Can science comics aid lay audiences' comprehension of forensic science?

Forensic science has become a standard feature in criminal investigations and trials. However, it can often be a challenge for experts in courtrooms to communicate scientific evidence clearly to lay audiences through verbal expert witness testimony alone. The Evidence Chamber is an interactive experience engaging public audiences with forensic science through a mock trial. This study explores the effectiveness of using comics to support the understanding of forensic science by non-experts. The results suggest comics were effective at aiding the audiences' comprehension of forensic science evidence and in the future comic-based aids could support juries' comprehension of scientific evidence.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Science Communication
Published
2025-02-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.22323/2.24010201
Primary Topic
Comics and Graphic Narratives
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Can science comics aid lay audiences' comprehension of forensic science?

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Journal of Science Communication
Comics and Graphic Narratives
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Can science comics aid lay audiences' comprehension of forensic science?

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article en

Abstract

Forensic science has become a standard feature in criminal investigations and trials. However, it can often be a challenge for experts in courtrooms to communicate scientific evidence clearly to lay audiences through verbal expert witness testimony alone. The Evidence Chamber is an interactive experience engaging public audiences with forensic science through a mock trial. This study explores the effectiveness of using comics to support the understanding of forensic science by non-experts. The results suggest comics were effective at aiding the audiences' comprehension of forensic science evidence and in the future comic-based aids could support juries' comprehension of scientific evidence.

Journal of Science CommunicationVol. 24(01)
Openalex Percentile: Top 98%
Comics and Graphic Narratives
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