: Re: The fine line between accurate science, and confusing my reader I recently wrote a blog post (original here) about a scientific study. At the end, I included some "fine print" which states,

@Annie587

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You have to target your writing to the background of the reader.

"Correlation does not prove causation" is a well-known slogan in scientific and statistical circles, so if you were writing for such technical people, just quoting the phrase should be sufficient to make the point. But if your writing for the ordinary layman, the odds are that they are NOT familiar with the catch-phrase. They may or may not be familiar with the concept, and they may or may not grasp it quickly. So if you want your writing to be clear to the layman, you have to spell it out.

Sorry, I didn't read your article, but if this is an important element of your point, then I think you should spell it out in detail. If it's a side issue, if in this case you think that the correlation DOES indicate causation or whatever, then a sentence or two of fine print disclaimer might be sufficient.

I'm a software developer by profession. When I'm talking to other software geeks, I may say something with bunches of technical terms and acronyms with no explanation, because I expect them to know what I mean. But if I'm talking to non-computer people, I use simpler language, metaphors, and explanations.

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