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SCIENCE FOR LAY UNDERSTANDING

Communicating science to a non-

knowledgeable public- means translating ideas
and concepts that are often extremely complex
and distant from common sense into a
comprehensible language and creating interest in
the public without betraying scientific truth.

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SCIENCE FOR LAY UNDERSTANDING

▪ It makes people aware of the

wonders of science &
▪ It explains science concepts in
technology.
common language.
▪ It should relate science or
technology to the lives of people.
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SCIENCE FOR LAY UNDERSTANDING

• goes beyond facts

• is an effort to make science interesting
• is storytelling
It should answer the question SO WHAT?

It should relate to people.

It should put a human face.

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Complex Word Layman’s term
• precipitation > rain
• Conjunctivitis endemic > sore eyes
• Moringa oleifera > malunggay
• Pithecophaga jefferyi > Philippine Eagle
• Storm surge > storm-generated sea wave

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CHARACTERISTICS
OF A SCIENCE JOURNALIST
• One who is interested in science and knows the basic principles
of journalism.
• “A science reporter should be an all-around man, somewhat of
a botanist, a zoologist, a chemist, an electrician, a plumber, and
many others who plays a vital role in the programs of the
country, not only by telling facts or information, but also by
interpreting them to be of relevance to the people.”
• A science reporter should know and understand science, to
study science so that he can translate what the scientists are
talking about for the common man.

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CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
OF A SCIENCE JOURNALIST

• Translator (from technical and esoteric language

to simple/plain language)

• Interpreter (human interest angle to bring

benefits to man)

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CONTENTS OF SCIENCE REPORTS

EUREKA

EXPERTS EVENTS

ISSUES HOW-TOs

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CONTENTS OF SCIENCE REPORTS

• EUREKA - scientific breakthroughs and research

outcomes (S & T discoveries)
• EXPERTS - scientists and technologists and their feats
• SCIENTIFIC EVENTS - exhibits, seminars and
conferences
• SCIENTIFIC ISSUES- problems affecting S & T, crises
and disasters
• SCIENCE HOW-TOs - tips on procedures and
applications
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SOURCES OF SCIENCE STORIES

• Agricultural science
• Environment science
• Health and allied sciences
• Earth Science
• Technology
• Animal science
• Government projects on environment, research, etc.

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SOURCES ATTRIBUTION

1. Establish credibility
2. Assure accuracy
3. Source authority
4. Data verifiability

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 SCIENCE

SOFT NEWS HARD NEWS

(Science Feature) (Science News)
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WHAT IS SCIENCE NEWS?
- refers to any information materials, just like those you
come across in the dailies, but specifically centers on
science and its many wonders.
- differs from other forms of writing because of the angle.

An angle is the side of the story you want to emphasize.

For Science writing, we must emphasize a story’s

relation to any scientific process or matter.
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EXAMPLE

Topic : Fumigation
1. Don’t just mention that there was a fumigation.
2. What were the chemicals used during the fumigation?
3. What are the descriptions of these chemicals?
4. How can these chemicals ensure that dengue
mosquitoes will be terminated?
5. Do these chemicals have any effects on human health?

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STRUCTURES

It follows the same structure as HARD NEWS or

SOFT NEWS.
Hard news presents more newsworthy angles. It observes
the elements of objectivity.

Soft news is more featurized, more deep, more point of

views, perspectives. It combines OBJECTIVITY and
SUBJECTIVITY. It is pegged on documents.

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STRUCTURES

HARD NEWS follows the inverted pyramid

structure
The LEAD presents the gist of the story.

The BODY elaborates, explains, presents quotes,

statements, figures and statistics.

The CONCLUSION wraps up the article.

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EXAMPLE

(Scientific meetings and other gatherings that

tackled problems)
Pediatricians will hold their 16th annual
convention next week at the Philippine
International Covention Center (PICC) to focus
nationwide attention on two problems:
infections and malnutritions.

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EXAMPLE

(Results or outcome of scientific experiments)

The Department of Science and
Technology discovered that the pulp and peel
of Kalamansi, a citrus fruit common to the
Philippines, contain more vitamin C and other
essential elements than what can be normally
derived from the juice.

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THE HEADLINE

The headline follows the formula:

WHO/WHAT + (Present tense) Verb + DIRECT
OBJECT/ RECEIVER

Golden rice + falls short + on lifesaving

promises

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THE HEADLINE

(Filipino)
WHO/WHAT + (Past tense) Verb + DIRECT
OBJECT/ RECEIVER

Pagtatanim ng Golden Rice +

pinaiimbestigahan + ng Kamara

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 The Ebola , an infectious and generally fatal disease marked by fever
and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact withinfected body
fluids by a filovirus continues its relentless spread in West Africa,
pushing the death toll over 1,500 victims.
The Ebola outbreak, now declared to be an international public
health emergency by the Worl Health Organization (WHO) , has already
infected at leats 240 health workers and killed 130, including doctors
and nurses.
“The outbreak has gone beyond expectations,” a WHO official
said on Tuesday. Confirmed cases and fatalities have been reported in
Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria, and aid organizationsin the
field warn that official case and fatality figures may greatly undrestimate
the true scale of the outbreak.
Two emergency air shipments have arrived to restock hospitals
and clinics in Liberia where President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has made
an urgent appeal for safety equipment for health workers.

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SOFT NEWS (SCIENCE FEATURE)

- The common
structure used in
Science Journalism

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SCIENCE FEATURES

An informal, creative, and amusing style of writing

human interest stories
Often found in the Lifestyle Section of newspapers
Have a more creative organization than those found in
the news section
Usually have a multi-paragraph introduction, a body
containing two or more sections and a conclusion
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SCIENCE FEATURES

Have considerable freedom of expression and

stories are far more varied in style than news
stories
While news stories tend to maintain a consistent
level of fact sharing, feature stories can exhibit
sophistication

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SCIENCE FEATURES

i. Define
ii. Observe
iii. It’s a matter of perspective
iv. Read between lines
v. Inject concepts (this is where the
“paramihan ng alam” comes in) It tells how
much you know about the topic.
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EXPAND FORMULA

1 EXPosition - to explain, define and give details of the

concept/idea
Style: Definition, Illustration

2 Analyzing/Arguing - to present in a logical manner,

balanced reporting, casual analysis
Style: Cause and Effect, Logical Deduction,
Induction
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EXPAND FORMULA
Narration - tells a story, a sequence of events, historical

3
account, a scientific process, a drama
What has happened (events and people, in short history)
Details of process (how-to’s)
How things/events came about (origin)
Style: Time-Order
Description - to create images, sense
4 impressions by selecting and ordering details
Style: Definition, Illustration, Comparison
and Contrast
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A SCIENCE ARTICLE HAS
A TITLE WITH A
COMPLETE AND
SPECIFIC THOUGHT

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A SCIENCE ARTICLE HAS
An ENTICING LEAD

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REMEMBER!
❖ WHY SHOULD YOUR READERS CARE?
❖ WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM?
❖ WILL IT HELP THEM UNDERSTAND SOMETHING
BETTER? SURPRISE THEM? SCARE THEM? MAKE
THEM LAUGH?
❖ WHAT WOULD THEY WANT TO KNOW?
❖ WHAT DO THEY ALREADY KNOW?
❖ WHAT QUESTIONS WOULD THEY ASK GIVEN THE
CHANCE/
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REMEMBER!
Write LEAN
• Clear, concise language
• Easy on the adjectives
• Use short sentences/paragraphs
• 800-1000 words
• As high as 1500 words if the stories are
important

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Good Writing is supposed to
evoke sensation in the reader.
Not the fact that it is raining,
but the feeling of being
rained upon.
E.L. Doctorow

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