Unit Summary

Building on the previous training, this session examines the importance of identifying, assessing, and discerning  credible and reliable sources when producing scientific content. Part 1 has examined the foundational principles of best practice in the production of scientifically sound and reliable content, looking at established models and methodologies (escape, sift, etc.). In Part 2, we look specifically at the evolving context in which museums are now operating, where new challenges (online sources, AI) necessitate more advanced approaches to ensuring the integrity of scientific content production. Discussion here focuses on raising awareness of the challenges posed by the digitalization of content, and the need for heightened media literacy skills, orientated towards museum practices. The final component of the training explores the increasing importance, and evolving nature, of the museum institution in a so called ‘post-truth’ context. How, for example, might the Saadiyat Cultural District lead the way in developing new forms of scientific credibility rooted in the empirical integrity of the museum space? What role can the museum play as a site of irrefutable material evidence in an increasingly digitized world? And how, ultimately, can practitioners orientate their activities within a broader awareness of these challenges?