The document is designed to guide investigators as they articulate the wider significance and real-world implications of their research, especially for audiences outside the academic community, such as policymakers, funders, and the public.
Guidance:
- Using preferred language: Words have power. Modeling respectful language is important to fight against stigma. Best practices for word choice are to defer to recommendations from people with lived experiences, such as this guide from The Well Project for language when talking about HIV.
- Using metaphors and analogies to create connection: An example we found helpful is this “Immunology Wars” video created by Nature Video, illustrating how the immune system responds to HIV. We used this video during a community meeting to help our community members get a sense of the kinds of things our immunology researchers were studying.
- Replacing jargon: We offered that AI – when used with discretion and critical review – can be a useful tool in helping to review and adjust language to an accessible reading level (reminder: half of Americans read below a 7th grade reading level). This Cheat Sheet for Community Engagement from Social Pinpoint provides examples of prompts; one of our attendees made the great recommendation to also include prompts about inclusive/preferred language.
- There is some research behind this too! In this paper, the authors found that AI helped create summaries of science papers that were easier to read than scientist-created summaries.
- Additional resources: The Duke CFAR Community Engagement Team has compiled additional resources on our website that may be helpful.
Download the tool below: