1. Communicating with your peers and the general public

2. Preparing a poster for a scientific meeting
Consult the requirements
Write an abstract that is pertinent to the contents of the poster
Scientific format but very little text
Emphasize results
Poster should be self explanatory
Be visual
Prepare handouts

3. Writing for the public A dialogue with society
Before talking, you must listen.
To make yourself understood,
you must first understand.

4. Writing for the public
Press releases, introductory courses and general audiences
Important for outreach and policy makers
Magazines, non-peer reviewed journals, news articles
Radio and television
Giving talks to local groups and schools
Web site publicity
Frequently uses a journalistic style

5. Ways to engage your audience
Include quotes from individuals
Give stories e.g. give an account of how the research developed
Examples of problems encountered and how they were resolved
Talk about the people involved
Include images or simple diagrams

6. Ways to engage your audience
Relate topic to human or environmental interests
Avoid technical detail
Make use of analogies
Can be humorous and include word play
Consult a test audience
Look at good examples

7. Assignment #2: Writing a critique
Provide a brief 2-5 line summary of the paper and its main findings
Summarize the strengths and weakness of the paper
How novel are the findings?
Is the paper relevant to the journal’s mission?
Are the methods appropriate to the study in question?
Are the results clearly and logically presented? Could some figures and tables be removed?
Do the authors effectively address their primary questions and acknowledge weaknesses?

8. Assignment #2 Writing for the public
Pick a topic of general scientific interest or an area of your own research
Prepare a short article (500 words max) for a general audience
Clearly identify the topic or issue of interest
Identify the “main players” in your story and describe their role in the discovery OR
Provide an overview of key findings of a recent paper and why it is important to society