Communicating a Scientific Story

Public health organizations typically try to raise literacy or counter misinformation with fact sheets and other data-centric messages. Yet research shows that disseminating more information does not necessarily combat myths. Storytelling offers the oral health community another option for engaging...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of dental research Vol. 101; no. 4; pp. 371 - 373
Main Author Jacob, M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.04.2022
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Communication
Health Policy
Oral Health
Oral hygiene
Public health
storytelling
cognition
communication
fluorides
narrative
policy
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Summary:Public health organizations typically try to raise literacy or counter misinformation with fact sheets and other data-centric messages. Yet research shows that disseminating more information does not necessarily combat myths. Storytelling offers the oral health community another option for engaging audiences and complementing the facts. The early–20th century research into fluoride is one example of an interesting story. Data and stories can complement each other. Using the elements of storytelling to report or summarize research findings could make such findings more relevant to health policy makers, whose decisions are often driven by values and evidence. Although the scientific literature has not produced a definitive template for instilling stories in a study manuscript, I provide several techniques and caveats for oral health researchers to consider.
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ISSN:0022-0345
1544-0591
DOI:10.1177/00220345211049387