That could be a reaction to a study just published in the scientific journal eLife The study showed how much the use of acronyms in scientific publications has exploded like TNT over the past 70 years. This increased use of acronyms may be making it more difficult for everyone else to understand WTH scientists are saying. In abstract text, the proportion of acronyms jumped from 0.4 per 100 words in 1956 to 4.1 per 100 words in 2019. The study did find that many of the over 1.1 million acronyms found had been used very infrequently. The increasing use of acronyms may be further evidence that all of this is happening and impeding the public’s ability to understand WTH scientists are saying.

Source: Forbes August 16, 2020 18:36 UTC