The University of Navarra and The Conversation España train more than 100 researchers in scientific knowledge dissemination

More than a hundred researchers, doctoral students and professionals attended the workshop"Writing for the general public", organized by the Unit for Scientific Culture and Innovation (UCC+I) of the University of Navarra in partnership with The Conversation España, a publishing house platform for scientific communication in Spanish. The goal the workshop was to provide scientists and academics with tools to disseminate their research effectively through non-specialized media aimed at the general public.

The workshop began with the intervention of Rafael Sarralde, CEO and co-founder director The Conversation Spain, who presented the model publishing house of this international platform that publishes articles signed by academic experts, with an informative approach and based on scientific evidence, which can then be freely republished by other media. Sarralde highlighted the platform's mission statement to enhance the social impact of researchers' scientific work . "Contributing to the development of a better informed citizenry capable of making evidence-based decisions can make the world a better place. We do not wait for the impact to happen on its own: we provoke it: our goal is that the content reaches the ears of those who can apply it and those who have the power to make decisions on these issues, generating social and cultural impact".

Next, Monica Bonilla, institutional coordinator of The Conversation Spain, explained how the platform works, from the registration of researchers to the essay, editing and publication of articles. She stressed that the texts must be signed by their authors, linked to their field of specialization and comply with editorial and ethical criteria. He also explained the dissemination policies, image rights and use of the read counter, a tool that allows measuring the impact and republication of each article.

The importance of clear and informative language

In the next session, Eva Catalán, editor at The Conversation Spain, offered a class internship on how to write clearly and accurately in scientific knowledge dissemination . She addressed the most common mistakes, such as the excessive use of technical terms or complex Structures , and proposed strategies to improve the essay through connectors, textual coherence and effective narrative Structures . "It is increasingly important for science to reach beyond academic circles. And that is achieved with clarity, brevity and a good story," said Catalán.

Practical workshop and real experiences

Lorena Sánchez, the platform's Science and Technology editor, led a practical workshop focused on how to construct an article with a hook. Effective headline techniques and the structure of the text were reviewed. The researchers worked on proposals linked to their own lines of research, applying what they learned in real time.

To close the workshop, a roundtable was held with the participation of three researchers from the University of Navarra who have already published on the platform: Enrique BaqueroSchool of Science) with his latest article "My daily relationship with insects", Álvaro FerraryPhilosophy and Letters) with "Donald Trump and the danger of an unprecedented constitutional crisis in the USA", and Anna K. DulskaInstitute for Culture and Society) with "How does Russia see itself? Putin's statement of core values explains his good relationship with Trump." They shared their experiences and reflections on the social impact of their research and the work of turning them into popular texts.

This initiative is part of the UCC+i's plan of activities to promote scientific culture inside and outside the university environment. The high participation and the positive response from the public confirmed the growing interest in bringing science to society as a whole.