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Thanks to everyone who has replied so far, and I'll follow up the links you sent! Michael, if you can find the pdf, I'd appreciate that. I agree absolutely that people need to see a point, and in my head there are 2 drivers - one is encouraging people to do it (funders are starting to ask to see institutional Public Engagement strategies, and this would be a realtively simple and obvious approach; also the funders could easily ask people they fund to participate - there is no better driver than it being a condition of funding!), and the second is for someone who actively wants to do it to have somewhere useful and visible to put it - and nowadays that should be easier than in the past, and it would be excellent for example if they could be linked to by PubMed or its equivalent. And it's interesting, Hazel saying that at the Environment Agency this was not done by the scientists themselves. I am told that the new high profile journal eLife will include lay summaries, though I don't know who will write them. For me it's important because it increases genuine access to the scientific literature itself, by being about and attached to the experimental paper itself rather than some other mediated form. And I understand it might be another futile effort, and that there are complexities, but that's part of the fun! Neil On 4 October 2012 22:16, Michael Kenward <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Good luck.**** > > ** ** > > I, and many others, have been plugging this sort of thing for years. It > usually proves futile because researchers don't see the point, or cannot > manage it.**** > > ** ** > > If my memory isn't completely shot, Mark Dyball, of this parish, was also > an early player within this domain. In a minute of madness he commissioned > me to write a guide for the wider scientific community. It had some tips on > this sort of activity, and why it matters. **** > > ** ** > > Going Public – An introduction to communicating science, engineering and > technology **** > > ** ** > > Now probably lost in the depths of the various archived DTI, BERR, DIUS, > BIS websites, I may be able to find a copy in my disorganised heap of PDF > files.**** > > ** ** > > The first challenge is to persuade them that they need to do it. (Don’t > Research Council grants require something like this?) Then they need to be > taught how to do it.**** > > ** ** > > MK**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > *From:* psci-com: on public engagement with science [mailto: > [log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *Neil Stoker > *Sent:* 2012-October-04 17:22 > *To:* [log in to unmask] > > *Subject:* [PSCI-COM] Plain English summaries of scientific papers**** > > ** ** > > Dear all**** > > ** ** > > In the Science For All report from 2010, one Action Point was:**** > > ** ** > > ------**** > > 2.3 Provide accessible information on the sciences (including lay research > summaries) via a single web portal**** > > - *ensure that all scientific research papers with any public interest > dimension have a plain English summary* giving context and implications, > for public and media consumption**** > > ------**** > > ** ** > > I'm thinking of doing something towards this in my institution, or more > broadly, and am looking for information about initiatives, practice, > experience, supporting research, and general discussions on this topic.*** > * > > ** ** > > Any comments or information gratefully received.**** > > Thanks**** > > Neil Stoker.**** > > - **** > > ********************************************************************** > Further **** > ********************************************************************** > Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including list > archive, can be found at the list web site: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html You may also change your > settings and subscribe/unsubscribe to psci-com from the web site. > > Psci-com is part of the National Academic Mailing List Service, known as > 'JISCMail'. It adheres to the JISCMail Acceptable Use Policy: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/acceptableuse.html and to the > JISCMail guidelines for etiquette: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/etiquette.html > > Email commands: 1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for > example, send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] with the > following message: > > set psci-com nomail -- [include hyphens] > > 2. To resume email from the list, send an email to [log in to unmask] the message: > > set psci-com mail -- [include hyphens] > > 3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the > message: > > leave psci-com -- [include hyphens] > > Please allow up to 24 hours for these commands to activate. Remember that > you will need to send commands using the same email address that you used > to register on psci-com. To contact the Psci-com list owner, please send an > email to: [log in to unmask] > > ********************************************************************** > ********************************************************************** Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including list archive, can be found at the list web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html You may also change your settings and subscribe/unsubscribe to psci-com from the web site. Psci-com is part of the National Academic Mailing List Service, known as 'JISCMail'. It adheres to the JISCMail Acceptable Use Policy: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/acceptableuse.html and to the JISCMail guidelines for etiquette: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/etiquette.html Email commands: 1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example, send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] with the following message: set psci-com nomail -- [include hyphens] 2. To resume email from the list, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message: set psci-com mail -- [include hyphens] 3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message: leave psci-com -- [include hyphens] Please allow up to 24 hours for these commands to activate. Remember that you will need to send commands using the same email address that you used to register on psci-com. To contact the Psci-com list owner, please send an email to: [log in to unmask] **********************************************************************