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Scientific jargon can be ‘satisfying’ — but misleading

Research shows that jargon can make weak explanations feel complete by masking their gaps. What can experts do to communicate science effectively to laypeople?
By
  1. Todd Rogers

    1. Todd Rogers is at the Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.

  2. Hillary Shulman

    1. Hillary Shulman is in the School of Communication, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.

When scientists write for lay audiences, they face a familiar dilemma: should they use technical language that reflects precision and authority, or simpler language that maximizes clarity? In a study published in Nature Human Behaviour, Cruz and Lombrozo1 offer fresh insights into this communication dilemma. The paper shows that jargon has different effects on how readers perceive and understand explanations — and that these differences have consequences for both science consumers and science communicators.

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Nature 643, 916-917 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02251-0

References

  1. Cruz, F. & Lombrozo, T. Nature Hum. Behav. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02227-0 (2025).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Shulman, H. C., Markowitz, D. M. & Rogers, T. Sci. Adv. 10, eadn2555 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Rogers, T. & Lasky-Fink, J. Writing for Busy Readers: Communicate More Effectively in the Real World (Dutton, 2023).

    Google Scholar 

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Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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