Graphical abstracts in Forensic Sciences – science communication and literacy

Authors

  • C. Florek Department of Vernacular Letters (DLV), Federal University of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
  • R. J. Dinis-Oliveira TOXRUN – Toxicology Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences (IUCS) – CESPU, Gandra, Portugal; UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences, and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
  • J. Soares Carrola Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal; Inov4Agro, Institute for Innovation, Capacity Building and Sustainability of Agri-food Production, Vila Real, Portugal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48797/sl.2023.105

Keywords:

Poster

Abstract

Background: Scientific digital communication presents a diversity of add-on summaries to verbal abstracts [1]. Among these native HTML and PDF publications, Graphical Abstracts (GAs) are possibly the oldest [2] and are prevalent in chemistry, medicine, and biology [3]. Even so, some biomedical sub-areas seem to resist to the use of GAs, including the Forensic area. Objective: Review the frequency of GAs in scientific forensics journals and alert for the importance of at least optional GA presentation. Methods: A search of scientific literature was done using Pubmed and ScienceDirect looking for: “graphical abstract”, “forensic” and “forensic science”, and analyzing major journals assessing the prevalence of GA: mandatory; optional; specific image; the first image of the paper; only online or in the pdf. Results: According to the h5-index, eight publishers are responsible for publishing the 20 most important Forensic Sciences journals. GAs are optional in 30% (n=6) and mandatory in 5% (n=1), some use the first image as GA. In Elsevier, Oxford Academy and MDPI journals, GAs are mandatory or optional. Guidelines for GA elaboration are usually brief, and Elsevier presents more detailed guidelines. Bentham Science asks for animated video abstract (as a complement to GA), the most complex format to be produced. Conclusions: The reduced adherence of important publishers to GAs may be related to I) idiosyncrasies from forensic areas which can make GAs unattractive; II) resistance to digital genres [4,5]; III) being seen by others as means of trivializing and simplifying technical knowledge [6,7]. Furthermore, for some researchers, GA construction is time-consuming and a waste of time. We can deduce also that a lack of literacy is a possible factor. It is essential to focus on critical digital literacy strategies to prepare students and researchers to produce high-quality multimodal genres with diverse digital tools without losing scientific quality.

References

1. Katsampoxaki-Hodgetts, K. The emergence of a new inclusive meta-scientific genre: ‘the Bigger Picture’ Journal of English for Academic Purposes 2022, 57.

2. Pérez-Llantada, C. The article of the future: strategies for genre stability and change. English for Specific Purposes 2013, 32, 221-235.

3. Hendges, G. R.; Florek, C. S. The graphical abstract as a new genre in the promotion of science. In Science communication on the internet: old genres meet new genres. Luzón, M., Pérez-LLantada, C., Eds. Johns Benja-mins: Amsterdam, Philadelphia, 2019. pp. 59-79.

4. Luzón, M. J. Connecting genres and languages in online scholarly communication: An analysis of research group blogs. Written Communication, 2017, 34.

5. Luzón, M. J. Features of online ELF in research group blogs written by multilingual Scholars. Discourse, Context & Media 2018, 24, pp. 24-32.

6. Rowley-Jolivet, E.; Carter-Thomas, S. Scholarly soundbites Audio Visual innovations in digital science and their implications for genre evolution. In Science communication on the Internet: Old genres meet new genres. Luzón, C. Pérez-Llantada, Eds. John Benjamins: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 81-106.

7. Sancho Guinda, C. Scientific stylisation or the ‘democracy dilemma’ of graphical abstracts. Publications, 2022, 10.

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Published

2023-04-21

How to Cite

Florek, C., Dinis-Oliveira, R. J., & Soares Carrola, J. (2023). Graphical abstracts in Forensic Sciences – science communication and literacy. Scientific Letters, 1(Sup 1). https://doi.org/10.48797/sl.2023.105

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