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I have a PhD in experimental psychology. I have not been able to understand a single article in the Science journal in many years

Especially if you're republican.

Also not posting about one on Bluesky

And then, someone will post it to r/Science where a bunch of people will read nothing but *the post title* and offer such valuable critiques as "Well obviously! We've known that forever!" "Did they account for [variable mentioned in the abstract]?" "I disagree therefore it's WRONG!"

Alas, all too true. I find my brain freezing when I attempt articles above my level of understanding.

Just like ready your title of address People will understand u r a Doctor, but not understand what it is u really do

But does anyone except scientists actually read a scientific paper? What we now have is a non-science person asking AI to give them a 50 word summary without the need for context or understanding.

Thankyou

🤣 🤣 🤣

Like this guy, but without the charm

"Ability to read" 😂🤣

True. I know my weaknesses lol! I have often reached out to people who have a better understanding of certain articles to confirm if I am understanding them correctly or to give me a synopsis for my own understanding and that we can share with our listeners if we need to.

Whelp, those are words alright.

you get a point

Nor does the ability to write a scientific paper guarantee the ability communicate.

Case in point. I am very interested in Quantum physics. I read books and then papers and then theory. After years of doing this and all the time spent I can honestly say for all I understand is that it’s the devil’s magic.

There are those good at collecting and memorizing data. Without being able to conceptualize and apply that data.

Same holds true for reading a legal document or a law or even the Constitution.

Expertise is never just the ability to read.

The ability to write a scientific article does not suggest the ability to understand the complexity of the real world implications of a finding.

If you don’t understand what you read, you haven’t finished reading.

I used to read a technical magazine, and felt informed by what I read. Until one day it covered a subject I actually knew a lot about, and I was shocked by the errors in the article. Then I stopped, thought, and ceased reading that magazine.

I’m an academic librarian and every so often I get a question way outside my wheelhouse. I caution the patron, “I can read the words to make sure this article is relevant, but you’ll have to make an appointment with xyz specialist if you need help understanding it.” I know my limits.

It’s also important to note the difference between a well-written paper and a technically sound but completely impenetrable manuscript. Peer reviewed, however harsh, can be a great indicator of whether you’ve gotten your point across. If an in-the-field reviewer can’t follow your breadcrumbs…

As evidenced when a minority of pseudo-intellectual transphobes start attempting (and failing) to quote biology papers x

That's why I enjoy reading Neal Stephenson books. I feel like I understand more, even though it's flying over my head. The mere glimpse is profound. 😁

I had someone adamantly tell me that as p> 0.05 was a larger number than p> 0.01, it meant a better result. It did not matter what I said, they went with that as they “know how to read research.” May their p value walk with them.

So true…

Beware the ego, Dr. University's are educating many people to do just that and they will not all agree with you.

That couldn't be more clear....especially in the Trump Administration.🙄

Today, unfortunately, that quote requires a caveat: ‘You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother - *correctly*.’

Amen!

RFK Jr. & crew are perfect examples of this.

That's like ," I can explain it for you but I can't understand it for you". In so many things.

yes

But in 'Berta, if you get elected to the provincial government and are given a ministerial portfolio, you're anointed with the ability to decipher complex studies and articles. Instant expertise in medicine, social science, engineering, climate, and more. Your grade eight base will back you up.

It is a good way to find further reading is how I look at that.

They're fascinating in that way.

Indeed - but those "scientists" who think they understand what they write but don't, allowed those who do understand to tell the public what it's all about, the scientists who only pretend to understand would object. As I've found.

one cannot have everthing

True

Exactly !

I would add that literacy is no guarantee to prevent planet-wide ecocide: for millennia, Homo sapiens have been reading and writing, but the biomes and planetary systems that sustain all life on the planet continue to be impeded by human activities...

... nor even the ability to know whether one has actually understood it. (And the Dunning-Kruger effect definitely applies, here.)

The trick is having the desire to read a scientific article.

My niece shared with me a peer reviewed paper she wrote. I understood words like “the, and, for, so.” The rest were very big and I didn’t understand them.

OTTO: "Apes don't read philosophy." WANDA: "Yes they do Otto, they just don't UNDERSTAND it!" --'A Fish Called Wanda' (1988)

None of them read.

So true . . . how many times have I waded into a study thinking: I see words, but they have little meaning. 😆 Why didn't I take an organic chem course?

Story of my life tbh...

This is true of books in general....for instance your local Islamophobe may indeed have read the Quran six times as he says. That doesn't mean he comprehended a word of it. And so on for all other important books like the Bible, Homer, Jane Austen or whatever.

But it's still a good start.

I’ve proofread a lot of articles. I can confirm. The spelling, punctuation, etc., I can handle. The understanding… nope.

Same for law stuff. And many other things. Specialties are needed.

😂😂😂 Imagine how many people you have just confused.

As a former educator I will guarantee you that reading comprehension is a lot more valuable than reading fluency.

Finding it in the first place ( not on YouTube) though… that’s a start. Let’s encourage the readers! READ MORE!

See also major league baseball's explanation of the infield fly rule.

Very few understood Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity.

Context matters

Very True!

I found a paper key to my PhD work and I could not understand it. I pulled it out to read again once each six months and—two years later—got the ideas and progressed faster.

Doing "your own research" is hard. Especially when you're stupid and should never be doing such a thing.

I had professors with PhD’s who knew their subject area, but couldn’t change the tire on their car. They insisted “call me DOCTOR, I’ve earned it.” It meant they knew lots about a tiny piece of expertise.

So true.

Well, it's a good start.

Yes.

True that is why asking questions when you read is beneficial to the reader.