Lay Summary for Theses and Dissertations: A Survey of University Students’ Perspectives

A lay summary (LS) is a tool for communicating research findings to the public by simplifying academic and scientific texts into accessible language. Such summaries can be produced for all types of scholarly work, including theses and dissertations (TDs). Writing LSs for TDs published in the Iranian Scientific Information Database (GANJ) could significantly improve public engagement with scientific knowledge and research outcomes in Iran. However, at present, the National System for Registration of Theses, Dissertations, and Proposals (NSRTDP) at the Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc) does not require users to submit an LS upon TD registration. Since researchers are key stakeholders in promoting LSs—and their participation is essential for wider adoption—this study investigates the attitudes of university students (as NSRTDP users) toward writing LSs in both Persian and English, using a quantitative survey approach. Additionally, it proposes improvements for NSRTDP and GANJ. The sample consisted of 449 participants selected through convenience sampling, and an online questionnaire was used for data collection. The findings revealed that 79.3% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with adding a lay summary in Persian, while 72% supported its addition in English. Furthermore, Ph.D. students showed greater agreement than Master’s students regarding uploading summaries in English. These outcomes suggest that students are committed to making open science more accessible and transparent, reflecting their inclination toward open and understandable science. This approach highlights the need to enhance the NSRTDP and GANJ to support LAs, as well as the necessity for training in writing such summaries effectively.