Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Perspective
  • Published:

Independent SAGE as an example of effective public dialogue on scientific research

Nature Protocols volume 20, pages 1103–1113 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020 and then a pandemic on 11 March 2020. In early 2020, a group of UK scientists volunteered to provide the public with up-to-date and transparent scientific information. The group formed the Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Independent SAGE) and provided live weekly briefings to the public via YouTube. In this Perspective, we describe how and why this group came together and the challenges it faced. We reflect on 4 years of scientific information broadcasting and discuss the guiding principles followed by Independent SAGE, which may be broadly transferable for strengthening the scientist–public dialogue during public health emergencies in future settings. We discuss the provision of clarity and transparency, engagement with the science–policy interface, the practice of interdisciplinarity, the centrality of addressing inequity, the need for dialogue and partnership with the public, the importance of support for advocacy groups, the diversification of communication channels and modalities, the adoption of regular and organized internal communications, the resourcing and support of the group’s communications and the active opposition of misinformation and disinformation campaigns. We reflect on what we might do differently next time and propose research aimed at building the evidence base for optimizing informal scientific advisory groups in crisis situations.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Independent SAGE’s multimodal communication and engagement strategy expanded the group’s reach.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. McKee, M. et al. Open science communication: the first year of the UK’s Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. Health Policy 126, 234–244 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Boin, A., Stern, E. & Sundelius, B. The Politics of Crisis Management: Public Leadership under Pressure (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2016).

  3. The Precautionary Principle: Decision Making under Uncertainty https://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/precautionary_principle_decision_making_under_uncertainty_FB18_en.pdf (European Commission, Brussels, 2017).

  4. Michie, S., Ball, P., Wilsdon, J. & West, R. Lessons from the UK’s handling of COVID-19 for the future of scientific advice to government: a contribution to the UK COVID-19 public inquiry. Contemp. Soc. Sci. 17, 418–433 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Koch, N. & Durodié, B. Scientists advise, ministers decide? The role of scientific expertise in UK policymaking during the coronavirus pandemic. J. Risk Res. 25, 1213–1222 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Bauer, M. S., Damschroder, L., Hagedorn, H., Smith, J. & Kilbourne, A. M. An introduction to implementation science for the non-specialist. BMC Psychol. 3, 1–12 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Weiss, C. H. The many meanings of research utilization. Public Adm. Rev. 39, 426–431 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Oliver, K. & Cairney, P. The dos and don’ts of influencing policy: a systematic review of advice to academics. Palgrave Commun. 5, 1–11 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Shiffman, J. & Smith, S. Generation of political priority for global health initiatives: a framework and case study of maternal mortality. Lancet 370, 1370–1379 (2007).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Freedman, L. Scientific advice at a time of emergency. SAGE and COVID‐19. Political Q. 91, 514–522 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Colman, E., Wanat, M., Goossens, H., Tonkin-Crine, S. & Anthierens, S. Following the science? Views from scientists on government advisory boards during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study in five European countries. BMJ. Glob. Health 6, e006928 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Goddard, N., Delpech, V., Watson, J., Regan, M. & Nicoll, A. Lessons learned from SARS: the experience of the Health Protection Agency, England. Public Health 120, 27–32 (2006).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Report: Exercise Alice Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) (Public Health England, 2016).

  14. Hine, D. Independent Review into the Response to the 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-into-the-response-to-the-2009-swine-flu-pandemic (UK Cabinet Office, 2010).

  15. Han, E. et al. Lessons learnt from easing COVID-19 restrictions: an analysis of countries and regions in Asia Pacific and Europe. Lancet 396, 1525–1534 (2020).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Pearce, W. Trouble in the trough: how uncertainties were downplayed in the UK’s science advice on Covid-19. Humanit. Soc. Sci. Commun. 7, 122 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Tyler, T. R. Why People Obey the Law (Princeton Univ. Press, 2006).

