Communicating Science Effectively: A Practical Handbook for Integrating Visual Elements - Softcover

Thomas, J.; Jones, A.; Saxby, T.; Carruthers, T.; Abal, E.; Dennison, W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1843391252 ISBN 13: 9781843391258

Publisher: IWA Publishing, 2006

Synopsis

This is a practical handbook on how to communicate science effectively. The first part is an introduction to the principles of science communication and what effective science communication is, why it is important, and how to do it. The principles in these chapters include how effective science communication can change societal paradigms and make one a better scientist. General principles relating to all science communication products include providing synthesis, visualisation, and context, assembling self-contained visual elements such as photos, maps, conceptual diagrams and data, formatting content to define and simplify terms, and eliminating jargon and acronyms. Formatting of these visual elements is also discussed. This introduction is followed by chapters outlining techniques and principles for communicating in different media & desktop publishing (including posters and newsletters), presentations and websites. Techniques in these chapters include image, colour, and font formats, resolution and design tips for different media. Finally, a case study is presented to illustrate how effective science communication has become an integral part of a successful environmental science, monitoring, planning, and implementation program. The book is accompanied by extensive internet resources, including interactive software tutorials for the different software programs commonly used in communication, discussion forums for science communication issues, and links to other websites of interest. This book will be a valuable resource for scientists, working in government, research, management agencies, and education. Although environmental scientists are the primary audience, the principles and techniques discussed are applicable to scientists from all fields.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Communicating Science Effectively

A practical handbook for integrating visual elements

By J.E. Thomas, T.A. Saxby, A.B. Jones, T.J.B. Carruthers, E.G. Abal W.C. Dennison

IWA Publishing

Copyright © 2006 IWA Publishing
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-84339-125-8

Contents

Preface, v, 
1. Why is effective science communication important?, 1, 
2. What is effective science communication?, 7, 
3. How do we communicate science effectively?, 15, 
4. Conceptual diagrams, 47, 
5. Desktop publishing, 59, 
6. Posters and newsletters, 79, 
7. Presentations, 89, 
8. Websites, 99, 
9. A case study of effective science communication, 119, 
10. Index, 131, 

CHAPTER 1

Why is effective science communication important?

Scientific discovery can result in large lifestyle and philosophical changes in society. Throughout most of history, science has provided new opportunities, such as discovery of new lands, new resources, new technologies, or new insights (e.g., the formation of the planets). For much of that history, science has been carried out by the intellectual and social elite, so dissemination of new ideas was relatively easy amongst this small sector of society.

However, in the 21st century, there are some fundamental differences to the old model of scientific discovery and information dissemination. There are now many more scientists working in disparate fields, and most of these people are very specialized — no longer are writers-philosophers and scientists in the same community. There are now accepted and formal ways of communicating within the scientific community, mainly through publishing articles in journals and giving presentations to colleagues at large meetings. Throughout the 20th century, science was proclaimed as the solution to the problems of land degradation and pollution resulting from earlier discoveries during the agricultural and industrial revolutions. As a result, there is now an increasing focus on funding for science being linked to providing practical solutions to environmental problems. This creates a dilemma, for while excellent science can be conducted, science alone will not create widespread change, mainly because the channels to use this information and create change are poorly developed. In order to create changes in behavior and beliefs of the general public, broader and more effective communication of the new scientific insights being gained is required. Even where the solutions to environmental problems are clear, management, political, and ultimately public support are needed to implement the (usually) expensive solutions. Therefore, utilizing our current research effectively will require new tools to facilitate effective communication, not only to scientific peers, but also to managers, government, and ultimately, the general public.

The essence of effective science communication is the development of content-rich, jargon-free, communication-based materials. Content-rich refers to communication that is replete with data and ideas. Jargon-free refers to the elimination of shorthand notation that scientists use to communicate within their peer groups — this means removing acronyms and maintaining a common language basis for explaining concepts. Communication-based refers to focusing on the intended audience and providing an even broader base of accessibility for a wider audience.

EFFECTIVE SCIENCE COMMUNICATION CHANGES SOCIETAL PARADIGMS

Science has progressed over time with a series of paradigm shifts. These shifts occur when scientific understanding is effectively communicated to society. In an attempt to predict the next major shift, an analysis of the history of scientific paradigms was conducted. In the words of Winston Churchill, "The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see." Over the past 500 years, a series of major paradigm shifts have occurred. Dividing the historical time-line into 50-year periods, 10 paradigm shifts have occurred since the year 1500. The first of these (1500–1550) came in astronomy from the work of Nicolas Copernicus, who postulated that the earth was not at the center of the solar system — rather, that the earth revolved around the sun. This was supported by the observations and writings of Galileo Galilei (1550–1600), who believed that the heavenly bodies consisted of physical matter rather than ethereal substances. Both Copernicus and Galileo were responding to the impetus of a need to understand where the earth was placed in the broader spectrum of the universe.

