Presenting science as a compelling story is becoming a popular way of communicating results — a technique that is guaranteed to capture the attention of the scientific community and the public. Although science needs great stories, stories are not science.

Storytelling glosses over uncertainties; methodological detail and even results can get lost in the narrative's overarching trajectory. By bounding over hurdles, it keeps the listener rooting for an amazing ending.

But we should not forget that the temptation to package results into a satisfying story has frequently led to the retraction of scientific papers.