Participant Guide

Communicating Science to the Public

In Collaboration with the Egyptian Knowledge Bank

Nature Research Academies – Author Academy

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Workshop Overview
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The Nature Research Academies virtual workshops are designed to offer accessible training
for busy researchers. Through a combination of interactive webinars and self-study
exercises, led by a Nature Research trainer, the workshop will help you to succeed in today’s
competitive academic landscape.
It is becoming increasingly important for researchers to be able to clearly communicate their
research to a broader audience, 
such as the public, policymakers, and even funding
organizations. However, communicating complex findings in an understandable manner is
challenging for many researchers. This virtual workshop provides attendees with practical
strategies on how to achieve this goal.
Participants who complete the workshop will be awarded a Certificate of Completion.

Objectives for this virtual workshop:

• Understand why communicating your research with the public is so important
• Logically guide a lay audience through the importance of your research
• Communicate your complex ideas clearly and simply for the public
• Identify the best platforms to communicate your research to the public

Preparation for the workshop

To prepare for the virtual workshop, please read through the key points of the workshop
along with the activities, which should take you less than an hour. These exercises have been
designed to help you to get the most out of the workshop. By reviewing them ahead of time,
the trainer can focus on teaching and leading the activities more effectively during the
sessions. We encourage you to try to answer the activities before the webinar, and then you
can revise your answers during the webinar if necessary.
You will also need to have access to this Participant Guide during the webinars. The Nature
Research Academies team recommends that you either print or display it on a separate
device to the one you are using to access the webinars.

Pre-reading before the workshop

Please read the article found in the back of the Participant Guide, “Design of robust
superhydrophobic surfaces” published recently in Nature. If you are not a materials scientist
or related discipline, that is fine. We do not expect you to thoroughly understand this article.
However, please compare the writing style and information that is communicated in this
article with the corresponding press release from the research institution entitled, “Super
water-repellent materials are now durable enough for the real world”, which can be found
after the article in this Participant Guide.

The goal of this workshop is to teach how to communicate complex scientific concepts (such
as the article) in a manner that is easily understood by non-specialists (such as in the press
release).

Egyptian Knowledge Bank 2

Agenda
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Webinar 1 – Structuring Science Stories

What makes a newsworthy story
Session 1 This section discusses how to determine if a study will be of interest to the public who
likely do not have scientific backgrounds.

Understand public expectations

Session 2 This section reviews what the public is looking for when reading about scientific research
and how to evaluate their current understanding of the topic.

10 minutes Break

15 minutes Q&A

Properly structuring science stories

Session 3 This section highlights how to structure a scientific study in a way that will be
engaging and interesting to the public.

15 minutes Final Q&A

Webinar 2 – Writing Clear and Engaging Science Stories

Session 1 Improving readability for the public
This section reviews ways to keep public readers’ attention by using more subjective
terminology, personal anecdotes, and concrete examples to better engage readers who
lack scientific backgrounds.

10 minutes Break

15 minutes Q&A

Session 2 Writing your science story

This section implements topics discussed thus far in developing an accessible and
engaging story about a scientific study.

Session 3 Platforms for communicating with the public

This section discusses the various platforms that researchers can use to discuss their
research with the public, including press releases, online platforms, and journalists.

15 minutes Final Q&A

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Key Points from this Workshop
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Webinar 1 – Structuring Science Stories

Benefits of science communication

Researchers have a responsibility to ensure the public and policymakers are

informed of the up-to-date evidence that affects society and public health
Science communication also benefits researchers
• Establishes a reputation in the field
• Establish new interdisciplinary collaborations
• Improved visibility of published articles
• Helps to secure funding

Public perception of science

• Many members of the public know little about science
• Most feel science is beneficial and would like to know more
• Can be wrongly influenced by corporations and lobby groups via the media

Newsworthy stories

Relevance: those that have direct impact on people’s lives

Interest: unexpected, unusual, or amazing results
Uniqueness: first time something has been shown or discovered
Topical: related to current events
Images: intriguing or amazing images (e.g., Hubble Space Telescope)

Public expectations

Readers can include:

• Other researchers
• Lay public
• Policymakers
• Educators
• Industry/commercial interests

Understanding your readers

• Scoping: identify what they currently know about the topic
• Framing: understand how to make the topic relevant to them
• Planning: structure your story to make it interesting and engaging

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Structuring science stories

6-step process in structuring an engaging story for the public (Message Box)
1. Audience: first determine who are your target readers
2. Issue: identify the overreaching issue that is important to these readers
3. Problem: clarify the problem related to this issue that affects the readers
4. ‘So what’: determine why your readers will care about this problem
5. Solution: emphasize how your study has solved this problem
6. Benefits: highlight how your solution will benefit the readers, which should be
directly related to the ‘so what’ statement

Webinar 2 – Writing Clear and Engaging Science Stories

Improving readability of science stories

Logical flow and structure
• Keep sentences short (<20 words) and use more active voice
• Use signposting and linking words to guide readers from one idea to the next
• Avoid jargon and technical terms when possible
• Use analogies and concrete examples that readers can visualize
• Human element: use more subjective terminology to better connect with the
public (avoid the cold and objective writing stye that you would use in
academic papers)
• Use quotes so the reader can hear from the scientist themselves about the
study, particularly related to their opinions and ‘behind-the-scenes’ information

Developing the narrative of your story

4 steps in developing an engaging narrative

1. Setting: identify the current knowledge and assumptions of your readers
2. Characters: identify the villain, victim, and hero
• Villain: who or what is causing harm (e.g., industrial heavy metals
contaminating soil that can cause cognitive deficits)
• Victim: who or what is being harmed (e.g., children playing around
contaminated soil)
• Hero: who or what can help the victim (e.g., new therapeutic strategy that
can mitigate the cognitive effects of heavy metal poisoning)
3. Plot: clarify the issue that the victims are facing and how are they being
harmed by the villain (using evidence to support the claims)
4. Moral: emphasize how the hero can solve the problem and protect the victims;
and what is the takeaway message for the readers

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Activities
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Webinar 1 – Structuring Science Stories

Activity 1 – Identifying relevant information for the public

Based on the following abstract, identify the information that would be relevant for the public.

The exerkine apelin reverses age-associated sarcopenia

Sarcopenia, the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass, quality and strength, lacks early
diagnostic tools and new therapeutic strategies to prevent the frailty-to-disability transition
often responsible for the medical institutionalization of elderly individuals. Herein we report that
production of the endogenous peptide apelin, induced by muscle contraction, is reduced in
an age-dependent manner in humans and rodents and is positively associated with the
beneficial effects of exercise in older persons. Mice deficient in either apelin or its receptor
(APLNR) presented dramatic alterations in muscle function with increasing age. Various
strategies that restored apelin signaling during aging further demonstrated that this peptide
considerably enhanced muscle function by triggering mitochondriogenesis, autophagy and
anti-inflammatory pathways in myofibers as well as enhancing the regenerative capacity by
targeting muscle stem cells. Taken together, these findings revealed positive regulatory
feedback between physical activity, apelin and muscle function and identified apelin both as
a tool for diagnosis of early sarcopenia and as the target of an innovative pharmacological
strategy to prevent age-associated muscle weakness and restore physical autonomy.
Nature Medicine, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-018-0131-6

Conclusion: ________________________________________________________________________
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Key finding(s): _____________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Implications: _______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Resolving which problem? ___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Context and background: ___________________________________________________________

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Activity 2 – Message Box
When you are ready to prepare a story about your research, complete the following
Message Box to help clearly frame your message.

Audience: _________________________________________________________________________
Issue: _____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Problem: __________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

So what: ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Solution(s): ________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Benefit(s): _________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

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Webinar 2 – Writing Clear and Engaging Science Stories

Activity 3 – Readability

Using the text excerpts below, how would you write this in a way that would be easily
understood by the public? Keep your readers in mind...what is important and interesting to
them?
“Pediatric brain tumors are highly associated with epileptic seizures. However, their
epileptogenic mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that the oncogenic BRAF somatic
mutation p.Val600Glu (V600E) in developing neurons underlies intrinsic epileptogenicity in
ganglioglioma, one of the leading causes of intractable epilepsy.”
Nature Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-018-0172-x

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Activity 4 – Planning your story

For your study, identify the important characters to use in your story.

Who/what is the villain?______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Who/what is the victim?______________________________________________________________

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Who/what is the hero?_______________________________________________________________

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Useful Resources
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Advice and tips for better science communication

Top tips for getting your science out there (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00239-6)

Five ways media training helped me to boost the impact of my research
(https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00883-7)
Communicating science to policymakers: six strategies for success
(https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02372-3)
How to work with your institution’s press office to maximize the reach of your work
(https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05896-2)
Essential elements for high-impact scientific writing (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-
00546-7)
How to use Twitter to further your research career (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-
00535-w)
Toolkit: How to work in science communication (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-
01359-4)
How to get public engagement right (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-03388-x)
Public engagement is key for the future of science research
(https://www.nature.com/articles/npjscilearn201610)
What institutions can do to improve science communication
(https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03869-7)
On the record: advice when giving interviews with journalists
(https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06871-7)
Tips from Science Journalists (https://www.aaas.org/programs/center-public-engagement-science-
and-technology/tips-scien ce-journalists)
Sense About Science: Media guide for scientists (https://senseaboutscienceusa.org/media-
guide-for-scientists/)

Public Perception of Science

EU Open Data Portal: Public perceptions of science, research and innovation
(https://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2047_81_5_419_ENG)
Wellcome Global Monitor 2018: global attitudes to science and health
(https://wellcome.ac.uk/reports/wellcome-global-monitor/2018)

Useful Free Websites to Improve Readability

Readable (https://app.readable.com/text/)
Readability Formulas (https://www.readabilityformulas.com/)
De-Jargonizer (http://scienceandpublic.com/)
The Measure of Things (http://www.bluebulbprojects.com/MeasureOfThings/default.php)

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FAQs
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Q What equipment do I need to participate in the webinars?

A You will need a desktop computer, a laptop, or a large-screen mobile device and a good
headset for audio. The training will be conducted in English. The Nature Research
Academies team also recommends that you print or display this Participant Guide on a
separate device during the webinars.

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A For information on system requirements for attending a GoToWebinar session, please visit
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Q I’m not able to register or join the webinar…

A If you have any issues with registration or accessing the webinars, please e-mail
[email protected]

If you have any other issues or questions regarding the webinars or the Nature Research
Academies virtual workshop, please email [email protected]

This material is not to be used outside of the workshop without the consent of Springer Nature. ©2020 Springer Nature Limited

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