http://www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Introduction to Physical Science
FIGURE 1.25
You can think of scientific knowledge as a
brick building, and the work of a single sci-
entist as an individual brick. Considered
by itself, the work of a single scientist may
not seem that important, yet it may be an
important piece of the overall structure.
But unless a scientist communicates re-
search results, that single brick may never
be added to the building.How Scientists Communicate
The posters shown in the opening image are just one of several ways that scientists may communicate about their
research. Some of the most common ways scientists communicate are listed below.
- Scientists may present papers about their research at scientific conferences. This is a good way to quickly
reach an audience of other scientists who are most interested in the research topic. - Scientists may publish articles about their research in peer-reviewed science journals. Peer review means that
the work is analyzed by peers, in other words, by other scientists. The articles are published only if the other
scientists are convinced that the research is accurate and honest. - Scientists may testify about their research before congress if their findings relate to matters of public policy,
such as environmental pollution. - Scientists may communicate about their research to the general public. For example, they might create a Web
site about their research, blog about it, or write articles for newspapers or magazines.
Q:Why might it be important for scientists to communicate about their research to the general public? Give an
example.
A:Communicating to the general public might be important if the research is directly related to people’s lives. For
example, assume that a scientist has investigated how driving habits are related to car crashes. She might write a
newspaper article to share the research results with the public so they can adopt driving habits that reduce the risk of
crashes.
Summary
- The last step of most scientific investigations is communicating the results of the research. When scientists
share their findings, they add to the body of scientific knowledge. They may also get useful feedback from
other scientists. - Scientists may communicate about their research in several ways, such as presenting posters or papers at
scientific conferences and publishing articles in scientific journals.