We’ve been learning how to write about science for non-expert publics using a variety of media. For this application, you are a Science Communication Editor, improving a science article’s readability and interest to the general public. Both of the article choices below were written in the hopes that they would be published by news outlets.
Step 1: Pick one of these two science articles:
1:
* https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2022/september/penn-study-identifies-new-prognostic-biomarker-for-heart-failure
* This article describes research by biomedical scientists at U. Penn and a pharmaceutical company. Their research will contribute to a new way for physicians to test for heart failure.
* The article uses challenging language, and isn’t in a story format.
* You seek to re-write the article in order to encourage publication in more traditional news outlets
*
Step 2: Re-write the article.
* Make the article more interesting.
* Give your article a hook (this includes a better title and first few sentences).
* Think about: is this a cool or relevant story?
* Apply the inverted pyramid ( focus on the “so what” and findings first, with detail later)
* Use one or more storytelling techniques.
* Decide who/what the main character is. What is the dramatic tension? What is the plot? The resolution?
* I would suggest using one of the formats we discussed in class [Translating Science Module 9; 10/4): Hero’s Journey, Mystery, Stranger Comes to Town, etc.]
* Make the science easier to understand for non-experts.
* Wherever you can, use Plain Language
* Use metaphors, visuals, or other devices to aid understanding
* You can use some of the article’s existing language, but make it simpler wherever you can.
* More technical details and advanced material should come at the end.
* You can remove details you think are unnecessary. But don’t get rid of tons of information.
* You should have roughly 2 pages of writing (in Word, double-spaced).
* You are welcome to scour the internet for anything that helps you understand/translate the article, but you MUST CITE your sources for anything you quote. Also attribute sources for anything that you paraphrase. Site sources in a footnote.
Step 3: Prepare for Turning in the Paper for Grading
* In your edited story:
* Identify your hook by using orange font.
* Identify what/who is/are your main character/s by using blue font.
* Identify points of dramatic tension and the resolution in red font.
* Identify places where you simplified the writing and used metaphors or other aids to understanding in green font.
* If you used a particular story format, please add that label at the end.
* Turn in your edited science story as a Word document. You can use regular, blog, or article format.
* DO NOT turn in a PDF, link, or other format.
* Add photos and visuals as you like, not required.
* Note:
* You can check your grade level here: WebFX Readability Tool. (See if you can lower the score of the current article.
Grading:
_____/5 Interesting hook and title
_____/5 Inverted pyramid (starting with primary “so what” and ending with more technical info)
_____/5 Use of effective storytelling device (characters, plot, etc.)
_____/5 Using simple and direct language as much as possible.
_____/5 Communicated technical concepts using metaphor, visuals, explanations, or other devices to aid understanding
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