Plain Language in the Sciences

A recent National Science Foundation study shows that:

• Fewer than 50% of adults understand that the Earth orbits the sun yearly.
• Only 21% of adults can define DNA.
• Only 9% of adults know what a molecule is.
• One in 7 adults—25 million people—cannot locate the US on an unlabeled map.
• A third of Americans believe in astrology—and do not understand that astrology is not scientific.

Articles

• Scientists Need Plain Language, by Lily Whiteman.

• Worlds Apart: How the Distance Between Science and Journalism Threatens America’s Future.

Organizations

• The International Network on Public Communication of Science.

• NASA’s bibliography of books, articles, and websites on the public understanding of science, communicating science, and science education.

• The Merck Manual, an excellent example of effective science communication.