The concepts of scientific journalism and popular science journalism are most often used in the theory of journalism as synonymous. They serve to indicate the segment of the information space in which the life of science is reflected. These styles have both distinctions and similarities, consisting of the fact that although they may explain the same type of reality, their target audience is different.
The similarities are expressed by the fact that both texts are characterized by a clear argumentation and persuasiveness of statements, an explanation of the relations of cause and effect, and detailed conclusions. The contrast is that the general subject area is not presented from the same angles, it has various thematic aspects, and the way the material is presented differs. The contrast and similitude between the styles can be traced in the articles that were selected for analysis. The text of Marczykās blog is designed for the broadest possible range of people. She uses a lot of informal vocabulary: Ā«Give yourself a pat on the backĀ» (Marczyk 2019, par. 4). At the same time, Zhu considers the chosen topic in great depth, he does not explain basic things, assuming that the reader has a certain level of knowledge on the topic. For example, he uses terms such as Ā«escapismĀ» and Ā«social platformĀ» without explanation (Zhu 2020). However, both scientists use terms and the purpose of their article is to explain a certain psychological phenomenon.
As a result, it can be concluded that popular science literature is intended for a wide range of readers; scientific literature is aimed at specialists. The concepts of scientific journalism and popular science journalism have both differences and similarities. Although they are determined by various approaches to the subject area reflected in them, it preserves the general features of the scientific style (the abundance of terms and abstract concepts).
References
Marczyk, Jesse. (2019). Learning about privilege makes liberals look more conservative. Pop Psychology. Web.
Zhu, L. (2020). The psychology behind video games during COVIDā19 pandemic: A case study of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 9(1), 2-22.