Some Features of an outreach article Most important are aimed at a general public, the use of accessible language and the use of a scientific basis.
An article of divulgation is one that allows to give to know scientific, technological or academic investigations, of brief form, near and understandable for general public.
The main interest of Disclosure articles Is that the advances and scientific concepts are exposed in a massive way; That readers can understand the argument and associate it with their life, that they can understand the social implications of the concepts treated and consider them relevant topics.
By being massive, articles of popularization have a series of characteristics that allow them to be accessible to the general public, without sacrificing scientific rigor or the quality of information.
Many factors come into play, such as the audience, the theme, the structure and the approach to the concepts.
Top Ten Features of a Disclosure Article
Aimed at the general public
The audience to which a popular article is addressed is very varied: students, professors, people attracted to certain subjects or even academics specialized in the field of research that is being treated or in a different one may be interested.
The correct identification of the audience will allow to approach the subject in an appropriate way: the author must ask what the importance of the article of disclosure for that particular public and how the information should be addressed, so that it is striking and relevant for that audience.
The author does not have to be scientific
Dissemination articles tend to deal with specialized scientific, technological, and academic subjects, but the author does not necessarily have to be scientific or academic.
These articles can be written by journalists or disseminators; What is important is that the author of the work investigates in depth about the topic to be dealt with, has a broad conceptual base and a good management of the information.
Dissemination articles are not considered works to reflect the opinions of the author, so the writer should rely exclusively on the data obtained from his research.
Accessible language
Since the articles of popularization are aimed at a very varied public, the language used must be adapted to this heterogeneity.
Normally, scientific or technological research (which is the basis for articles of popularization) employs a very complex specialized language with many technicalities.
The idea is that the article writer avoid these technical terms and employ a more familiar and familiar language.
And if there are technical words that are necessary for the correct understanding of the subject matter, it is recommended to explain them in simple terms, thus not prevent the correct understanding of the article.
Using analogies and examples
In addition to using familiar and familiar language, articles of popularization often make use of metaphors or realistic narratives that help to make understand the argument in question.
If you want to explain a complicated scientific procedure, the ideal is to find some similarity with everyday life, so that it can be a close concept for any reader.
For example, talking about caloric transfer between two bodies can be somewhat complicated, perhaps even tedious; But if you associate this principle with what happens in cooking, you can have a clearer, more tangible and attractive idea.
Scientific foundation
Dissemination articles should be based on scientific research of reliable origins.
In order for an investigation to be considered reliable, it must have at least these two characteristics: first, the authors of the research must have academic credentials related to the subject they are dealing with (university studies, researchers associated with laboratories or research centers, in other aspects).
Second, they must include experiments through which the hypothesis that corresponds to the problem to be solved is verified.
Clearly defined sources
Being based on scientific research, it is essential that the articles of diffusion make clear reference to the sources from which the information was obtained.
These references must be visibly defined in the structure of the article, and cited correctly; So readers can go to them in case they want to go deeper into the subject.
As mentioned above, the sources used as the basis for a dissemination article must have scientific basis, be truthful and reliable.
Content with implications
The content of a popular article must be current and must have a clear relevance to society.
Often, more general topics are discussed, such as aspects of scientific theories or mathematical and technological concepts, with the intention of increasing the scientific and technological culture of readers; But it is advisable that the main argument of the articles of disclosure is current, and is of clear importance in the context that the audience lives.
New findings in medical research, environmental issues or technological innovations are just a few examples of topics that can be attractive and current, since all these fields, in one way or another, can be part of the context of the readers.
Use of illustrations
In some cases it is not enough to use a familiar and close language in the articles of diffusion.
Depending on the subject matter, it is likely that it is necessary to support the exposure of information with images, graphs, diagrams or tables, which illustrate the article's argument more clearly and help the reader to capture the content in a better way .
Striking structure
In addition to the use of images, articles of popularization usually have other elements that contribute to make them visually striking, and thus capture the attention of the reader.
Usually large and colorful titles are used, and resources such as underlined, highlighted or italic typeface, which serve to emphasize some phrase.
In some cases it is possible to frame some important information in colored pictures or, if it is a digital medium, it is even possible to add videos, infographics or interactive content.
Publishing in specialized media
Disclosure articles are characterized by being published in print and digital media, with certain specifications.
If the topic is dealt with in a general way, the articles of diffusion could be published in magazines and newspapers that offer general information; Are usually located within the section of the newspaper or magazine that corresponds to the argument (science, technology, medicine, social issues, etc.).
However, if the topic dealt with in the article of diffusion is more complex or specific, these are usually published in specialized journals. Publications such as"Nature", UK; "Science", United States; "Discover"and"National Geographic", also from the United States, are some examples of specialized media ideal for publishing articles.
References
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- Flom, P."Five Characteristics of the Scientific Method"(April 24, 2017) Sciencing. Retrieved: 14 July 2017 from Sciencing: sciencing.com
- Poma Aliaga, L. and Ochoa Espinoza, J."Scientific Article Vs. Article of disclosure"in Academia. Retrieved: 14 July 2017 from Academia: academia.edu
- "Ranking of journals worldwide"in National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research Retrieved on 14 July 2017 from: conicyt.cl
- "Scientific Outreach Article"in the Resource Center for Academic Writing of the Tecnológico de Monterrey Retrieved on July 14, 2017 from: sitios.ruv.itesm.mx
- Ruiz Moreno, J."Scientific Dissemination Discourses"(2000) in Dialnet. Retrieved on July 14, 2017 by Dialnet: dialnet.unirioja.es.