The next major paradigm shift (1600–1650) was also in astronomy. Johann Kepler formulated three laws of planetary motion, now known as Kepler's laws, which stated that planets moved in elliptical orbits, not circular orbits. Isaac Newton precipitated another paradigm shift (1650–1700) with his book on the principles of mathematics, in which he demonstrated that there were universal physical laws (e.g., gravity), which supplanted the belief that the forces of nature were only affected through physical contact. In the period 1700–1750, as more of the earth was explored, the diversity of life became evident and a need to categorize living things was evident. As a response, Carl Linnaeus and his students developed a uniform method of naming organisms, still in use today, replacing the multiple names for the same organism that previously existed.

In the period 1750–1800, the French nobleman and chemist Antoine Lavoisier disproved the phlogiston theory of combustion. This earlier theory stated that all flammable materials contain phlogiston, a substance without color, odor, taste, or weight that is released during burning. Instead, Lavoisier showed that combustion requires oxygen, setting the stage for a new theory of what happens when objects burn, and identifying and naming oxygen in the process.

Yet another major paradigm shift occurred during 1800–1850 with respect to the earth's formation. Charles Lyell postulated that the earth was shaped by gradual processes, or uniformitarism, rather than by catastrophic events. This followed Hutton's theory that the age of the earth was much greater than the accepted 6,000 years.

The evolution period (1850–1900) revolutionized the way people thought about the origin of the human species. Charles Darwin's books on evolution were best-sellers and sparked considerable debate throughout society. A key aspect of Darwin's contribution was his ability to communicate the ideas of natural selection and evolution to society through his writings.

The physics period (1900–1950) was the era of substantial discoveries in the nature of matter. Albert Einstein's theory of relativity provided a paradigm shift in the view of matter and energy, postulating that matter and energy were interchangeable. This improved understanding of matter provided the basis for nuclear physics and eventually led to atomic power and atomic bombs. The biology period (1950–2000) was stimulated by the elucidation of the structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) by James Watson and Francis Crick. The ensuing advances in molecular biology led to biotechnology, the human genome project, and new insights into the evolutionary relationships of living things.

EFFECTIVE SCIENCE COMMUNICATION CAN MAKE YOU A BETTER SCIENTIST

Effective communication is an important part of doing science. Many great scientists are also great communicators. Consideration of the communication aspect of scientific research can lead you to producing better and more complete results. There are several ways in which attention to the communication aspects of science can improve your science. Completeness — envisioning the story that is being conveyed can lead to a more comprehensive research program in which each element of the story is addressed. Having conceptualized the storyline for the science communication product, you can fill the holes or gaps in order to make the story complete. Context is identifying linkages and developing comparisons that can lead to important insights. The search for explanations of temporal or spatial comparisons often leads to a fresh perspective on the data. Visualization is a powerful communication tool that can provide unique insights. For example, production of a map using overlays of different elements can provide linkages that may not otherwise be obvious. An aerial photograph combined with a conceptual diagram provides another example of visual elements that would not be as powerful individually as they are when combined. Synthesis is achieved by combining different data or approaches, which can lead to novel insights. For example, combining all the data on a topic and developing either a mathematical depiction or a correlation with another feature can create important benchmarks, such as the Redfield Ratio of elemental carbon : nitrogen : phosphorus concentrations (106:16:1) in which global values for both phytoplankton and water column concentrations were calculated. This ratio has been used extensively by oceanographers, but also modified and applied to other organisms and ecosystems.

THE ESSENCE OF SCIENCE COMMUNICATION

Much of this handbook is concerned with the art of science communication. In addition to the art, you will need to find the essence of science communication. The essence includes allowing adequate time to produce science communication products and also giving yourself enough quality time in which your creative efforts can be made and integrated into the science communication products. Balancing time demands is always an issue, but the use of quality time to develop good science communication products will be appreciated by your audience. This quality time needs to involve creating opportunities for critical feedback, so that a small group of friends or colleagues can help improve the draft stages of your project. Feedback and revision is essential, and feedback often needs to be actively sought. In the planning process, time allotted to feedback and associated recommended revisions needs to be built in, otherwise the project may drift along in the absence of a fixed timeline. The concept of multiple revisions of science communication products is not often realized. However, traditional scientific writing has both an informal and a very formal review process, and it is expected that a published paper will have undergone a thorough evaluation and multiple revisions. This review of science communication can be made both internally (e.g., lab groups or graduate student seminar series) or externally (e.g., editors, reviewers).

It is important to allow your enthusiasm for your subject to come forward. Expressing enthusiasm is often discouraged on the grounds that it is a distraction to the dispassionate and objective scientific analysis. However, enthusiasm about the topic should not influence your scientific approach — rather, sharing the excitement of discovery and enthusiasm about learning serves to contagiously entrain the audience. If the audience senses that the scientist presenting findings does not really care about the topic, then they will invariably wonder why they should care. If your enthusiasm is apparent, your audience will be more likely to attempt to comprehend your message.