  18. Cairney, P. & Wellstead, A. COVID-19: effective policymaking depends on trust in experts, politicians, and the public. Policy Des. Pract. 4, 1–14 (2021).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Weinberg, J. Trust, governance, and the COVID‐19 pandemic: an explainer using longitudinal data from the United Kingdom. Political Q. 93, 316–325 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Fancourt, D., Steptoe, A. & Wright, L. The Cummings effect: politics, trust, and behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lancet 396, 464–465 (2020).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Enria, L. et al. Trust and transparency in times of crisis: results from an online survey during the first wave (April 2020) of the COVID-19 epidemic in the UK. PloS ONE 16, e0239247 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Newton, K. Government communications, political trust and compliant social behaviour: the politics of COVID‐19 in Britain. Political Q. 91, 502–513 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Capodici, A., Salussolia, A., Sanmarchi, F., Gori, D. & Golinelli, D. Biased, wrong and counterfeited evidences published during the COVID-19 pandemic, a systematic review of retracted COVID-19 papers. Qual. Quant. 57, 4881–4913 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Scheinerman, N. & McCoy, M. What does it mean to engage the public in the response to covid-19? BMJ. 373, n1207 (2021).

  25. Independent SAGE. Indie_SAGE 04.05.20 - first committee meeting. Independent SAGE Youtube Archive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7uBwyr0sdg (2020).

  26. Independent SAGE. Independent SAGE 22nd May interim report on schools. Independent SAGE YouTube Archive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32OFgfH17KU (2020).

  27. Independent SAGE. Independent SAGE 09.06.20. Independent SAGE YouTube Archive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g34W-j9h0nI (2020).

  28. Rajan, S. et al. In the Wake of the Pandemic: Preparing for Long COVID Policy Brief No. 39 (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, 2021).

  29. Independent SAGE. Independent SAGE is calling for an immediate national lockdown. Independent SAGE Twitter Feed https://x.com/IndependentSage/status/1344222227961548800?s=20 (2020).

  30. Independent SAGE. Independent SAGE public briefing 30th December. Independent SAGE YouTube Archive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kIcCUY5vWc (2020).

  31. The COVID-19 safety pledge. COVID Pledge https://covidpledge.uk (2022).

  32. Pielke, R. A. The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2007).

  33. Nowotny, H., Scott, P. B. & Gibbons, M. T. Re-thinking Science: Knowledge and the Public in an Age of Uncertainty (Wiley, 2013).

  34. Van Der Bles, A. M. et al. Communicating uncertainty about facts, numbers and science. R. Soc. Open Sci. 6, 181870 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Fischhoff, B. & Davis, A. L. Communicating scientific uncertainty. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 111, 13664–13671 (2014).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  36. Warren, G. W. & Lofstedt, R. Risk communication and COVID-19 in Europe: lessons for future public health crises. J. Risk Res. 25, 1161–1175 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Rajan, D. et al. Governance of the COVID-19 response: a call for more inclusive and transparent decision-making. BMJ. Glob. Health 5, e002655 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  38. Renn, O. et al. Making Sense of Science for Policy under Conditions of Complexity and Uncertainty https://doi.org/10.26356/MASOS (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (SAPEA), 2019).

  39. Greenhalgh, T. & Engebretsen, E. The science-policy relationship in times of crisis: an urgent call for a pragmatist turn. Soc. Sci. Med. 306, 115140 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Easton, D. The Political System (Knopf, 1953).

  41. Rolin, K. in The Routledge Handbook of Trust and Philosophy (ed. Simon, J.) 354–366 (Routledge, 2020).

  42. Machingaidze, S. & Wiysonge, C. S. Understanding COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Nat. Med. 27, 1338–1339 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. A Blueprint to Achieve an Excellent Find, Test, Trace, Isolate and Support System https://www.independentsage.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/New-FTTIS-System-final-06.50.pdf (Independent SAGE, 2020).

  44. Scambler, G. COVID-19 as a ‘breaching experiment’: exposing the fractured society. Health Sociol. Rev. 29, 140–148 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Bambra, C., Lynch, J. & Smith, K. E. The Unequal Pandemic: COVID-19 and Health Inequalities (Bristol Univ. Press, 2021).

  46. Disparities in the Impact of COVID-19 in Black and Minority Ethnic Populations: Review of the Evidence and Recommendations for Action (Report 6) https://www.independentsage.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Independent-SAGE-BME-Report_02July_FINAL.pdf (Independent SAGE, 2020).

  47. Douglas, M., Katikireddi, S. V., Taulbut, M., McKee, M. & McCartney, G. Mitigating the wider health effects of covid-19 pandemic response. BMJ. 369, m1557 (2020).

  48. COVID-19 and Health Inequality (Report No. 21) https://www.independentsage.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Inequalities-_i_SAGE_FINAL-draft_corrected.pdf (Independent SAGE, 2021).

