Karumpus

How do you handle communicating scientific principles to lay people? Especially with COVID-19, I found that people would wildly misinterpret the results of a study (eg, a paper that said transmissibility was not reduced from vaccines if you are vaccinated and then infected with the virus, and people misinterpreting that to mean transmissibility is not at all reduced if you’re vaccinated, because the scientific jargon proved quite hard to parse).

Do you think a “simple English” or a “lay person” section at the start should be mandatory in all scientific papers? Would this help or hinder research in any way?

It’s great to hear you agree! I work in physics and in my experience, having to simplify your work so others can understand it without needing 5+ years of university level coursework/research is a really great skill to have. Funnily enough, I think other researchers will benefit the most! I’m a PhD working in photonics, and I have no clue what my quantum metrology friends are doing half the time. Don’t get me started on the astrophysics group, they’re doing stats I didn’t even know existed.

If you will contact them, I’ll try and get my group to contact them too. Perhaps if enough people suggest it we can make some change!