Using outreach to reduce information privilege

For the fruits of knowledge production to benefit the greatest number of people, it is critical to ensure that this information is accessible. There is a growing movement known as science communication, sometimes referred to simply as outreach, that emphasizes the need for researchers to connect with people beyond our immediate peers. Science communication can take many forms (e.g. public talks, graphical abstracts, video capsules, popularized articles). In fact, Information Matters is a great example of a publication designed with outreach in mind! In the context of science communication, one strategy that is beginning to gain traction is the use of plain language, which is described by the International Plain Language Federation in the following way:

A communication is in plain language if its wording, structure, and design are so clear that the intended readers can easily find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information.

Myths and misperceptions about plain language

Unfortunately, plain language has been accompanied by a number of myths and misperceptions. For instance, some people believe that readers will be insulted by plain language, but in reality, most readers are happier when they don’t have to work unnecessarily hard to understand the text. Some other people claim that it is not possible to express sophisticated ideas in plain language. However, this is not true. Specialized terms and abbreviations can be explained, complex constructions can be shortened, and ornate style can be simplified. Recent research confirms that plain language techniques can be successfully applied to communications in specialized fields such as law and healthcare, among others.

Applying plain language to research

Plain language is slowly starting to gain traction in the research community as well, particularly when it comes to plain language summaries. As the name suggests, plain language summaries (also known as lay summaries) are summaries of research articles that are written in a way that makes them accessible to readers who are not subject experts. Plain language summaries are not intended to replace traditional scientific abstracts. Abstracts are still valuable for peers in the research community, but plain language summaries can help to reduce information privilege and extend the reach of the information to a wider audience. Not only are plain language summaries easier for non-experts to read and understand, but they can also be translated more easily and accurately into other languages, thus breaking down another type of language barrier that can lead to unfair information privilege.

More journals, particularly in medicine and health sciences, are beginning to recommend that authors should include plain language summaries with their articles. However, it remains less common in other fields, and not all authors take up this option, even when submitting a plain language summary is encouraged by the journal.

It’s true that researchers already have a lot on their plates, and producing a plain language summary may seem like additional work. But if the goal is to minimize information privilege, then using plain language represents a big step in the right direction. However, researchers may not be used to writing for non-expert audiences and may not know where to begin. Thankfully, more resources and tools are becoming available to help researchers, including the first-ever standard for plain language released by the International Organization for Standardization: ISO 24495-1:2023—Plain language Part 1: Governing principles and guidelines. Various academic publishers, such as SAGE, Taylor & Francis, and Canadian Science Publishing, offer specific tips for crafting plain language summaries. Meanwhile, the new book Plain language for translators contains a whole chapter on applying plain language to science communication. In addition, AI tools can now help to lighten the load by producing an initial draft, although this should always be carefully verified by the researcher to ensure that the information has not been inappropriately distorted during the simplification process.

Spreading the word

Beyond authors and editors, there is scope for others to help raise the visibility of plain language and encourage its use to help combat information privilege in relation to research. For example, universities, research institutions, or learned societies can offer training or support to students, faculty, and staff. Likewise, academic libraries and scholarly communication librarians can consider extending the focus beyond expert-to-expert communication to include more discussions about expert-to-non-expert communication also. With a little support, more researchers can incorporate plain language into their outreach strategy and help to keep information privilege in check. After all, to have the most impact with our research, we need to share it widely… and that includes sharing it plainly!