Communicating scientific information Assessment criteria: P8, P9, M4, D4

In 1957 the BBC showed this news report: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27ugSKW4-QQ Spaghetti was not a common food in Britain in the1950s and so most people did not know much about it. Many people believed the report, as it was presented in a scientific manner. In 2008 the BBC showed this film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dfWzp7rYR4 They were both shown on April 1st.

These clips show how important it is to question scientific reports, to ask for evidence and to look at the references used. It is also important for you to keep accurate records, as evidence, of any scientific investigation you carry out – why lab books are so important (whether in paper or electronic form)!

Activity 1 Work in groups to make a list of all the ways in which scientific information can be communicated to you. For each method discuss how useful it is, and how valid it is. • Is the method reliable? • Is the method prone to bias? • Which method do you think is best?

Methods by which scientific information is communicated The method by which scientific information is communicated is very important. It must be: accessible to the audience, clear to understand and in a suitable format. Often scientists will expect to see a report written using scientific terminology and structured in a specific way. Think of your practical write-ups, which should always include an aim, a method, results and a conclusion, in that order. The conclusion cannot come before the results as that would not make sense.

Activity 2 NHM Think back to a visit to a science museum and consider how they communicated scientific information. 1. Who is the audience? 2. What type of information is being communicated? 3. What is the purpose of the communication? 4. What methods are used to communicate the information? Is there just one method or a variety? 5. Why are the different methods used? 6 .Which methods work the best?

Scientific information is not always communicated by scientists. “Did Nostradamus predict the Large Hadron Collider will create a black hole and destroy us? “ virgin media Scientific information is not always communicated by scientists. Often it comes from sources on the Internet, and sometimes we get information from posters, presentations, newspapers, or the TV or radio. Sometimes it comes from conversations with friends or family. What do you think about scientific communication that comes from these sources?

Activity 3 Find some articles in newspapers that are communicating scientific information. In groups, discuss the articles. 1. How has the information been presented? 2. Do you think the information is correct and reliable? 3. Why do you think the newspaper printed an article on these topics? 4. Research the topic on the Internet and in textbooks; how was the information presented there? 5 .Did your research agree with the article? If there was any inaccurate or incorrect science in the articles, discuss why you think this might have happened.

Assessment Task ( P8) You work as an information officer for the Natural History Museum. The museum is about to put on a new exhibition of animatronic dinosaurs. The curator wants to make sure that the visitors to the museum can find out as much information about the dinosaurs as possible. She has asked you to investigate the different methods of communicating the information to the visitors and to produce a report for her on these methods. To achieve P8 describe each method in your report briefly. Who would the audience be? Why is it suitable?

The correct structure of a detailed scientific report When a scientist has made a new discovery or investigated and found evidence for a new theory they need to share their findings with the rest of the scientific community. They will write a report and send it to a scientific journal to be published. Most journals would expect the report to be written in a standard format. This could include the following sections: title, abstract, introduction, method, results, accuracy, discussion, conclusions, references, bibliography.

This makes the report easier to read and understand This makes the report easier to read and understand. If the report is very long it also means that other scientists reading it will know where to find the summary and conclusions, and other main points fairly easily. Records have to be kept of all investigations carried out within organisations that use science. Reports will be written about these investigations and will be read by a variety of audiences. They may be read by the directors and managers of the company. They may also be read by other scientists within the company and possibly also by scientists that do not work for the company.

Activity 4 Look at the selection of scientific reports from journals and textbooks. Can you find the following sections of each report: title, abstract, introduction, method, results, accuracy, discussion, conclusions, references, bibliography? Produce a poster showing the meaning of each of the above terms. You may need to research what each term means.