  49. The COVID-19 Crisis and Inequalities. Independent SAGE Weekly Briefing 4th March 2022 https://www.independentsage.org/weekly-briefing-4th-march-2022/ (Independent SAGE, 2022).

  50. COVID-19 and the Implications for Health Inequalities. Independent SAGE Weekly Briefing 9th December 2022 https://www.independentsage.org/weekly-briefing-9th-dec-2022/ (Independent SAGE, 2022).

  51. How to Achieve Global Vaccine Rollout. Report No. 35 https://www.independentsage.org/how-to-achieve-global-vaccine-rollout/ (Independent SAGE, 2021).

  52. Burgess, R. A. et al. The COVID-19 vaccines rush: participatory community engagement matters more than ever. Lancet 397, 8–10 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Haque, Z. Vaccine inequality may undermine the booster programme. BMJ. 375, n3118 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Gurdasani, D. et al. Vaccinating adolescents against SARS-CoV-2 in England: a risk–benefit analysis. J. R. Soc. Med. 114, 513–524 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  55. Gurdasani, D. et al. Mass infection is not an option: we must do more to protect our young. Lancet 398, 297–298 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  56. Coronavirus: Lessons Learnt To Date (Health and Social Care Committee and Science and Technology Committee, 2022).

  57. Clinically Vulnerable Families https://www.clinicallyvulnerable.org/ (accessed 8 November 2024).

  58. Greenhalgh, T., Jimenez, J.-L., Milller, S. & Peng, Z. Here’s where (and how) you are most likely to catch COVID—new study. The Conversation https://theconversation.com/heres-where-and-how-you-are-most-likely-to-catch-covid-new-study-174473 (2022).

  59. Michie, S. et al. New COVID variants have changed the game, and vaccines will not be enough. We need global ‘maximum suppression’. The Conversation https://theconversation.com/new-covid-variants-have-changed-the-game-and-vaccines-will-not-be-enough-we-need-global-maximum-suppression-157870 (2021).

  60. Iyengar, S. & Massey, D. S. Scientific communication in a post-truth society. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 116, 7656–7661 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  61. Lee, C., Yang, T., Inchoco, G. D., Jones, G. M. & Satyanarayan, A. Viral visualizations: how coronavirus skeptics use orthodox data practices to promote unorthodox science online. In Proc. 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 1–18 (ACM, 2021).

  62. Ecker, U. K. et al. The psychological drivers of misinformation belief and its resistance to correction. Nat. Rev. Psychol. 1, 13–29 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Clarke, L. COVID-19’s rebel scientists: has iSAGE been a success? BMJ. 375, n2504 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. Signs and ‘Scores on the Doors’: Communicating About Ventilation https://www.independentsage.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Independent-SAGE-SotD-March-2022-FINAL-3-1.pdf (Independent SAGE, 2022).

  65. Statement on the Management of NHS Test and Trace https://www.independentsage.org/statement-on-the-management-of-nhs-test-and-trace/ (Independent SAGE, 2020).

  66. Independent SAGE Statement on the UK Government’s Roadmap for Ending All Restrictions https://www.independentsage.org/indie-sage-statement-on-the-uk-government-roadmap-for-ending-all-restrictions/ (Independent SAGE, 2021).

  67. Independent SAGE. Vaccines, variants and immunity. Independent SAGE 1st July 2022. Independent SAGE YouTube Archive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3ymXVpE8Lc (2022).

  68. Katzourakis, A. COVID-19: endemic doesn’t mean harmless. Nature 601, 485–485 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  69. Pagel, C. & Yates, C. Role of mathematical modelling in future pandemic response policy. BMJ. 378, e070615 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  70. Independent SAGE. A seven point plan to suppress covid infections and reduce disruptions. BMJ. 378, o1793 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  71. Cruickshank, S. COVID-19 immunity: how long does it last? The Conversation https://theconversation.com/covid-2019-immunity-how-long-does-it-last-152849 (2021).

  72. Williams, S. N. & McKee, M. How austerity made the UK more vulnerable to COVID. The Conversation https://theconversation.com/how-austerity-made-the-uk-more-vulnerable-to-covid-208240 (2023).

  73. Yates, K. ‘The models were always wrong’ (Independent SAGE Mythbuster series no. 5). YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQkjMb0-d3g (2022).

  74. Pagel, C. ‘It’s lockdown or nothing’ (Independent SAGE Mythbuster series no. 4). YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02zgVKXptDI (2022).

