Information for Researchers

Scientific funding comes mostly from government agencies or charitable organisations. In both of these sectors, communication with people who do not have a scientific background is key to securing funding. Alongside the ability to secure grants, communicating your research with the public, who are directly affected by the work you are doing, means science is less of a mystery. If and when research reaches the clinical trial stages, people better understand the work that has been put in and are less apprehensive about getting involved. People who donate to charities are also more likely to give when they have a clear understanding of what their money is going to and the specific impact of the work being done. This opens the door to more funding towards further research for a project you may be a part of.

There are a number of ways to present your research to a lay audience. You could write a blog, film an interview or create a short presentation. The format is only the first step to giving people a chance to understand the research happening in your laboratory. The key things are to be engaging and clear.

When applying for grants you often have to produce a lay summary, as the grant may be assessed for funding by people who have little or no understanding of the science you are creating. It is important to write it in a way that explains it to someone who has no understanding of the subject.

Know your target audience

The average reading level in the UK is that of a 9 to 11 year old. When explaining science, this fact must be taken into consideration. For a resource going out to the general public, common terms and analyses in the scientific world require clearer explanation with as little jargon as possible. This might be explaining the purpose of specific machines such as PCR, or assays like a western blot. This explanation should be clearly written and easily readable.

Have graphics

A block of text or video without any images can be overwhelming to focus on. Using images gives an alternative method to understand the written concept and also breaks up text nicely. Images are particularly helpful for understanding common assay and analysis procedures.

Use analogies

Comparing complex scientific principles using objects and interactions seen in everyday life helps people to understand and visualise concepts in a new way, boosting their understanding. Some examples may be describing DNA as building blocks that make an instruction manual for a cell, or comparing cell-to-cell signalling to neighbours calling messages to each other from a window. There are many creative ways that science can be explained.

Practice

Invite people to visit your laboratory to practise using terminology and explaining the work you are doing. This way you can see their body language and facial expressions to gauge the understanding that the visitors have. If they look confused, you may need to change some of your language to work with people of all ages and knowledge levels.

If you or your team would be interested in telling people about your cilia-based research, then reach out to us via our contact form.