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Resource of the Week — Page 5

Screenshot of paper, highlighting rule number one, which is "You don't have to be good at art."

Resource of the Week: 10 (ten) simple rules for drawing scientific comics

Excerpt from the paper Ten simple rules for drawing scientific comics: There are few scientists who haven’t heard of Randall Munroe, the artist behind the web comic “xkcd,” which features amazing graphic explanations on everything from climate change to data storage. These comics are widely appealing to a diverse audience and are posted on walls in laboratories and pubs alike. The ideas…

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screen shot of a graphic displaying many careers that scientists have today, in sectors including policy, writing, education, medicine, science, art, engineering, law, and business.

Resource of the Week: Academia just one of many routes for scientists (a graphic)

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?…

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screen shot of several tweets discussing work-life balance. All text of these tweets is available at the link provided in the post accompanying this image.

Resource of the Week: The science supporting work-life balance and declining productivity after 40 hours/week

  Science communication and engagement, whether they are a full-time job or part of a job with additional responsibilities, take a lot of time to do well. So, Dr. Katie Grogan’s tweet thread about work-life balance and productivity which declines after working 50+ hours per week caught our attention. Throughout the thread, Dr. Grogan cites and links to articles from Nature,…

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Screenshot of "Scientist Sees Squirrel" website, which includes site title, tagline "Seldom original. Often wrong. Occasionally interesting." as well as a banner image of the author (from the back/left) looking out into a scene of hills, trees, and a snow-covered mountain.

Resource of the Week: Stephen Heard on why we should all have a “publication power-of-attorney” lined up

In a thought-provoking post about a problem few of us likely consider, Dr. Stephen Heard encourages us all to establish a power-of-attorney authorizing co-authors to proceed with publishing if we are unavailable (but not dead). He writes, “If a coauthor is unavailable for a few weeks, there’s rarely any harm in simply waiting for their return. However, when unavailability is…

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Resource of the Week: Neurocomic (visual scicomm, inspiration)

Image: screenshot from the book’s website Looking for inspiration for how to communicate about the complex topics you study or work to share? We recently came across a graphic novel that might give you ideas. From the publisher: “Do you know what your brain is made of? How does memory function? What is a neuron and how does it work?…

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Resource of the Week: “Rapid Ecology” blog (resource & publishing opportunity)

Image: screenshot from the submission guidelines page From Rapid Ecology’s About page:  “Why Rapid Ecology? Science community blogs are often driving the conversation among ecologists, yet most of us do not have access to publishing in blogs. The visibility of a major blog shouldn’t be a resource limited to a small number of people. If you have something to say, and you’d like…

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Resource of the Week: The Dangers Of Hidden Jargon In Communicating Science

Image: screenshot from the article Excerpt from the article: “…the most dangerous kind of jargon isn’t the kind we notice. It’s the kind that slips by. When technical definitions hide behind words we use in everyday speech, the opportunities for miscommunication abound. The expert thinks she has been clear; the recipient thinks he has understood. And yet, both could be…

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