Storied Research: Alternative Writing Styles for Scientific Research

Gwendolyn Nurkiewicz*, Renee Nicholson
Honors College, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Presentation Category: Human Engagement

Student’s Major: Immunology and Medical Microbiology

The conventions of primary scientific literature create a series of barriers to those outside of research, despite the widespread availability of information. These barriers have created a vacuum of information, allowing for misinformation to spread via movements such as anti-vaxx and climate change denial. To mitigate negative outcomes of such movements, we use an interdisciplinary approach to introduce the tools of creative writing—such as narrative and conscientious metaphor—into scientific research to create a new genre of scientific literature: Storied Research (SR). We hope to humanize and clarify research in a way that allows those outside the field to more completely engage with cutting-edge research. Here, we outline the model in which SR is generated: a series of prompts, laws, and rules creates an unrestricted space for scientists to explore the story of their research. In the future, we aim to use the SR model as a teaching tool for students in STEM fields to more intentionally learn to write and use the product of SR to engage with the community, locally and abroad.

Funding: Honors Experiential and Community Engaged Learning (EXCEL) Program

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: Other, Honors Experiential and Community Engaged Learning (EXCEL) Program