Editing Popular science (section)

== Role ==
Popular science is a bridge between [[scientific literature]] as a professional medium of scientific research, and the realms of popular political and cultural discourse. The goal of the genre is often to capture the methods and accuracy of science while making the language more accessible. Many science-related controversies are discussed in popular science books and publications, such as the long-running debates over [[biological determinism]] and the biological components of intelligence, stirred by popular books such as ''[[The Mismeasure of Man]]'' and ''[[The Bell Curve]]''.<ref>Murdz William McRae, "Introduction: Science in Culture" in ''The Literature of Science'', pp. 1–3, 10–11</ref>

The purpose of scientific literature is to inform and persuade peers regarding the validity of observations and conclusions and the [[forensic]] efficacy of methods. Popular science attempts to inform and convince scientific outsiders (sometimes along with scientists in other fields) of the significance of data and conclusions and to celebrate the results. Statements in the scientific literature are often qualified and tentative, emphasizing that new observations and results are consistent with and similar to established knowledge wherein qualified scientists are assumed to recognize the relevance. By contrast, popular science emphasizes uniqueness and generality, taking a tone of factual authority absent from the scientific literature.