Research Information on Independent Living (RIIL)

 

 

 

 

Writing for the Lay Reader

Today-more than ever-people are looking for information that will make their lives better.  But the average person-regardless of education-doesn't know about the treasure trove of research information  in scientific reports.  In fact, statistics show that a typical academic journal article is read by less than a thousand people.

Accustomed to newspapers and magazines, the typical reader, if he or she does obtain a scientific document, finds academic language difficult to understand. That is because:

These tips, based on dissemination research, will allow you to share your research to a broader audience.

Suggestions

Streamline information by eliminating unnecessary detail. Research doesn't always lend itself to succinct bottom lines. An author who gives every research detail, loses readers unable or unwilling to decipher the main points or "guts" of the research.  Take time to thoroughly digest content, especially the discussion and results section of your publication. Extract the essence. Your efforts will pay off: Clear thinking produces clear writing.

Tell the reader the benefits of your research. As all advertisers know, the benefit is the first interest of any consumer.

Assure the reader if the research information involves change. Address the fears, resistance, and anxiety that typically accompany change.

Communicate directly to your audience-not above, nor below. Readers should be comfortable with your publication and not feel as if they were "outsiders."

You cannot assume the reader understands nothing. . .or everything. Some researchers may be secretly pleased if their writing is not understood. They assume that only the most intelligent can understand their publication.

Readers who buy into that thinking blame themselves for incomprehension. That's faulty logic. Because if a reader can't understand writing, that is the writer's fault, not the reader's. Considerate writers communicate clearly.

Be specific. Use concrete language rather than abstract or vague rhetoric. A "sizable" reduction in disability parking space violation takes on new meaning if the reduction is 10%, 40%, or 95%.

Keep your audience's vocabulary  in mind as you write. A scholarly document, for example, uses the technical language of its particular field to reach a strictly-defined audience. A news article, on the other hand, aims for as wide an audience as possible and avoids technical terms except when needed.  Instead of using arcane acronyms and technical words of your field, substitute common words, such as do (implement), ease (facilitate), price (cost impact considerations), or in short (synopsis).

If it is necessary to use a certain technical word for precision of meaning, do so. But give a concise, working definition for the word as soon as you use it.

Write in "plain English," "down-to-earth," the way you would in casual conversation.  Conversational words better lend themselves to clear writing than formal, multi-syllabic words.

Also, refrain from using words built on Latin and Greek prefixes, suffixes, and roots. Shorter, more common words are easier to understand. Actually, avoid foreign words in general.

Once again, this "rule" can be broken if the reader is informed of the word meaning: The average reader can process multi-syllablic and unfamiliar words as long as they are clearly explained.

Use the active verb voice. Scientific journals typically employ  the passive verb voice for an impersonal description of processes. (When the subject is acted upon, the verb is in the passive voice, e.g. The report was written by the researcher.) Lay publications instead use the active verb voice for a strong, direct style. (If the subject performs the action, the verb is in the active voice, e.g. The researcher wrote the report.) This is because the active voice is less evasive than passive and engages reader quicker.

Limit each sentence to one idea. The skill to efficiently grasp meaning is not related to intelligence or advanced degrees. Even highly educated people find it's easier to decipher complex material when presented clearly.  Unlike a mystery story, the reason for your communication should be bold and clear in each sentence.

Shorter is better. Sentences more than 25 words overwhelm short-term memory. Often, it's not the sentence length that confuses readers, it is the sentence's complexity. 

Keep paragraphs short. The "shorter is better" advice applies to each paragraph. In most writing, lengthy paragraphs indicate a lack of focus.  Measure paragraphs by number of text lines, not sentences.

Avoid tedious grammatical constructions. Beware of conditions( e.g., if, then), multiple negatives (e.g., not uncooperative), and long strings of nouns.

Prune prepositional phrases. They often just pad the distance from idea to another

Avoid using nouns as verbs.  Examples of this include to impact or to interface. That same advice applies to turning simple verbs into phrases. Contact is  more to the point than make contact with.

Avoid redundant word combinations. Do you need "future" before "plan" or "end" before "result?" You know the answer to that question!

Read sentences aloud to test clarity. Reading helps you hear whether the sentence is too awkward, confusing, or long.

Weave analogies and examples into your report. These brief examples personalize research and present it in a way that people can understand.

Take advantage of visual aids to emphasize significant details. Often that pie chart or bar graph is the only piece of information a reader will  take note of and retain.

Use your word-processing software to let you know how readable your text is.  The "Tool" section of most word processing programs contains a grammar check program. Not only does it highlight possible grammatical problems, the program also measures readability.

Using a calculation that factors in the size of syllables, words, sentences, and paragraphs, this program produces a readability index. If your end number is more than 13, you are sure to lose reader interest.

Aim for an index number of 9 or less (newspapers come in around 8) to hold reader attention.  However, don't rely too much on these formulas and index numbers. 

The scoring does not take into account such factors as  numerals (which read as shorter words); citations (each one can add many words to a sentence); or necessary technical words (sometimes there is no way around words such as empowerment or web site addresses-both of which then raise the syllable count.)

The preceding paragraph, which was one sentence, has 52 words. Sentences such as this with its listing makes the index numbers skyrocket. Yet, the semicolons, parentheses, and dash helped make it understandable. 

As Dr. Rudolph Flesch, the inventor of a readability test once said, "Readability doesn't mean blindly following a formula. It means trying to write so that the average newspaper reader will read, understand, and remember."

There shouldn't be an aura of mystery attached to writing. If you know whom you are writing and have something worth communicating, you're more than half way to the finish line!
 

RIIL is a joint venture of the Research and Training Center on  Independent Living (RTC/IL), University of Kansas and Independent  Living Research Utilization (ILRU), a program of The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR).  The Center is funded by the National Institute  for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).