Good science communication requires attention to both the science and the presentation. If the science is not good, it does not matter how well you dress it up — it is still not good science. If the science is good, but it is not presented well, it loses its power and impact. In the worst case scenario, this becomes an indulgent hobby for the self-edification of the scientist and is not used to build the body of knowledge. The goal is to end up with good science that is effectively communicated. In general practice, the vast majority of scientific effort is in the collection and analysis of data, with little time or resources devoted to the communication of science. Rather than science communication being an afterthought, it is essential to factor in the time and resources that are needed for developing a quality communication product.

CHAPTER 2

What is effective science communication?

Effective science communication is the successful dissemination of knowledge to a wide range of audiences, from specialist scientists, through managers and politicians, to the general public. Many scientists believe that doing excellent science is enough and that this knowledge will be found and used at the appropriate time. Unfortunately, the public, politicians, and even environmental managers rarely read journal articles or highly specialized books, so these media alone do not constitute effective science communication. Increasingly, scientists are called upon to comment on current environmental problems and search for solutions — however, they are often left lacking tools to communicate the knowledge that they have, especially in the face of the uncertainty inherent in the scientific process. It is the nature of science that a scientist can never be 100% certain, which is problematic to those responsible for decision-making. However, with appropriate communication tools it is possible for scientists to explain their messages to a broader audience, creating greater understanding and demystifying both scientific knowledge and the scientific process. Only when effective science communication is achieved will the relevance of science to society in general increase.

PROVIDING SYNTHESIS, VISUALIZATION, AND CONTEXT

The key elements of science communication are synthesis, visualization, and context. Raw data do not provide much insight to anyone except perhaps the investigator collecting the data. Rather, data that have been analyzed, interpreted, and synthesized are needed for meaningful science communication products. Visualization is key, as the audience must be able to see the who, what, where, when, and how of the data that are used to support the ideas, so that the scientist can then tell them why. A common strategy is to not provide the data, and inform the audience that the data are very complicated and that the listeners should just trust the scientist that the ideas are supported by the missing data. This is a flawed strategy and often means that the scientist has not worked hard enough to develop effective communication devices. Making a point with the data visualized is very powerful. The audience needs to be able to see and interpret the data themselves — they can be guided through the data, but they need to know that the data exist. Context provides answers to the important questions 'Why should we care?', or more simply, 'So what?' Relate to the audience, giving them the big picture while being locally relevant. Context includes using comparative data so that specific examples can be characterized as 'high' or 'low' relative to regional or global extremes. Context also lets people understand why you are measuring what you are measuring, or why you care about a certain issue.

SIMPLIFYING YOUR TERMS BUT NOT YOUR CONTENT

Do not dumb it down — instead, raise the bar. You can assume your audience has very little prior knowledge of your particular study, but also assume that the people in your audience are intelligent, knowledgeable people who have the capacity to be informed. If your audience is naive, that does not mean they are stupid. Effective science communication should aim to educate the audience and bring them up to your level. People can generally grasp even complex concepts if they are communicated effectively.

ASSEMBLING SELF-CONTAINED VISUAL ELEMENTS

Science communication relies on the use of images, maps, photos, tables, figures, video clips, and conceptual diagrams. Science communication principles can be applied to all science communication products, including proposals and papers published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, newsletters, books, videos, mass media, and effective communication at meetings and conferences. Start a personal resource library containing different visual elements that will help you to communicate your research. Creating effective graphics and illustrations is one of the most time-consuming tasks, but appropriate use of illustrations will dramatically improve the communication of your story — a picture is worth 1,000 words!

Conceptual diagrams

Conceptual diagrams help to clarify thinking — words can be ambiguous but an image commits to the message being portrayed. Use of symbols in conceptual diagrams is an ancient communication technique to depict unequivocal messages. Conceptual diagrams facilitate communication, both one-way (the presentation of the idea), and two-way (idea development). They can be used to identify gaps in, priorities of, and essential elements of knowledge by communicating concepts, summarizing information, and indicating key processes. Conceptual diagrams provide synthesis, visualization, and context. For more information on conceptual diagrams, see Chapter 4.

Satellite photos and maps

Satellite photos and maps provide geographic context and are information-rich. Depending on scale, satellite photos provide extra information by showing topography and land use, as well as water clarity, depth, and movement. A series of satellite photos or maps can be useful in accentuating differences and tracking temporal changes.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Communicating Science Effectively by J.E. Thomas, T.A. Saxby, A.B. Jones, T.J.B. Carruthers, E.G. Abal W.C. Dennison. Copyright © 2006 IWA Publishing. Excerpted by permission of IWA Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Edition details

• Publisher: IWA Publishing
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1843391252
• ISBN 13: 9781843391258
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 140