Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • CAREER NEWS

Words matter: jargon alienates readers

Non-scientists feel shut out and confused by articles that use technical language — even if it’s defined.
  1. Chris Woolston

    1. Chris Woolston is a freelance writer in Billings, Montana.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

Overly technical language in science articles doesn’t just muddy the waters for non-experts — it can alienate readers, potentially shutting them out from scientific discussion and knowledge. That’s the conclusion of a study published in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology1, and it applies to general-interest articles just as much as to scientific papers.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 579, 309 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00580-w

References

  1. Shulman, H. C., Dixon, G. N., Bullock, O. M. & Colón Amill, D. J. Lang. Soc. Psychol. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X20902177 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Rakedzon, T., Segev, E., Chapnik, N., Yosef, R. & Baram-Tsabari, A. PLoS ONE 12, e0181742 (2017).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Barel-Ben David, Y., Garty, E. S. & Baram-Tsabari, A. PLoS ONE 15, e0222250 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links