Yet fewer than 3 percent of journalists are trained to cover science, health, or the environment—and access to such training is both scarce and inequitable. The Open Notebook equips journalists with the skills, tools, and community support they need to produce evidence-based reporting that informs the public and empowers society. LEARN MORE >>

News and Announcements

Bring Scientific Evidence into Any Beat

From education and public health to transportation and local policy, science intersects with every beat journalists cover. The Science Reporting Navigator will help you confidently incorporate scientific evidence, perspectives, or context into your reporting—no matter your background or deadline.

Bringing Scientific Evidence into Crime Reporting

Substantiating claims, identifying trends, and putting events in broader context

Merch! We Have Merch!

Hats, mugs, water bottles, totes, t-shirts, hoodies … and of course, notebooks!

TON Is 15! Help Us Celebrate!

We invite you to honor the past, elevate the present, and invest in the future of science journalism.

TON’s Writers’ Guidelines

The norms our writers follow, including how much to change quotes and what to share with sources.

Buy Our Book

The Craft of Science Writing is a deeply sourced, inclusive guide to all aspects of science writing.

Latest Articles

Interviews

Starre Vartan Explores the Understudied Power of the Female Body in The Stronger Sex

Growing up, Starre Vartan was often told to ask boys or men for help with physical labor, even when she knew she didn’t need it. In The Stronger Sex: What Science Tells Us About the Power of the Female Body, Vartan details how female bodies, on average, outperform male bodies in endurance, immunity, and longevity. Here, she discusses how she wove together accounts from athletes, researchers, and her own experiences to cover the science and misconceptions surrounding female strength.

Skyler Ware

Reported Features

How to Make Science and Health Funding Cuts Resonate with Readers

Lucila Pinto

Reported Features

Isotopes, Archaea, and Cold-Water Physics—How to Sell Obscure Science Stories to Editors and Readers

William von Herff

Reported Features

Diversifying Your Freelance Work for Stability and Joy

Skyler Ware

News & Announcements

The Open Notebook Turns 15: A Letter from Siri

Siri Carpenter

A Day in the Life

A Day in the Life of Alex Ip

TON Editors

News & Announcements

Introducing the Science Reporting Navigator

Rachel Zamzow

Reported Features

Covering Null Results: How to Turn “Nothing” into News

Lucila Pinto

Reported Features

Outside In: Covering Communities as an Outsider

William von Herff

SEE MORE >> REPORTED FEATURES | INTERVIEWS | STORYGRAMS | A DAY IN THE LIFE

The Craft of Science Writing

A second, expanded edition of our book The Craft of Science Writing is now available from the University of Chicago Press!

Science writing has never been so critical to our world, and the demands on writers have never been greater. On any given day, a writer might need to explain the details of AI, analyze developments in climate change research, or serve as a watchdog helping to ensure the integrity of the scientific enterprise. At the same time, writers must spin tales that hook and keep readers, despite the endless other demands on their attention. How does one do it? The Craft of Science Writing is the authoritative guide.

"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."

Laura Helmuth Science journalist and past president of the National Association of Science Writers

"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."

Ed YongPulitzer Prize–winning journalist

"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."

Spoorthy RamanScience journalist

"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."

Tiên NguyễnJournalist and filmmaker

"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."

Nicola Twilley Co-host of the Gastropod podcast, author of Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves, and frequent contributor to The New Yorker

"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."

Abdullahi TsanniFreelance science journalist

"I don't recall how I stumbled upon The Open Notebook, but I immediately bookmarked it because I thought the content was practical and highly applicable in the real world. This site is one of the reasons why the idea of making a living through freelance writing seemed plausible. The Master Classes, pitch database, international student community, and mentoring opportunities are invaluable to anyone willing to learn. This is one of those sites that should not be taken for granted."

Gowtham SKFreelance science writer

"The Open Notebook is the most essential resource for aspiring or growing science journalists."

Carolyn WilkeFreelance science journalist

"I consider myself lucky that The Open Notebook launched right as I started to pursue a career in science writing. Its pitch database, Storygrams, interviews and in-depth articles on the craft of science writing proved invaluable as I tried to break into the field, and I continue to rely on these resources for help and encouragement. Whenever anyone asks me for advice on science writing, I recommend they first check out The Open Notebook."

Sandeep RavindranFreelance science journalist

"What TON offers is incomparable to anything else you can find online. These amazing people are committed to training, mentoring, and guiding anyone who wants to pursue a career in journalism. And not just with an open mind, but with the goal of giving those who are underrepresented an unprecedented opportunity."

Hasmik KirakosyanFreelance science journalist

"For me, what really stands out about TON is its unwavering belief that everyone can be a better science writer, and a firm moral stance that “everyone” truly means everybody. In these turbulent times when it seems America couldn’t be further from evidence-based discourse, The Open Notebook is a city upon a hill, showing the world what science could achieve if we came together as a community: bringing clarity, wonder, and nuance to a world that sorely needs it."

Alex IpScience journalist and founder of The Xylom

Where to Get Started at The Open Notebook

We’ve published more than 600 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 large database of successful pitch letters, tip sheets, interactive tools, and more. Here are some starting points for digging in.

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.

TRAININGS, Workshops

& Consultations

Host a customized training, webinar, or consultation for your team or organization.

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, freelancing on a student visa, and much, much more.

The Open Notebook‘s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is core to our mission, and that will never change. We continue to stand by the promise we have made to our community. READ MORE >>

Check Out the Science Writers Database!

Our free, public database of journalists, writers, editors, and other communicators who cover science, health, environment, and technology is designed 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!