For your Reading Research assignment, you are asked to present your article to a general audience. Sharing scientific research with the general public is not the same as writing a research article for other scientists to read. You need to think about who you are talking to and how to get them interested in what you have to say. Why should they care about this research? Think about how the findings of this article relate to things that matter to your audience.

This video is has some great tips for thinking about your audience, and how to talk about science in an accessible way:

Science Communication Essentials by AGU's Sharing Science

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing means explaining something in your own words. It's more than just rearranging the words in a sentence to avoid plagiarism - you need to understand and summarize what the article is saying so that someone else can understand it, too. When you're paraphrasing for a general audience, it's also a good idea to try to use simpler language so that your audience doesn't need to be an expert to understand you. For an extreme (and humourous) example of explaining a complex topic simply, think about the xkcd comic Up Goer Five. 

Tips for Paraphrasing from the Excelsior Online Reading Lab

Three useful tips for explaining science clearly to a general audience (adapted from 50 Essentials on Science Communication):

1. Avoid scientific jargon. Try to explain things using words that an everyday person might know. If you have to use a technical term, explain what it means.
2. Words can mean different things to different audiences. Sometimes scientific words can have non-scientific meanings, so it's important to consider how your general audience might interpret things differently from a scientific audience.
3. Be aware of your language style. Try to use short sentences and direct words.

A good way to test out whether you've summarized something clearly is to ask a friend or family member who isn't in your BIO120 class. Explain your article to them and then ask them what they understood. Did you communicate effectively? What can you do to help them understand this complex topic better?

Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips and tricks to help you translate science into something that everyone can understand:

• Essential Tips and Tools for Communicating Your Science by AGU's Sharing Science
• Creating a Plain Language Summary by AGU's Sharing Science
• For an example of effective science communication in action, check out Science Friday
• Want to test how simple you can make a complex topic? Try explaining your article in the Up-Goer Five Text Editor (but remember that you do not need to simplify this much for your presentation!)

Support

If you would like help writing the script for your presentation, try reaching out to your college's Writing Centre for appointments, peer support, or other assistance.

Want to read more about target audiences, how to communicate science clearly, or giving an impactful science presentation? Check out the books below, or search in LibrarySearch for more resources.