At the conference Specialist Languages: Practice and Theory VI (Rzeszów, March 20, 2026), Anna Majer (University of Silesia in Katowice), in collaboration with Małgorzata Łysień (University of Silesia in Katowice), presented a paper titled From Lab to News: Metadiscourse Shifts in the Mediation of Medical Research.

The study explored how medical knowledge is transformed as it moves from scientific articles to news media, a process known as recontextualisation. Drawing on Ken Hyland’s model of metadiscourse, the authors analysed a corpus of 30 research articles and 30 corresponding news reports to examine changes in accuracy, reader engagement, and linguistic framing.

The findings reveal a clear shift from cautious, method-focused scientific discourse to more accessible, audience-oriented news narratives. While this transformation helps make research understandable to the public, it may also lead to the simplification of uncertainty and reduced emphasis on methodological limitations. At the same time, news texts employ more engaging and persuasive language, reshaping the roles of both experts and readers.

The study highlights the crucial role of language in mediating scientific knowledge and raises important questions about balance between accessibility and accuracy in public communication.