Study Guide
Module 7 -The Levels of
Scientific Literature
Introduction
Now that you have a full grasp of the science communication environment and the
construction of scientific knowledge and information, it’s now time to discuss the vehicles of
scientific and technical information
In this module, we will talk about the levels of scientific literature. As science communicator,
it is important that you are familiar with these different levels so you would know how to
effectively communicate scientific and technical information to various kinds of audiences.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
1. Compare and contrast the different levels of communicating S&T information;
2. Describe in terms of style, content, and format a technical journal article as opposed to
an article in a popular magazine;
3. Give two examples each for a technical journal and a popular magazine.
Types of Scientific Literature
In Module 3, we discussed about the structure of scientific literature. As science
communicators, it is essential that you are familiar with how the scientific literature are
structured given the sheer volume of scientific literature that have been produced.
In this Module, we will discuss the types or levels of scientific literature. For you to be an
effective science communicator, you should have a deep knowledge of the different levels of
communicating S&T information to different levels of audiences.
Learning Activity
DEVC 263/1st Semester 2017-2018
For this topic, I want you to read Module 7 - The Levels of Scientific Literature by Ma.
Theresa H. Velasco.
As you read the pages 147 - 180, I want you to pay close attention to the characteristics of
the different types of levels of scientific literature. You also have to critically understand
how the content, style and format differs for each type of literature as well as the different
audiences targeted by each type.
Read also an article by the Rice University on How to Read a Scientific Article. This article
will give you an idea how complex a scientific article is in terms of structure and features.
As a science communicator, it is important that you clearly understood how this type of
scientific literature can be effectively communicated and disseminated.
Share what you have learned in your journal.
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References:
The Cain Project in Engineering and Professional Communication, How to Read a Scientific
Article. OpenStax CNX. Mar 29, 2008
http://cnx.org/contents/d85e82ee-f854-4953-a194-8ec1baf39348@1.
DEVC 263/1st Semester 2017-2018