Science and technology are fast-moving fields. Keeping up is tough for scientists. Two recent studies1,2 have shown now that the readability of scientific papers has become harder. And there is a direct effect on the number of citations a paper receives. So, the impact of poor communications is starting to hit scientists in their careers.
The way we communicate also has an impact on the public. If it’s hard for us to read each other’s papers, just imagine how the public feels. So, they rely on journalists or other scientists who have blogs, podcasts, etc. to get their information.
It does not take an English degree to become a better communicator. You can be relatable. There are simple steps every scientist can take to improve both written and verbal communication. Improving your skills can carry over to your research papers and to your grants – remember the people who review grants are often mirror images of the public. Could your complicated grant writing be keeping you from getting more grants?
There are a few key roadblocks in the communication route between scientists and the public. The first is, it’s hard for those not regularly exposed to the scientific method to understand uncertainty.
Let’s look at a few things in the scientific field that have changed in the past few decades:
- In 1930, astronomers discovered Pluto. Students around the world memorized Pluto with the list of planets – until 2006, that is. That’s when Pluto’s status was down-graded from planet to dwarf-planet.3
- From the early 1990s until 2011, most students were taught dietary guidelines based on the Food Pyramid. In 2011, working with former First Lady Michelle Obama, the USDA released new guidelines, based on the shape of a dinner plate.4 The new guidelines are meant to promote health and wellness, based on the latest evidence on nutrition and health.
Going back a little further, most people under thirty don’t even know that the formula of the gasoline in our cars has changed. The Clean Air and Water acts were passed in the 1970s, with legislation regulating lead content in gasoline in the 1990s.5 This had a big economic impact on cars, gas stations, and more.4 It also reduced air pollution.
Working scientists are most likely not alarmed at these changes in laws or definitions. We understand this is the scientific process. But, if your job doesn’t require a working knowledge of broad scientific principles every day, it’s hard to keep up. Most people are busy and have a lot of information they sort through.
The public is populated by people in all types of jobs, with all kinds of education levels. They are experts in their fields. And they have busy lives. Perhaps they commute an hour a day. Maybe they also have household chores and kids to raise. Groceries to gather and meals to prep. But what these experts may pick up easily in their field is not the same as what you, a working scientist follows.
The second big roadblock is the increasing use of jargon by scientists. That is the key issue in our research papers, too. The Royal Society paper published in April, 20214 suggested that “jargon may hinder effective communication among scientists who do not share a common scientific background.” Citations were lower in papers that used jargon in their titles and abstracts – key tools to get others to read your papers.
So, if communication between scientists is harder due to the way we write and speak, just imagine what it’s like for those outside our fields of study and work. And there are more roadblocks, which I’ll cover in ongoing blog posts.
Science communications is the promotion of your work to audiences outside your peers. And it’s vital to keep the public aware of current results, and to keep grant money coming for further research. It relates to communicating to public policy staff.
This blog will cover all the tools you need to be a better science communicator, all in digestible bites. I’ll help you create the best message possible to compete with all the other information competing for people’s attention. They won’t read your blog, come to your talk, or other interactions if the language is complicated. Your audience is participating with you in their spare time as part education and part entertainment. That’s reality, and it’s not going away.
I’m going to assume that you, as a reader, have read this blog because you want quick results. I’ll try to make your job as easy as possible by using all the techniques I cover, writing in the way I hope you will in the future. In advance, thanks for reading, and thanks for trying. Your job as a scientist is vitally important.
“If we do discover a complete theory [of the universe], it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists.” —Stephen Hawking
Written by Susan V. Fisk, BS(Chem), M.Ed., MBA. Copyright by author.
- https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2020.2581
- https://elifesciences.org/articles/27725
- https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/pluto.html
- https://www.choosemyplate.gov/brief-history-usda-food-guides
- https://scienceprogress.org/2008/10/a-brief-history-of-lead-regulation/
- Personal disclaimer – I worked at Exxon for a short time in 1980 working on chemical treatments placed inside catalytic converters but claim no conflict of interest on this point!
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