Master the 3 key principles for engaging people in your research

Like any form of translation, there’s a huge amount of interpretive and linguistic skill involved in summarising a research paper in lay terms. Academic institutions are increasingly seeing the value of involving the wider public in science and research, and as such, more and more grants are popping up for public engagement efforts. But this is a skill in itself. It’s one thing to be an expert in a field of research, and quite another to know how to share that knowledge in a way that is accessible, engaging, and promotes meaningful dialogue with the people it impacts – many of whom may not have a scientific background.

So, what are some principles for summarising academic research for non-experts?

Find your focus and keep it brief

Before even starting to write, it’s important to find the focus. In scientific research, the devil is in the detail, and there are a lot of details in an academic paper! But in order to pique your audience’s attention and keep it, there’s a huge amount of surplus information that needs to be trimmed. Ask yourself: what’s the most important background for the audience to know? What are the paper’s key findings? How might these findings impact future research, and the public at large? Figuring out what needs to be included is the first step in distilling the paper down.

Similarly, keep it brief. Try and say the most you can with as few words as possible. This keeps the audience interested and makes for a more efficient way of disseminating information.

Consider audience and context

Next, think about the audience. Who are you writing for? If, for example, you’re writing for the general public, you must write with the assumption that they do not have a background in the subject. Therefore you should minimise jargon, and clearly explain any technical terms that might be necessary to include. On the other hand, if you’re writing for a patient group, they may have some existing understanding of the topic. As a result, writing for that audience might meant that you need to include less background information and an assumption of a higher degree of knowledge than the average person. It’s important to remember that things that may seem innate or obvious to somebody familiar with the scientific method might not be obvious to everybody, and therefore may need further explanation. Think about a non-scientist friend or relative – how would you explain this to them in conversation?

In the field of science communication, there’s a model for public engagement called the contextual model. It proposes that it is unhelpful to assume ignorance in an audience, and that successful communication hinges on the disseminator’s ability to consider the context from which an audience approaches a topic. How might demographics, existing biases, and lived experiences tie into the way they absorb this information? Considering the context of your audience and crediting them with the ability to digest and understand complex topics will help you to successfully engage different people and help them to strengthen their knowledge-base and form well-rounded opinions.

Get creative

So, you know what points you want to include, and you’ve identified who you’re writing for. The next step is how you write it. With context in mind, you can start thinking about ways that your audience might want to learn about your topic. If you’re writing for a younger audience, you could think about fun ways to weave the pertinent information into a compelling story. If you’re writing for an audience who might be personally affected by your topic, think carefully about what sort of language you use so that you don’t alienate them or make them feel dehumanised or patronised.

Finding comparisons with things people already know and understand can be a hugely helpful tool in science communication. Struggling to explain how the immune system works? You could ask your audience to think of your body as a castle, your white blood cells as defensive soldiers, and antibodies as the weapons. Metaphors and comparisons are powerful literary techniques, and will make your audience more likely to absorb and retain information. Visual representations are also highly effective – could a simple diagram or graphic aid your explanation?

Writing a lay summary may feel like a daunting task; researchers go to lengths not to misrepresent information in their papers, so it can be difficult to remove and simplify information that is nuanced and complex by nature. But science and research can – and should – be for everyone, and considering and respecting your audience is a huge part of promoting respectful and well-informed dialogue with the public about research topics. Get creative, bounce ideas off non-expert friends and family, and see the value in sharing fascinating topics with more people.