Title: Spatial Balancing: Harnessing Spatial Reasoning to Balance Scientific Exposition and Narrative Engagement in LLM-assisted Science Communication Writing Show Chinese title

Title: 空间平衡：利用空间推理在LLM辅助的科学传播写作中平衡科学阐述与叙述参与度

Abstract: Balancing scientific exposition and narrative engagement is a central challenge in science communication. To examine how to achieve balance, we conducted a formative study with four science communicators and a literature review of science communication practices, focusing on their workflows and strategies. These insights revealed how creators iteratively shift between exposition and engagement but often lack structured support. Building on this, we developed SpatialBalancing, a co-writing system that connects human spatial reasoning with the linguistic intelligence of large language models. The system visualizes revision trade-offs in a dual-axis space, where users select strategy-based labels to generate, compare, and refine versions during the revision process. This spatial externalization transforms revision into spatial navigation, enabling intentional iterations that balance scientific rigor with narrative appeal. In a within-subjects study (N=16), SpatialBalancing enhanced metacognitive reflection, flexibility, and creative exploration, demonstrating how coupling spatial reasoning with linguistic generation fosters monitoring in iterative science communication writing. Show Chinese abstract

Abstract: 平衡科学阐述与叙事吸引力是科学传播中的一个核心挑战。 为了研究如何实现平衡，我们与四位科学传播者进行了一项形成性研究，并对科学传播实践进行了文献综述，重点分析了他们的工作流程和策略。 这些洞察揭示了创作者如何在阐述与吸引力之间反复调整，但往往缺乏结构化支持。 在此基础上，我们开发了SpatialBalancing，这是一种协作写作系统，将人类的空间推理与大型语言模型的语言智能相结合。 该系统在一个双轴空间中可视化修改的权衡，用户可以选择基于策略的标签来生成、比较和优化修改过程中的版本。 这种空间外化将修改转化为空间导航，使有意的迭代成为可能，从而在科学严谨性与叙事吸引力之间取得平衡。 在一项被试内研究（N=16）中，SpatialBalancing增强了元认知反思、灵活性和创造性探索，证明了将空间推理与语言生成结合如何促进迭代科学传播写作中的监控。