Putting plain language summaries into perspective

Abstract

Publication-associated plain language summaries are brief, jargon-free summaries of scientific publications. They are intended for a broad, non-expert audience to help maximize the accessibility of the publication. Plain language summaries are typically found alongside peer-reviewed publications or in supplementary materials and can be indexed in PubMed. In this narrative commentary, we present the perspectives of five day-to-day users of plain language summaries from different stakeholder groups, gained through semi-structured qualitative interviews about the users’ experiences with and opinions of plain language summaries.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY

Plain language summaries such as this one are an increasingly popular tool for helping readers cut though jargon and understand the key points of a research article faster. To get a better idea of how plain language summaries are being used, we spoke to five people from different backgrounds who read, write and review plain language summaries in their personal and professional lives.

Keywords:

• Plain language summary
• accessibility
• discoverability
• inclusivity
• medical research
• public engagement

Transparency

Declaration of funding

This work was supported by Open Pharma. Open Pharma is a multi-sponsor collaboration facilitated by Oxford PharmaGenesis Ltd and receives sponsorship funding from Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Galápagos NV, Gilead Sciences, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA, Ipsen Biopharm Ltd, Janssen Global Services LLC, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Novartis Pharma AG, Novo Nordisk A/S, Pfizer, Inc., Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc. and UCB Biopharma SRL.

Declaration of financial/other relationships

CE and AR are employees of Oxford PharmaGenesis Ltd. A reviewer on this manuscript has disclosed that they are an employee of McCann Health Medical Communications, which is a medical communications group that provides professional medical writing and editing services, mostly for pharmaceutical clients. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no other relevant financial relationships or otherwise to disclose.

Author contributions

CE and AR designed and conducted the interviews, and wrote the article.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Emma Georgiou, Louise Hailey, James Piercy, David Schley and Judi Smith for participating in the interviews and consenting to the inclusion of their perspectives in this article. Joana Osório provided comments on a version of this article and editorial support was provided by Velissaria Vanna, both of Oxford PharmaGenesis Ltd.