From the incomparable writer, Maria Popova, and her wide-ranging, powerful Brain Pickings site, comes a brief, thought-provoking “taxonomy” of the three levels of good science writing. Don’t stop at this article – her site is a treasure trove of big ideas, compelling quotations from science writers renown and obscure, and more.
Planning on teaching a course about scientific writing next semester? But, you haven’t finalized your syllabus yet? Ecologist Stephen Heard (@scientistseessquirrel) invites you to use his scientific writing course syllabus! He also wrote a book – The Scientist’s Guide to Writing – that is a useful companion to the syllabus.
This week, Tatiana Eaves responds to the #MySciComm questions! Tatiana is a biologist, photographer, and freelance science writer living in the Washington D.C. metro area. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology, with a concentration on ecology and evolution, from Appalachian State University and minored in Geographic Information Systems. She currently writes for Ricochet Science and the Ecological Society of…
Image: screenshot from the article Share Your Science: Resources for Blogging and Op-Eds for Magazines, Newspapers and More Scientific American and the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University have launched a free, 5-episode, online series aimed at helping scientists and engineers write blogs and op-eds for magazines, newspapers and other news outlets. Browse the live-streamed public…
I feel like I have found a reference to keep on my shelf for the rest of my career […] In fact, after reading Writing Science in Plain English, I want to go back and edit every journal article I have ever written. ~S. Bayer What is the reviewer’s motive (expertise, curiosity, sharing lessons learned, etc.) and perspective (research scientist,…
*This list is dynamic, and in-development. Feel free to make suggestions (use the comments section or contact us directly) re additional resources and great examples that should be included. RESOURCES See the general scicomm resources page for tips and resources on writing about numbers and data, storytelling techniques, and a lot more. Science Writer’s Handbook + Pitch, Publish, Prosper blog Terms…
According to their website, “myIDP provides: Exercises to help you examine your skills, interests, and values A list of 20 scientific career paths with a prediction of which ones best fit your skills and interests A tool for setting strategic goals for the coming year, with optional reminders to keep you on track Articles and resources to guide you…
This week, Sarah Schneider (of ESA’s Editorial Office/publications) responds to the #MySciComm questions! We’re delighted to share her story with you, as it is a window into a type of SciComm career that is pivotal to how we do science. Sarah Schneider has worked for the Publications Office of the Ecological Society of America since 2013. These days, she works primarily…
Numerous articles, resources, podcasts, and whole ventures (e.g., StoryCorps; The Moth) address key aspects of narrative and storytelling that are valuable (even essential) for sharing science. See the following articles for a few we find particularly helpful, insightful, or thought-provoking. These resources may change how you do things and/or provide you with useful citations to justify how you tell science…
Effective November 2018, The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America will accept submissions for consideration in a new section dedicated to Communicating Science. All articles published in the series are free to publish and freely available via open access. This new space in the journal provides ESA members interested in communication and engagement a platform for publishing articles on…
This week, Johanna “Pika Jo” Varner responds to the #MySciComm questions! We’re thrilled to share her story with you, not least because she was the originator and on-going inspiration for our annual #SketchYourScience activity at the C&E Section booth at annual meetings. Johanna Varner is an ecologist who studies how climate change affects pikas, small mammals closely related to rabbits….
In our February 2019 newsletter, we introduced our newly elected Communication & Engagement Section officers. They will join the leadership team in August 2019. Below are their responses to the elections nomination form questionnaire. Robert Newman, 2019-2020 Chair-elect Describe who you are and your interests in science communication and engagement. I am a professor in the Biology department and Fish and Wildlife…
Excerpt from the source, The Open Notebook*: “Are you new to science writing? Or are you just thinking about getting into the field and wondering what it’s all about? The Open Notebook has published more than 350 articles and other resources aimed at helping science journalists sharpen their skills—and helping newcomers get started. This page contains a small subset of those…
This week, Marty Downs responds to the #MySciComm questions! Marty is the Deputy Director of the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network Communications Office, based at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) in Santa Barbara. She manages internal and external communications for a network of over 2000 environmental scientists and 28 diverse research sites. Marty began her career…
This week, Diogo Veríssimo updates his responses to the #MySciComm questions! Diogo is a biologist turned scientist turned marketer! He decided that he could have the cake and eat it, and so focused his research on the fledgling field of conservation marketing, the use of marketing theory and techniques to help promoted biodiversity-friendly behaviors. He is currently an Oxford Martin…
“The Science Media Centre of Canada is a registered charitable organization that supports journalists writing about the sciences, engineering and technology.” The Science Media Centre of Canada will: work with you to help your research reach journalists list your research in an embargo-controlled weekly newsletter tailored for journalists teach workshops for you share its free resources on how to effectively interact…
In the wake of #ImmodestWomen and other discussions about non-academic careers* pursued by those trained in the sciences comes a new graphic from the American Geosciences Institute. It is a timely and useful illustration of the many ways that science training can be, and is, a powerful component of careers in many sectors. Where do you fit on this inter-locking wheel?…
This week, Dr. David Bowne responds to the #MySciComm questions! David is an Associate Professor of Biology at Elizabethtown College, an ecologist, an author, and a happy husband and father of two. He has a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia, a M.S. in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development from the University of Georgia, and a B.S….
“If you have become frustrated, as I have, with the lack of action and public support of climate change research and proactive policy, this book will be an eye opener.” ~S. Burke What is the reviewer’s motive and perspective? I am a fourth year PhD student at the University of New Hampshire studying the effects of climate change on…
This week, Dr. David Shiffman responds to the #MySciComm questions! *Editor’s note: David is available Wednesday, August 29, 2018 (the date of publication) to answer questions you may have about what it’s like to be a science communicator, how he got into it, and sharks, of course! Connect with him in the comments, or on Twitter and Facebook (use #MySciComm so…