of empathy in today’s geopolitical climate, where distrust in scholarship continues to grow. While facts are essential, trust often depends on interpersonal understanding, making empathy-forward approaches more effective than facts-forward ones. Another focus will consider empathy within ethics investigations, where fairness and compassion support integrity.
Finally, the session will address a critical question: in a metric-driven scholarly communication ecosystem, can—or should—empathy be measured? Not all value is quantifiable, and discussing this tension will invite active audience participation.
