Until recently scholarly journal articles pertained to only individuals practicing in the specif field discussed. The articles primarily focused on individuals interested in conducting further research to their scholarly pursuit. These articles were not purposed for the general population, nonetheless Undergraduate Students at Wake Forest University. The entire premise behind scholarly communication is to publicize information, naturally only communicating with fellow scholars excludes the majority of the population.
Suddenly the thought occurred to somebody, that scholarly journal articles should not be limited to scholars in a particular field, but SHOULD be read by average (and curious) individuals. But just because the general populace can read scholarly articles because of their more liberal punishment online, doesn’t mean they really CAN.
Try reading an entire scholarly journal article without consulting Google to look up a definition or banging your head against a table because of the sheer complexity of the topic discussed. How can scholars make their scholarly articles more readable for those that are not scholars? Luckily, I have formulated a few answers.
Scholars could try to use less jargon. I do not know why “Extracellular-Matrix Tethering Regulates Stem-Cell Fate” and the addition of the word “keratinocytes” certainly does not help me understand the process any better, or frankly prompt continued reading of the article. Using a more readable language when discussing complicated ideas with a presumably “under-educated” audience makes the article far more attractive. My “under-educated,” I’m simply implying the average person is more than likely not educated regarding the “Extracellular-Matrix Tethering Regulates Stem-Cell Fate.” I found recently when conducting a Research Paper that I was more perceptive to ideas that were introduced simply rather than ideas introduced in a complex fashion. In fact, the scholarly articles that had more readable language often garnered enough of my attention to be fully read, despite page length. I think that if scholars want there article stop be more widely read and discussed they need to cut back on the jargon that makes the articles unbearable to complete.
Another method that would make scholarly journal entries far more appealing is accessibility. What is the point of doing something great if you can’t share it with the world. Imagine if Thomas Edison had kept the invention of electricity to himself or a select group of friends who understood the physiological process behind generating energy. We would all be relying upon kerosene lamps. As a scholar, if I discovered or developed something truly remarkable, why would I not want to share it with as many people as possible, so it can enrich their lives as it enriched mine? Instead scholars publish their articles in exclusive and expensive scholarly journals, available in print or online, making them available to a much smaller audience. Who knows if the cure to cancer could have been discovered if scientists and doctors had shared their findings with the average community? If we all work together, scholars may find that average people have things to offer as well as other scholars.