  75. Cruickshank, S. ‘Vaccines were rushed through’ (Independent SAGE Mythbuster Series 7). YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZl47u8psXw (2022).

  76. Independent SAGE at BlueDot. BlueDot https://discoverthebluedot.com/profile/indie-sage/ (2023).

  77. All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus. Evidence session: easing of restrictions. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOWUW55wMPU (2022).

  78. English, C. Ripples: the forgotten 500,000. Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2c3b8fVp1JTWAGPbFniAiX (2022).

  79. Pagel, C. The Astra Zeneca vaccine saved millions of lives globally. Substack https://christinapagel.substack.com/p/the-astra-zeneca-covid-vaccine-saved (2024).

  80. Independent SAGE. COVID-19 situation report, May 2024. Substack https://independentsage.substack.com/p/covid-situation-report-may-2029-2024 (2024).

Download references

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge support, collaboration and intellectual input from other current and previous members of Independent SAGE, and from numerous additional scientists and advocates who have acted as advisors, guest speakers and critical friends to Independent SAGE the past few years. We thank C. Cadwalladr for her inspiration and energy in initiating Independent SAGE, and The Citizens for their unfailing support and guidance on how best to communicate complex science to (and with) diverse audiences. Finally, we thank patients and the public—both individuals and groups—for their crucial input to ongoing debates about science and how science should influence policy. The authors, who are all current members of Independent SAGE, thank all current and former colleagues on Independent SAGE for interdisciplinary and collegial dialogues, which have shaped and enriched their thinking. A fill list of past and present members of Independent SAGE is available at https://www.independentsage.org/who-are-independent-sage/. Responsibility for the present article, including any errors or omissions, rests with the authors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Trisha Greenhalgh & Helen Salisbury

  2. Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK

    Anthony Costello

  3. Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Sheena Cruickshank

  4. Leeds Institute of Medical Research, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Stephen Griffin

  5. Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Aris Katzourakis

  6. Centre for Immuno-oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Lennard Lee

  7. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    Martin McKee

  8. Centre for Behaviour Change, University College London, London, UK

    Susan Michie

  9. Clinical Operational Research Unit, University College London, London, UK

    Christina Pagel

  10. School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK

    Stephen Reicher

  11. School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Alice Roberts

  12. Management Science and Operations Group, Loughborough Business School, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK

    Duncan Robertson

  13. St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Duncan Robertson

  14. Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Kit Yates

Authors
  1. Trisha Greenhalgh
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anthony Costello
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sheena Cruickshank
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Stephen Griffin
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Aris Katzourakis
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Lennard Lee
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Martin McKee
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Susan Michie
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Christina Pagel
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Stephen Reicher
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Alice Roberts
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Duncan Robertson
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Helen Salisbury
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Kit Yates
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Consortia

on behalf of Independent SAGE

  • Trisha Greenhalgh
  • , Anthony Costello
  • , Sheena Cruickshank
  • , Stephen Griffin
  • , Aris Katzourakis
  • , Lennard Lee
  • , Martin McKee
  • , Susan Michie
  • , Christina Pagel
  • , Stephen Reicher
  • , Alice Roberts
  • , Duncan Robertson
  • , Helen Salisbury
  •  & Kit Yates

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Trisha Greenhalgh.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

All authors are members of Independent SAGE. T.G. is an unpaid advisor to the philanthropic group Balvi. M.M. is Past President of the British Medical Association and European Public Health Association, Research Director of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policy, a partnership of governments, international agencies, and universities, and an advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe. He is a former chair of WHO Europe’s Advisory Committee on Health Research and a former member of the European Commission’s Expert Panel on Effective Ways of Investing in Health. He is a current member of the Advisory Committee of Friends of the Global Fund Europe and the European Health Forum Gastein and is President of the European Public Health Conference Foundation. S.M. participated in the UK’s Scientific Advisory Group in Emergencies (SAGE) and its behavioural science sub-group, ‘SPI-B’. S.R. is a member of the UK’s Independent Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours and the Scottish Government COVID-19 Advisory Group. A.R. is a freelance broadcaster and author and Past President and current Vice-President of Humanists UK.

Peer review

Peer review information

Nature Protocols thanks Nicole Grobert, Tommi Kärkkäinen, Jaakko Kuosmanen and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Greenhalgh, T., Costello, A., Cruickshank, S. et al. Independent SAGE as an example of effective public dialogue on scientific research. Nat Protoc 20, 1103–1113 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41596-024-01089-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41596-024-01089-6

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing