{"id":37707,"date":"2021-03-04T16:36:53","date_gmt":"2021-03-04T11:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/?p=37707"},"modified":"2025-11-25T15:21:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T09:51:41","slug":"the-essential-role-of-plain-language-in-research-publishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/the-essential-role-of-plain-language-in-research-publishing","title":{"rendered":"The Essential Role of Plain Language in Research Publishing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Growing Need for PLS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Members of the public routinely seek medical information online. A\u00a02018 study<\/a>\u00a0showed that patients ranked articles from scientific journals the third most important source of healthcare information (47%), after general Internet searches (61%) and patient-specific websites (57%).<\/p>\n

As ever more patients and carers seek access to primary published research, a new challenge has arisen for journal editors and publishers: how can they ensure that specialist content is understood by \u2018lay\u2019 readers?<\/p>\n

One common barrier to understanding is the complex language of research papers. \u201cMost people don\u2019t even understand what \u2018efficacy\u2019 means in a medical manuscript\u201d, remarked Richard Stephens, patient advocate and founding co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal\u00a0Research Involvement and Engagement<\/em>, in the webinar.<\/p>\n

One solution to this barrier is the PLS, a brief summary of a research paper, written in language that is easily accessible to non-specialists. In a world where the public has greater access to primary research than ever before, PLS are\u00a0an important tool<\/a>\u00a0that researchers can use to communicate clear, concise and clinically-accurate information with the public.<\/p>\n

Laura Dormer, Editorial Director, Future Science Group, observed that PLS are often accessed by a global audience, including users from non-English-speaking countries. PLS can even benefit non-specialist or time-poor healthcare providers, since there could be serious consequences if they misinterpret a technical term they\u00a0think\u00a0<\/em>they know.<\/p>\n

PLS Guidelines, Mandates and Industry Standards<\/strong><\/p>\n

Currently, there is no single industry standard on PLS content or structure, even though peak bodies such as the UK\u2019s\u00a0NIHR<\/a>\u00a0and the US\u00a0FDA<\/a>\u00a0have developed comprehensive guidelines on plain language communications. Although most common in medical publishing, PLS are gaining popularity in diverse fields like\u00a0psychology<\/a>,\u00a0planetary science<\/a>, and\u00a0ecology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The upcoming version of the Good Publication Practice Guidelines (GPP4) is likely to specifically mention PLS and help drive PLS forward. Further, the\u00a0Clinical Trial Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 536\/2014)<\/a>\u00a0of the EU will make PLS mandatory for all clinical trials conducted even partly in the EU, thus\u00a0increasing the uptake of PLS<\/a>. Of note, the\u00a0Plain Writing Act of 2010<\/a>\u00a0in the United States already requires federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control, to communicate in language easily understandable to the public.<\/p>\n

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Tips for Effective PLS<\/strong><\/p>\n

When writing PLS, Stephens urges authors to use the PLS to help provide\u00a0context<\/em>. \u201cSay what the paper is about, why it is important to patients, and\u00a0which<\/em>\u00a0patients is it important to\u201d.<\/p>\n

For example, explain whether a particular therapy has been tested in specific groups (e.g., children, older adults, pregnant people). Obviously, PLS need to be written as simply as possible (ideally\u00a0a Flesch reading ease score of 60 or higher<\/a>). PLS need not be limited to blocks of plain text but could be enhanced with videos or infographics. In fact, Stephens suggested that the medium the authors use to explain the study while getting informed consent from participants (pictures, videos, text, etc.) might be the best way to present the PLS.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ready to amplify your research impact with PLS but don\u2019t know where to begin? Impact Science can help! Contact us at\u00a0request@impact.science<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Growing Need for PLS Members of the public routinely seek medical information online. A\u00a02018 study\u00a0showed that patients ranked articles from scientific journals the third most important source of healthcare information (47%), after general Internet searches (61%) and patient-specific websites (57%). As ever more patients and carers seek access to primary published research, a new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":33313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5889],"tags":[],"new_categories":[],"new_tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-37707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-media-and-tools-for-science-communication"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Essential Role of Plain Language in Research Publishing | Editage Insights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/?p=37707\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Essential Role of Plain Language in Research Publishing | Editage Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Growing Need for PLS Members of the public routinely seek medical information online. 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