Bletchley Park

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.