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Comparing lay summaries to scientific abstracts for readability and jargon use: a case report

Author

Listed:
  • Ju Wen

    (Chengdu Jincheng College)

  • Lan Yi

    (Chengdu Jincheng College)

Abstract

Lay summaries provide a brief account of scientific articles and are supposed to be written in accessible language. However, it remains largely unknown whether lay summaries are readable to the intended non-technical audience. Here, we present a case study that examines the readability of and the use of technical jargon in lay summaries and their corresponding scientific abstracts collected from the journal Medical Mycology. It was found that (1) the average reading grade level of lay summaries was significantly higher than that of scientific abstracts, and (2) a higher proportion of technical terms were used than the recommended threshold in both lay summaries and scientific abstracts. In other words, improvements are needed to make lay summaries more readable for the non-technical audience. Possible explanations for the findings were discussed and suggestions to enhance the readability of lay summaries were offered.

Suggested Citation

  • Ju Wen & Lan Yi, 2023. "Comparing lay summaries to scientific abstracts for readability and jargon use: a case report," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(10), pages 5791-5800, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:128:y:2023:i:10:d:10.1007_s11192-023-04807-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-023-04807-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Karen M. Gainey & Jenna Smith & Kirsten J. McCaffery & Sharon Clifford & Danielle M. Muscat, 2023. "What Author Instructions Do Health Journals Provide for Writing Plain Language Summaries? A Scoping Review," The Patient: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Springer;International Academy of Health Preference Research, vol. 16(1), pages 31-42, January.
    2. Kate Bredbenner & Sanford M Simon, 2019. "Video abstracts and plain language summaries are more effective than graphical abstracts and published abstracts," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(11), pages 1-19, November.
    3. Ju Wen & Lei Lei, 2022. "Adjectives and adverbs in life sciences across 50 years: implications for emotions and readability in academic texts," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(8), pages 4731-4749, August.
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