Researcher's Guide to Scientific and Medical Illustrations

In this age of communication and in this age of increasingly complex scientific research, effective communication is vital. Yet, good communication is difficult and rare, and poor communication hampers the development of the scientific enterprise. The reader or listener may become frustrated or exhausted at poorly presented information and lose interest. Examples abound of poorly presented papers. In fact, poor communication is becoming traditional at a time when understanding of science is crucial. What Is Communication? Communication is the giving of information to another, a sharing of intangibles. To communicate is to be sociable and generous. It is a gracious and civilized act. More pertinent to this book, communication is an essential factor in the development of science as a shared body of verified knowledge. Scientists, from the first, openly communicated their discoveries, thus distinguishing their work from that of astrologers, alchemists, and wizards. Communication is a basic human function and, as such, is as necessary for survival now as it always has been. It is essential to the survival of science. Communication requires participation and exchange: one giving, the other receiving. It is fluid and dynamic and should be rewarding and pleasurable to all concerned.