Writing a Message

A message is a statement or set of statements that describes your work and why it is important. It should be written in clear, concise language that is easily understood by a wide range of people. Here, we provide a few tips on creating effective messages for your research.

• What is the benefit? You have committed your professional life to this work, but the rest of us have not. You have to create a context for your research that encourages people to care. How many people are affected by the disease you are studying? What is the cost to society? What is the pay-off for your hard work?

• Why is it important to you? Is there a personal reason why this matters? Describing this connection is often a good way to connect to an audience.

• Translate from scientific jargon to concrete, common language. Even in scientific audiences, colleagues are relieved to hear presentations or see posters that are presented clearly. And given the interdisciplinary focus of much of today’s research, “generalist” language will enable others outside your area of expertise to engage your work more effectively.

• Use metaphors and symbolic language to connect complex scientific concepts to commonly known images and processes. Is the neoplasm two centimeters wide or is the cancer the size of a dime?

• It is not enough to simply describe what you are doing. Often (indeed, almost always in research), the really exciting stuff is up ahead. What’s next? What do we hope to see from your research or from others in the coming months or years? Is there a call to action? If possible, describe what people in the audience can do to push this work ahead.

• Marshall a range of evidence. In a scientific presentation, you will need a clear, data-driven description of your research to back up your findings. But for non-scientific groups (and even for scientists to some extent), don’t forget to tell stories or provide anecdotes that support the case for why your work is important and how it is effective.

What are Skimming and Scanning

Skimming and scanning are very important reading techniques.  In short, skimming refers to looking through material quickly to gather a general sense of the ideas, information, or topic itself.  When you skim, you read through an article three to four times faster than when you read each word. 

Scanning refers to reading through material to find specific information.  When you scan, you run your eyes over text or information to pull out specific words, phrases, or data.  For example:

You quickly go through a twenty-page report in a few minutes, and determine the overall subject, tone, and a few key points. This is skimming.

You pick up the newspaper in the doctor's office, thumb through the first few pages, and gather the gist of the events happening in the world.  This is skimming.

You flip through an accounting report to find a particular set of data.  This is scanning.

You open the classified section of a newspaper, find the automobile section, and then mark a few cars within your price range.  This is scanning.

Skimming and scanning work in tandem.  For English learners, both techniques should always be encouraged because, with practice, students realize that every word doesn't need to be read and fully understood.  Good skimming and scanning skills means that they will no longer be so strictly bound by the text, nor their reading and comprehension speed.  There are applications both inside and outside the classroom.