New Communication Formats for Effective Science Communication
1. New Communication Formats for
Effective Science Communication
- Two Case Studies -
Gensei Ishimura
PR Chief/Specially Appointed Associate Professor
Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI),Tokyo Institute of Technology
This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 16K01001
2018/11/19
Inaugural Asia-Pacific Science Communication Conference 2018
2. Two Case Studies
1. Development of new format of scientific
articles with multiple-levels of accuracy-
readability trade-offs
2. Development of the new movie format to
introduce researchers by making use of
structured interview method
3. Two Case Studies
1. Development of new format of scientific
articles with multiple-levels of accuracy-
readability trade-offs
2. Development of the new movie format to
introduce researchers by making use of
structured interview method
4. Background
Problem:
How can we deal with dilemma between
accuracy and readability of scientific
information in the area of PR, communication,
or education?
5. How can we deal with dilemma between accuracy
and readability of scientific information?
1. If we try to
communicate
scientific
information as
understandable, we
often lose accuracy.
2. If we try to
communicate
scientific
information as
accurate, we often
lose readability.
readability accuracy
0
100
No one wants to
read articles
HalfwayStrictly criticized
by experts
→dilemma forever?
6. How in the world could we solve the problem?
→show all of them
parallelly
0
100
readability accuracy
7. Multiple Levels of Accuracy-
Readability and “AR Index”
AR(Accuracy-Readability) Index:
• Extent to put priority on
readability rather than
accuracy.
• To deliver multiple AR Index
information simultaneously as
a package for the same topic.
AR Index 5 4 3 2 1
0
100
readability accuracy
8. 0
100
Multiple Accuracy-Readability Trade Offs
and AR Index
1. You can find which
layer(=AR Index) of article
you are reading. AR Index
works as meta content.
2. Multiple layers are provided
with for readers.
3. Readers can move to other
layer through links if the
current layer doesn’t match
their needs.
Move to the lower
layer if the current
one is unsatisfactory
To move to the upper
layer if the current one
is difficult to understandTo confirm on
which layer
you’re now
readable accurate
AR Index 5 4 3 2 1
9. Case
1. We created 5-layered articles for the following nature paper
written by ELSI researchers.
1. Crystallization of silicon dioxide and compositional evolution of the Earth’s core
2. Kei Hirose, Guillaume Morard, Ryosuke Sinmyo, Koichio Umemoto, John
Hernlund, George Helffrich & Stéphane Labrosse
3. Nature 543, 99–102 (02 March 2017)
2. To write multiple articles differently in reference to the 5 steps
(AR Index: 5~1)
3. Title
• AR Index 5: Do quartz crystals power the Earth’s magnetic field?
• AR Index 1: Crystallization of silicon dioxide and the compositional
evolution of the Earth’s core
4. Introduction
• AR Index 5: We all know that the Earth has a magnetic field –
whenever you look at a compass, you can see it in action, making the
needle point at magnetic north.
• AR Index 1: The Earth’s magnetic field has existed for at least 3 billion
years, according to the paleomagnetic rock record. But the mechanism
of the early field has been a source of contention in the Earth science
community.
12. Discussion
1. “AR Index” is not one dimensional.
2. For those who need “AR Index 5”, not only readability
but also relevance, introduction to attract attention,
and attractive story are important.
3. “AR Index” seems to be composed of around 5
representative factors.
4. However, it is too much difficult to design “5
dimensional” contents, it’s better to compress the
dimensions from 5 to 1, temporarily.
13. Two Case Studies
1. Development of new format of scientific
articles with multiple-levels of accuracy-
readability trade-offs
2. Development of the new movie format to
introduce researchers by making use of
structured interview method
14. Two Case Studies
1. Development of new format of scientific
articles with multiple-levels of accuracy-
readability trade-offs
2. Development of the new movie format to
introduce researchers by making use of
structured interview method
15. Purpose of the Project
1. In ELSI(our institute), research activities in
extremely diverse topics are executed by
variety of researchers.
2. You might find some difficulty in
understanding relationship among those
researches and research activities.
Goal: To communicate with the public effectively
relationships among different researchers in ELSI, among
their achievements, and also relationship between them
and other activities outside ELSI.
16. To focus on a method “interview
movies”
1. Can we communicate our activities by
making use of “interview movies”
effectively?
2. Long interviews are unpopular today,
especially on the web.
3. However, too short movies cannot tell
anything sufficiently.
17. Development of the New Movie Format to
Introduce Researchers by Making Use of
Structured Interview Method
1. Interviews with researchers were done using the
same list of questions.
2. The duration of one answer is, in principle, 1 minute
at the longest.
3. Questions are designed to make audience find any
kind of connections among answers by different
interviewees.
4. Audience can see many movies in any order, with
any context freely.
18. List of Questions
No. Indexes Questions
1 My Research Explain your research briefly.
2 Adjacent Research What are the "adjacent research fields" of your own?
3 Broader Area What is the broader research area including your own?
4 Research Questions What is the most important research question in your current research activities?
5 Ultimate Goal What is your "ultimate goal or purpose"?
6 I Can Do! If you collaborate with someone, what kind of contribution can you offer to them?
7 Help! When you promote your own research, is there anyone who can probably help you much?
8 Basis What kind of other researches support or give basis for your own?
9 Applicability What are other research or non-research areas which your research can be helpful for?
10 Theories What kind of "theories" or "frame of thinking" support your own research?
11 Subjects What is the "subject" of your research?
12 Methods What are "methods" or "methodologies" used in your own research?
13 Tools What kind of devices, tools, or materials you use?
14 Challenge What is the most challenging scientific "barrier" against your research?
15 Joy What is the happiest moment in your research life?
16 Collaboration What kind of themes or collaborators do you want to chose?
19. Design of the Questions and Their Relations
My
Research
Adjacent
Research
Fields
Basis
Applica-
bility
Joy
Collaborat
ion
Help!
I Can Do!
Broader Area
Research
Question
Tools
Challenge Theories Methods
Subjects
Ultimate
Goal
20. My
Research
Adjacent
Research
Fields
Basis
Applica-
bility
Joy
Collaborat
ion
Help!
I Can Do!
Broader Area
Research
Question
Tools
Challenge Theories Methods
Subjects
Ultimate
Goal
My
Research
Adjacent
Research
Fields
Basis
Applica-
bility
Joy
Collaborat
ion
Help!
I Can Do!
Broader Area
Research
Question
Tools
Challenge Theories Methods
Subjects
Ultimate
Goal
Question: What kind of devices, tools, or materials you use?
(* The movies here are just examples, which don’t necessarily correspond to the charts.)
リレーションシップ ID rId4 のイメージ パーツがファイルにありませんでした。
リレーションシップ ID rId4 のイメージ パーツがファイルにありませんでした。
The same question to another researcher
Find similarity between different researches
of different researchers.
21. My
Research
Adjacent
Research
Fields
Basis
Applica-
bility
Joy
Collaborat
ion
Help!
I Can Do!
Broader Area
Research
Question
Tools
Challenge Theories Methods
Subjects
Ultimate
Goal
My
Research
Adjacent
Research
Fields
Basis
Applica-
bility
Joy
Collaborat
ion
Help!
I Can Do!
Broader Area
Research
Question
Tools
Challenge Theories Methods
Subjects
Ultimate
Goal
リレーションシップ ID rId4 のイメージ パーツがファイルにありませんでした。
(* The movies here are just examples, which don’t necessarily correspond to the charts.)
Find possibility of collaboration
between different researchers.
Question: If you collaborate with someone, what kind of contribution can you offer to them?
Question: When you promote your own research, is there anyone who can help you much?
リレーションシップ ID rId4 のイメージ パーツがファイルにありませんでした。
22. Audience can find various connectivity among diverse
researches and researchers in ELSI, as a whole.
My
Research
Adjacent
Research
Fields
Basis
Applica-
bility
Joy
Collabora
tion
Help!
I Can Do!
Broader Area
Research
Question
Tools
Challenge Theories Methods
Subjects
Ultimate
Goal
My
Research
Adjacent
Research
Fields
Basis
Applica-
bility
Joy
Collabora
tion
Help!
I Can Do!
Broader Area
Research
Question
Tools
Challenge Theories Methods
Subjects
Ultimate
Goal
My
Research
Adjacent
Research
Fields
Basis
Applica-
bility
Joy
Collabora
tion
Help!
I Can Do!
Broader Area
Research
Question
Tools
Challenge Theories Methods
Subjects
Ultimate
Goal
24. New Communication Formats for
Effective Science Communication
- Two Case Studies -
1. Development of new format of scientific
articles with multiple-levels of accuracy-
readability trade-offs
2. Development of the new movie format to
introduce researchers by making use of
structured interview method