Nonspecialist

A nonspecialist is a person who lacks specialized knowledge or training in a particular field. The term contrasts with a specialist, who has focused expertise and credentials in a domain. A nonspecialist may have broad general knowledge but not depth in a given subfield; in some contexts the term also refers to a person who engages with a field as a nonprofessional rather than as an expert.

In medicine, nonspecialist can describe clinicians who operate outside a subspecialty, such as general practitioners or family doctors, while specialists have advanced training in areas like cardiology or neurology. In science communication and journalism, nonspecialist audiences are non-experts; efforts to produce nonspecialist summaries aim to make findings accessible to the general public.

The term is often used neutrally, but can carry pejorative or vague connotations if used to imply lack of capability. Alternatives with different nuances include layperson, generalist, nonexpert, or novice, depending on whether the emphasis is on lack of formal training, breadth of knowledge, or level of experience.

Etymology-wise, nonspecialist is formed by adding the prefix non- to specialist, and appears in slightly different spellings across disciplines and regions, such as non-specialist or nonspecialist. The concept is widely applicable across professions, research, education, and public discourse, where it helps distinguish levels of expertise without prescribing value judgments about competence.