In science communication, new directions are constantly being explored. As early as 2013, the Finnish committee for public information (Tiedonjulkistamisen neuvottelukunta or TJNK) published a national science communication action plan at the request of the Ministry of Education and Culture. The program states that science communication should not only serve the fields of science and research but also promote public engagement with science and the advancements it brings. Various forms of popularizing science have grown in popularity, with knowledge-based podcasts serving as a good example. According to studies commissioned by RadioMedia (2020; 2023), one of the top reasons listeners listen to podcasts is a desire to learn something new (alongside entertainment of course). Science communication and interaction are important and that is evident in the requirement for communication and interaction plans in many major scientific grants. For example, when applying for the Strategic Research Council (SRC/STN) funding from the Research Council of Finland, the application must include an impact objective and an approximately one-page interaction plan.
Communicating scientific knowledge to a broader audience is a challenge. While many articles are published under Open Access licenses to ensure accessibility, there is a massive need for more reader-friendly publication formats to convey scientific knowledge. Open Access publications are freely available to anyone with internet access (Suber, 2012, 4–5). However, such open access does not guarantee accessibility. Reading research texts in a foreign language can be difficult, especially if the reader is unfamiliar with reading academic text. We need popularization and comics have their place in it.
Comics as a Tool for Accessibility
The use of comics in accessible communication has been tested and piloted worldwide and across various fields. In marketing research, it has been observed that images increase user engagement and activity, especially in social media messages (Li & Xie, 2019). In New Zealand, it was found that using comics in communication increased people’s participation in responding to COVID-19 surveys. Comics significantly boosted the number of responses from people of different ethnic backgrounds, presumably because the purpose of the survey was easier to understand with visual guidance (Kearns et al., 2021). A study conducted in the United States also found that comics improved the comprehension of foreign-language texts (see Merç, 2013), which is particularly beneficial for refugees and other immigrants. Another U.S. study noted that the use of comics in education significantly improved reading comprehension levels, especially for those with reading difficulties such as dyslexia (see Smith et al., 2019). The same study also noted a slight improvement in reading comprehension for other groups, although the change was not as significant as for those with reading challenges. I think the most important thing is that the study found that using comics did not hinder anyone’s learning; the changes were universally positive.
The synergy between images and text enhances the understanding of even complex information and makes reading more engaging. Such clarity and lightening of the reading experience are particularly beneficial as research-based communication moves to online platforms and aims to reach as broad an audience as possible.
Sources:
Kearns, Ciléin. Kearns, Nethmi. Braithwaite, Irene. Shortt, Nick. Eathorne, Allie. Semprini, Alex. Beasley, Rickhard. (2021). Using comics and curiosity to drive pandemic research on a national scale, Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine,44(1),12–22.
Li, Yiyi. Xie, Ying. (2020). Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? An Empirical Study of Image Content and Social Media Engagement. Journal of Marketing Research, 57(1), 1–19.
Merç, Ali. (2013). The effect of comic strips on EFL reading comprehension. International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications, 4(1), 54–64.
RadioMedia. (2020). Podcast, podcast: Tutkimus podcastien kuuntelusta helmikuussa 2020. https://radiomedia.fi/tutkimukset/podcast-tutkimus-2020/.
RadioMedia. (2023). Näin suomalainen kuuntelee: Digiaudiotutkimus 2023. https://radiomedia.fi/tutkimukset/nain-suomalainen-kuuntelee-digiaudiotutkimus-2023/.
Smith, Patrick L. Goodmon, Leilani B. Howard, Jordan R. Hancock, Rebekah. Hartzell, Kylie A. Hilbert, Sarah E. (2021). Graphic novelisation effects on recognition abilities in students with dyslexia, Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, 12:2, 127–144.
Suber, Peter. (2012). Open Access. The MIT Press: Cambridge, London.
TJNK. (2013). Tiede kuuluu kaikille! Kansallinen tiedeviestinnän toimenpideohjelma. Tiedonjulkistamisen neuvottelukunta: Helsinki.