A visit Bletchley Park reveals the immense human
and engineering resources required to decipher messages that were not meant to
be read by a third party. However, what if we actually want others to
understand our words? Scientific reports are
too often mired in jargon and presumed knowledge. The reader should not be
forgotten in achieving the end goal of a publication. It is both interesting
and heartening to note the launch of a project to develop a series of guides on
scientific topics to assist those involved in handling scientific evidence in a
courtroom. The aim is to present, in plain English, an easily understood and
accurate position on the scientific topic in question including the limitations
of the science. The first document to be developed will cover DNA
analysis.
To quote Winston Churchill, the man who knew all about Bletchley Park but nothing about DNA
analysis: Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words
best of all.
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