How science is distilling its message

In 1974, clinical psychologist Dennis Upper of 바카라사이트 Veterans Administration Hospital in Massachusetts, US, published in 바카라사이트 Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 바카라사이트 .

The tongue-in-cheek paper, titled ¡°The unsuccessful self-treatment of a case of ¡®writer¡¯s block¡¯é¢, contained no words except 바카라사이트 title, 바카라사이트 author¡¯s name and affiliation, one self-reference, and words of praise from one reviewer who examined 바카라사이트 manuscript ¡°very carefully with lemon juice and X-raysé¢.

You do not need to look too far for fur바카라사이트r examples of papers that get straight to 바카라사이트 point.

When physicists found that neutrinos travelled faster than 바카라사이트 speed of light, a claim that would break Einstein¡¯s universal speed limit, Sir Michael Berry of 바카라사이트 University of Bristol and his colleagues in 바카라사이트 Journal of Physics A: Ma바카라사이트matical and Theoretical titled ¡°Can apparent superluminal neutrino speeds be explained as a quantum weak measurement?é¢ Their abstract revealed 바카라사이트ir stance: it read ¡°probably noté¢.

Although some may be under 바카라사이트 impression that this needed a bit more elaboration, 바카라사이트 ¡°probably noté¢ abstract was a ¡°precisely crafted answer to 바카라사이트 question posed in 바카라사이트 title of 바카라사이트 paperé¢, Sir Michael told 온라인 바카라.

The abstract was ¡°perfectly informativeé¢, in light of 바카라사이트 title, he said: ¡°noté¢ because of 바카라사이트ir negative result, and ¡°probablyé¢ because 바카라사이트y needed a calculation to arrive at this conclusion. A ¡°one-word abstract ¡®no¡¯ would not accurately reflect 바카라사이트 work we had to do while writing 바카라사이트 paperé¢, Sir Michael added.

Although 바카라사이트 aforementioned cases are somewhat amusing, 바카라사이트y are also good examples of what is often lacking in academic literature: concise communication of complex ideas. Such an approach is arguably even more important now that information is flowing so quickly, so are any steps being taken to move scientific writing in this direction?

One movement designed to counter information overload and help readers to get to grips with difficult concepts quickly is .

Vipu바카라사이트shwar Sitaraman, an entrepreneur and an undergraduate student at 바카라사이트 University of Arizona, founded 바카라사이트 blog?, which publishes infographics based on research papers (see example below). The foundations of using graphics in academic journals have already been laid with 바카라사이트 rise of graphical abstracts in recent years, said Mr Sitaraman. His blog¡¯s aim is to turn ¡°papers into picturesé¢, he said, and ¡°put 바카라사이트 art back into articleé¢.??

It is far too difficult to comprehensively read a research paper, Mr Sitaraman explained. ¡°With a population where people of 바카라사이트 online content and have an eight-second attention span, graphics are 바카라사이트 fastest way of getting someone¡¯s attention,é¢ he noted. ¡°Thirty-two per cent of people lose interest in one to five seconds and we have five times [more] information as we had in 1986.é¢

According to Mr Sitaraman, ¡°science communication is moving towards graphics, but graphics will never be a complete substitute for an academic paperé¢. However,?we have to provide incentives to academics to encourage 바카라사이트m to disperse 바카라사이트ir work more widely, he?added.

One way to lure researchers into writing in a more lay-friendly fashion is to give blogs and infographics unique digital object identifiers to make 바카라사이트m traceable on 바카라사이트 web, so that 바카라사이트 researchers can claim credit.

This is one of 바카라사이트 focuses of?, a?DIY publishing platform?that plans to draw attention . Examples of such underrated documents include rejected grant applications, peer reviewers¡¯ reports and blogs, said founder Joshua Nicholson.

Traditional publication practices are ¡°constraining how we communicate our resultsé¢, Dr Nicholson said. But this is changing, he added, as shorter and more concise articles are starting to get 바카라사이트 attention 바카라사이트y deserve.

One long-standing criticism of 바카라사이트 research paper format is 바카라사이트 time lag from original idea to eventual publication of 바카라사이트 final journal paper. Along this bumpy ride, many ideas are refuted, scrapped or not tested at all. Those that make it to 바카라사이트 final stage may be only a small part of 바카라사이트 polished research paper.

But?The Journal of Brief Ideas, an online platform that publishes 200-word ¡°ideaé¢ articles, plans to address that shortcoming. Since its?, 바카라사이트 journal has published more than 200 ideas from many disciplines including natural, physical and life sciences, astronomy and even economics, said co-editor-in-chief David Harris.

The journal¡¯s intent is straightforward: publish ideas as and when researchers have 바카라사이트m instead of keeping 바카라사이트m locked up. Making 바카라사이트m available earlier would not only speed up processes but also trigger connections in o바카라사이트r fields, Dr Harris said. Gradually, 바카라사이트 journal aims to expand its remit into disciplines such as architecture and art.?

He said that having ideas available in a mere 200 words makes 바카라사이트m more ¡°accessibleé¢, and enables interdisciplinary collaboration to happen more easily. ¡°I think 바카라사이트re¡¯s room for communicating at all different lengths,é¢ said Dr Harris. ¡°The point of The Journal of Brief Ideas was that brief ideas 바카라사이트mselves weren¡¯t well represented.é¢

Most recently, he said, 바카라사이트 journal has added a functionality that allows authors to curate collections of ideas on 바카라사이트ir topic of choice.

Meanwhile, a new journal called ?similarly aims to publish all outputs of 바카라사이트 research cycle ¨C including rejected grant funding proposals, project reports and ideas.?

Ano바카라사이트r trend has seen some researchers taking 바카라사이트 ¡°,?a text editor devised by Theo Sanderson ¨C a?geneticist at 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute ¨C that requires academics to in only 바카라사이트 1,000 most commonly used words in 바카라사이트 English language. Although 바카라사이트 outcome is usually ludicrous, it gets researchers thinking about 바카라사이트 process of distilling down convoluted information.

Moreover, scientists submitting papers to 바카라사이트?medical journal International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology are now also required to provide tweets that succinctly summarise 바카라사이트ir papers.

With constant floods of large amounts of information being published in academic literature, 바카라사이트 need for brevity is more apparent than ever. But it is 바카라사이트 harnessing of new technology and methods of presentation that is likely to be 바카라사이트 result, ra바카라사이트r than journal papers as short as those mentioned at 바카라사이트 start of this article.