To illustrate the significance of effective scientific communication and the importance of minimising miscommunication, open talent platform Kolabtree recently hosted a virtual roundtable on scientific writing.
Kolabtree’s CEO Ashmita Das hosted the panel, which included medical technology journalist Ian Bolland, and freelance medical writers Dr Arianna Ferrini and Dr Michael James. Fake news is an ongoing challenge that scientists must tackle, and the roundtable explored how effective writing can help improve academics’ reputations and instil public trust by communicating sound information that’s easy to understand.
Often, academics and researchers communicate their work within the scientific community by writing and publishing articles in journals, delivering oral and visual presentations and, more recently, posting on social media. One of the biggest problems scientists face when describing their research is explaining a vast amount of information in a way that’s easy to understand without oversimplifying and creating inaccuracies.
Ashmita Das, CEO of Kolabtree, said: “Science news is sometimes communicated in a sensational way — the term clickbait is no stranger to the academic community. Scientific research typically involves a lot of background context, numerical values, and technicalities, and identifying the most crucial information to communicate is essential for academics and businesses operating in the medical and science space. The pandemic taught us how important it was for the general public to understand the latest scientific information and to be able to trust the source.”
Michael James added: “Being concise and making content accessible is a challenge that all scientists must overcome. For example, if manuscript and grant reviewers struggle to read submissions, they will get frustrated, and this could impact the researcher’s scoring. When translating technical information for the public, it’s important that scientists ensure the message is easily understood, accurate and consistent with validated peer-reviewed work. Empathising and relating to the audience is the first step in doing this.”
The discussion, led by Das, explored what it means to communicate science effectively, the challenges associated with this and the importance of both the messenger and the information. It then explored the skills required to help produce accurate and effective content and the potential for collaboration between journalists and scientists in future.
Dr Ferrini has a PhD in Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering from Imperial College London and holds several positions, including director of communications for the Association of the Italian Scientists in the UK (AISUK) and Young Investigator Section of the European Chapter of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Society (TERMIS). Meanwhile, Dr James’s experience includes grant writing, scientific writing for top publishers such as Wiley and seven years as a specialty editor. Finally, Bolland has been editor at Med-Tech Innovation News since June 2020 and is currently acting group editor for Med-Tech Innovation and Medical Plastics News at Rapid News Group.
