Announcements

Join the Science Writers Database

Our free, public database of journalists, writers, editors, and others who cover science will help you expand your network, find freelancers and other potential colleagues, and more. Visit the database

Calling All Local Journalists!

The Covering Science Slack is a peer-mentoring community for local journalists who cover science, or want to. Whether you’re seeking advice, collaboration, or camaraderie, we’re here for you! Join the Covering Science Slack

Connect with Us on Social Media

We’d love for you to connect with us on whatever social media platforms you use! Find us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, X, or Facebook

Join the Page Turners Collective

By joining the Page Turners Collective, our community of monthly recurring donors, you become a cornerstone of our efforts to nurture and support science journalism around the world. Join the Page Turners Collective

A Day in the Life of Amy Nordrum

Amy Nordrum is an executive editor at MIT Technology Review based in Boston, MA. She oversees the publication’s annual lists of 10 Breakthrough Technologies, Innovators Under 35, and 15 Climate Tech Companies to Watch. She also runs the newsroom’s fellowship program and manages a team working across audience engagement, online visuals, and magazine production. Amy holds a master's degree from the Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program (SHERP) at New York University. She grew up in Lucasville, Ohio.

TON Editors

Interviews

Sabrina Imbler Explores the Ethics of De-Extinction

Jonathan Lambert

Interviews

Rebecca Boyle Finds the Narrative Arc of the Moon

Katharine Gammon

A Day in the Life

A Day in the Life of Esther Landhuis

TON Editors

Interviews

Sofia Moutinho Accompanies an Indigenous Community and Scientists into the Amazon

Humberto Basilio

A Day in the Life

A Day in the Life of Betsy Ladyzhets

TON Editors

Reported Features

How to Steer an Interview So You Get What You Need

Tyler Santora

Reported Features

Writing Science Explainers for Local Audiences

Roxanne Scott

News & Announcements

Congratulations and Welcome to TON’s New Early-Career Fellows

TON Editors

Reported Features

A Book Publishing Primer for Science Writers

Darren Incorvaia

Reported Features

Into the Wild: Reporting on Human-Wildlife Interactions

Jacob Kushner

Reported Features

Making the Leap: Six Journalists on Leaving a Staff Job to Freelance

Giuliana Viglione

A Day in the Life

A Day in the Life of Kristin Ozelli

TON Editors

Where to Get Started at The Open Notebook

We’ve published more than 500 articles on the craft of science journalism, and we also offer courses and other training opportunities, Spanish translations, DEI resources, a free global database of science writers, a huge database of successful pitch letters, tip sheets, and more. Here are some starting points for digging in.

Topics

Learning Opportunities

SCIENCE JOURNALISM

Master Classes

Sharpen your skills with our free online courses, delivered to your inbox starting as soon as you sign up.

Mentoring

Programs

Learn about our mentoring programs for early-career science journalists, local journalists, journalists from underrepresented communities, and international students.

Workshops &

Consultations

Sign up for one of our upcoming workshops, host a private workshop or webinar for your team or event, or schedule a private consultation.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources

We’ve published dozens of articles and resource guides that center diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in science journalism. Browse this page to find articles on topics such as covering Indigenous communities, reporting and writing with trans-inclusion in mind, navigating bias in newsrooms, finding diverse sources, tracking source diversity, using alt-text to make stories more accessible, freelancing on a student visa, and much, much more.

Check Out the Science Writers Database!

We’ve created a free, public database of journalists, writers, editors, and other communicators who cover science, health, environment, and technology. The purpose of this database is to help people within our community expand and diversify their networks and find potential freelancers, collaborators, editors to pitch, conference panelists, award judges, new colleagues, voices to follow on social media, and more. View or join the database today!

More Resources

Pitch Database

Find more than 250 successful story pitches to a wide range of publications—or share your pitches with us!

Getting Started in Science Journalism

Are you a newcomer to the field? This collection of articles focuses on what you need to know to get started.

On the Origin of Science Writers

There’s no one “right” path into science journalism. Hear from dozens of science writers about how they got started.

Resources (Elsewhere) That We Like

Find university degree programs, workshops and trainings, science writing news, membership organizations, awards, and more.

The Open Notebook is an incredibly generous project, a gift to the science writer community. Everyone involved—the TON creators, the interviewers, the writers who reveal their methods—is helping teach the rest of us a master class in science writing.

Writing is a lonely art. The vast majority of the process, from coming up with ideas to structuring a piece, is carried out in solitude. When you start out, you barely have a clue about what you’re doing, let alone what seasoned professionals get up to. Getting those pros to deconstruct their own methods for all to see is a massive boon to aspiring science writers.

"When I discovered The Open Notebook as a newbie engineer-turned-science-writer from India, struggling to understand the nuances of science writing, I was blown over by the wealth of resources that were free! Reading each of those carefully curated articles, written by writers from all over the world, has helped me become a better science journalist. If there is a way to democratize science writing, TON has shown us how to do it, and I hope it will continue to guide many like me."

The Open Notebook offers not only a wealth of resources, it provides community to science writers at every stage of their career. TON embodies generosity. By reading the site’s expert and timely articles, we can become better storytellers together.

I recommend The Open Notebook to every writer, not just science journalists. Their story dissections are amazing, their pitch database is a goldmine, and their profiles of other writers are the best way to score insider tips and/or feel less alone in the struggle.

“The Open Notebook is the home of science journalism. It’s not surprising that all science writers are devoted to the priceless resources it offers. TON’s legacy will be defined by how it has shaped the careers of journalists from across the world, including me.”

The Craft of Science Writing

How do you nail a nut graf? What makes one pitch successful and another fall flat? How do you find the right experts for a science story? You’ll find answers to these questions and many more in The Open Notebook’s first book, The Craft of Science Writing. With tips, tricks, and insights from some of the most skilled science journalists working today, you’ll get the resources you need. Consider this book your guided tour to the craft.

(A second edition of The Craft of Science Writing is forthcoming from the University of Chicago Press in Fall 2024!)