user52367: I am in an odd situation. I am not a biologist. But I have a family member who is so I have access to a raft of books. So I am a non qualified layperson and some kind of expert at the same time.
So I can relate to people who have no biological knowledge. Should I leave terms in the question and repeat them in the answer? For instance if someone uses "veins" as part of a plant it's probably not a botanical term. But it is the perfect term for any normal person; they can look at their hands and see veins and think of that part of a plant. So to me it's a good thing to repeat terms that are informal; I am trying to write for the person on the street. 

user16866: Summary:
No, don't simplify. But please do explain! :).
Long Answer:
You can do as you please regarding this, but...
I suggest and invite you to revisit our Tour page, which indicates for whom this site is meant for:

Biology Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for biology researchers, academics, and students

In other words, the posts are "meant" to be technical as that is our target audience. We shouldn't shy away from speaking concisely, accurately, or technically just because some visitors might not understand what we're talking about.
That being said, we know that a large amount of our site traffic comes from people simply passing through, many of whom are likely not biologists nor remember or know much from past biology classwork.  As such, it does no harm to explain yourself.
My takeaway suggestion:
Don't shy away from using vocabulary, jargon, imagery, or anything that best explains your research or any biological point you're trying to make. If at any point you think that others (including even other biologists) will not understand what you're talking about, then please explain what you're talking about through the addition of simpler terms, analogies, or (preferably) links or citations to further reading/learning. However, do so without totally eliminating the "science."
In a perfect world, your inclusion of complex biological terms and concepts will teach someone something technical, your explanation can make it digestable, and your inclusion of links or citations teach others to find new information on their own enabling them to move beyond "what's the right answer?" to "I wonder...."
Hope this helps!
Thanks for joining the Biology Stack Exchange community, and happy answering! :) 

52367: <p>I am in an odd situation. I am not a biologist. But I have a family member who is so I have access to a raft of books. So I am a non qualified layperson and some kind of expert at the same time.</p>

<p>So I can relate to people who have no biological knowledge. Should I leave terms in the question and repeat them in the answer? For instance if someone uses "veins" as part of a plant it's probably not a botanical term. But it is the perfect term for any normal person; they can look at their hands and see veins and think of that part of a plant. So to me it's a good thing to repeat terms that are informal; I am trying to write for the person on the street. </p>
 16866: <p><strong>Summary:</strong></p>

<p>No, don't <em>simplify</em>. But please do <em>explain</em>! :).</p>

<p><strong>Long Answer:</strong></p>

<p>You can do as you please regarding this, but...</p>

<p>I suggest and invite you to revisit our <a href="https://biology.stackexchange.com/tour">Tour</a> page, which indicates for whom this site is meant for:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Biology Stack Exchange is a question and answer site <strong>for biology researchers, academics, and students</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p>In other words, the posts are "meant" to be technical as that is our target audience. We shouldn't shy away from speaking concisely, accurately, or technically just because some visitors might not understand what we're talking about.</p>

<p>That being said, we know that a large amount of our site traffic comes from people simply passing through, many of whom are likely not biologists nor remember or know much from past biology classwork.  As such, it does no harm to <em>explain</em> yourself.</p>

<p><strong>My takeaway suggestion</strong>:
Don't shy away from using vocabulary, jargon, imagery, or anything that best explains your research or any biological point you're trying to make. If at any point you think that others (including even other biologists) will not understand what you're talking about, then please explain what you're talking about through the <em>addition</em> of simpler terms, analogies, or (<em>preferably</em>) links or citations to further reading/learning. However, do so without totally eliminating the "science."</p>

<p>In a perfect world, your inclusion of complex biological terms and concepts will teach someone something technical, your explanation can make it digestable, and your inclusion of links or citations teach others to find new information on their own enabling them to move beyond "what's the right answer?" to "I wonder...."</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

<p>Thanks for joining the Biology Stack Exchange community, and happy answering! :) </p>
