Genetics is an increasingly interesting topic to people, both in and out of the science community. Delivering the new knowledge varies significantly depending on the audience. The differences are clear when an article about genetics from a popular science news magazine is compared to an article from a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Science for the Layperson
The Scientific American article “Mapping the Cancer Genome” describes future plans to create an atlas of all the cancer-related genes in the human genome. To develop a story suitable for the readers of Scientific American, the authors not only explain the research methods and goals, but also place the concept in a broader sociological context.
Each component of the story is aimed at arousing the layperson’s general interest, in some way or another. The Human Genome Project is mentioned, which is a topic many Americans are following out of sheer curiosity. The statistic that 1,500 Americans die from a cancer-related illness everyday is the crux for why all this new cancer research is important.
Tips for the Science Writer
Once the importance of this research in a broader social context is established, the authors move to explaining how cancer works in layman’s terms. The overall goal of a new cancer atlas is aimed at enhancing the research for improving the quality and lifespan of Americans afflicted with cancer is emphasized throughout the article.
Economics is discussed as benefit versus cost. It is explained that in 1990 mapping a sequence was $10 per base, but today with new technology the price is down to less than a penny per base, so the time is ripe to get the greatest impact for new research for a low price.
The most complicated part of the article is its explanation of the methods and goals of the research, but even this part, if read carefully, can be digested without a Biology degree.
Tips for the Scientific Writer
In an article on the same topic but in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, these same concepts are explained and contextualized in a much different way. In “CancerGenes: a gene selection resource for cancer genome projects,” the authors present the idea of creating a cancer-gene atlas not to a broad audience, but to a community of scientists presumably working in the same general field.
The article’s components include an abstract, and introduction, a materials and methods section along with a results and discussion section. Even the title is less understandable to a layperson, though it says basically the same thing as the Scientific American’s article title. The intro paragraph contains very technical words that aren’t explained, such as ‘somatic’ and ‘germline,’ ‘single nucleotide polymorphism,’ and ‘PCR amplification’ and this pattern of biology jargon continue throughout the text.
The diagrams included are complicated and colorless, and most are gibberish without more knowledge of the field. The process of how cancer works is not explained at all, as it is presumed the reader already knows.
Economics is discussed only in terms of funding, or lack thereof. The discussion of economics through funding is one example of how the point of view of the article is that of a researcher. This is in contrast the other article’s point of view, which is coming from a writer presenting new information to a person who might be affected or who might already have been affected by cancer.
Key for Any Writer
Know the audience. It is clear that presentation and discussion of genetic research depends greatly on who your audience is. When writing an article about a technical subject, it is advised to define your audience first.
