Researchers have to communicate with a lot of different people — their peers, their funding agency, their research staff, their subjects, and the public. It’s these latter two groups — subjects and the public — that may be the most challenging for scientists to manage. But they may also be among the most important. Adequately informing (potential) subjects about research they’ve joined, or are considering joining is an important part of demonstrating respect for persons and recognizing their autonomy. And accurately relaying information about research to the public can help build support for research endeavors and help communities engage with research processes that may benefit them.
“Talk like normal people,” we remind researchers when providing guidance about how to write a consent form, or how to write the required lay summary on the CLARA new submission form. Blogger Katherine Wu asks “Why Can’t Scientists Talk Like Regular Humans?” in a recent post in Scientific American. We encourage you take a look at her comments and see if they can inform the way you and your colleagues relay information.