Science communication will strengthen research

The recurring litany of woes from research scholars regarding research in the Middle East and North Africa, or MENA, countries includes: the absence of a solid scientific and technological base, lack of research funding, the absence of public-private linkages for research and development, an inauspicious political environment and lack of impact of research findings on the immediate community.

However, these factors have started to recede, prompting speculation that an Arab knowledge renaissance may be in the offing.

The latest results from major ranking bodies have shown improvements for some universities in the MENA region, perhaps due to the holistic restructuring of university settings in the region. The latest edition of Thomson Reuters’ The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds shows MENA researchers rank among the top 3,000 most highly cited researchers, with 53 coming from Saudi Arabia.

As qualitative research in Arab countries gains traction, it is hard not to be struck by the near-absence of scientific communication in diffusing research findings and innovation. Without this, the public cannot reap the benefits.

There is a pressing need to entrench the concept of science communication as the ultimate goal of science journalism at this critical stage. That means packaging messages from the science and technology world in a simple and understandable manner for the consumption of the public so that they can comprehend the many scientific themes which are inherently complicated in nature. Scientific papers are too often studded with statistics, notations, jargon and references.

Translating research findings

Stimulating and entrenching science communication in the MENA region through the dissemination of research findings to the public could be aided by the removal of certain obstacles. Translating seminal scientific books or research from English to Arabic is vital. Getting the work translated into a simplified printed form could undoubtedly help in getting the message out to the general Arabic-speaking public.

Another factor that needs to be addressed is the issue of language varieties in the region. Given the welter of dialects and non-standard varieties of Arabic in the region, science journalists and researchers have to decide whether to adopt the national standard variety or other versions.

There is a deep division in the MENA region regarding spoken and National Standard written Arabic. A science communicator could even employ pidgin Arabic to get their messages across.

As part of its strategy of disseminating research findings and engaging with the community, King Saud University plans to establish a scientific television channel. Through that, it seeks to showcase its research undertakings and innovations to the immediate community so that they can appreciate the work of its scientists.

This means researchers creating vivid videos, PowerPoint presentations and lectures. The channel will use multimedia presentations and showcase the patents obtained by the university.

MENA region universities have great potential and, by embedding a culture of science and research through science communication, that potential will surely be much greater.

Dr Adamu A Ahmed is coordinator of the Research Chairs Program at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.