We offer practical, customizable trainings that help reporters and editors interpret scientific evidence, weigh claims, include expert voices, and cover complex topics accurately, clearly, and with nuance. Our highly interactive workshops are designed to meet journalists where they are, whether they specialize in science or cover any other beat.
Why Scientific Evidence Matters
Science affects almost every aspect of public life: public health, climate change, education, crime, infrastructure, local governance, environmental justice, and more. Yet science itself is under threat, as misinformation spreads, public trust declines, and fewer newsrooms have dedicated science reporters.
Journalists who cover science play a crucial role in informing the public about the most important issues of our time and in holding those in power accountable. And the fundamental skills that science journalists cultivate—like interviewing experts, vetting claims, and communicating complex information—are increasingly essential for all journalists.
Our training programs equip journalists to produce stronger, more accountable reporting that serves communities. The trainings build on more than 15 years of experience creating accessible, in-depth tools and resources centered on the craft of science writing. They are grounded in real examples and are designed to help participants strengthen their communication skills through discussion, interactive exercises, and feedback.
What We Offer
Each of our training modules can be delivered as a standalone session or combined into a multi-session program. Workshops can be offered virtually or in person, and we tailor each one to the goals, expertise level, and background of our participants. Trainings can be customized for:
- Local and general-assignment reporters
- Journalists who cover beats that intersect with science, from health and environment to criminal justice, education, housing, transportation, business, and more
- Editors who want to support reporters in incorporating scientific evidence, perspectives, and context into their stories
- Science-specialist journalists seeking deeper training in the craft of science journalism
(Looking for science communication trainings for scientists? You’ll find them here.)
Training Modules
Bringing Scientific Evidence into Any Beat
This immersive, hands-on training demystifies science reporting for local, general-assignment, and topic-specific journalists, equipping them with practical tools to interpret research, interview experts, navigate uncertainty, and accurately communicate scientific information to the public. Through breakout discussions, small-group activities, and real-time exercises—such as analyzing a scientific paper, brainstorming science angles for stories, or conducting mock expert interviews—participants gain confidence in identifying and integrating science into stories, regardless of their beat.
Core topics may include:
- How research is funded, conducted, and published
- How to find and read a scientific paper
- How to find and interview scientific experts
- How to spot pseudoscience and report critically on claims
- How to report on risk and controversy
- How to identify the science underlying policy issues
- How to bring science into stories on any beat
This training is fully customizable and may be paired with optional consultations or coaching sessions. Participants leave with a suite of take-home resources, including templates, step-by-step guides, story annotations, and curated tools from The Open Notebook.
Science Reporting Navigator Workshop
This interactive session introduces reporters and editors to the Science Reporting Navigator—a modularized toolkit designed to help journalists confidently and efficiently integrate science into their stories, even on deadline. Participants in this workshop will gain a practical understanding of how to use the Navigator to find, shape, and execute stories on any beat that include scientific evidence, expertise, and context.
Core Science Journalism Skills Training
Core Science Journalism Skills Training
We offer a flexible suite of craft-focused workshops that can be tailored to participants’ needs. We work with reporters and editors to strengthen core skills such as:
- Finding compelling story angles and crafting strong pitches
- Structuring science stories for impact and clarity
- Spotting hype and misinformation and critically evaluating scientific claims
- Covering individual studies
- Making sense of statistics
- Centering people and communities in science stories
- Developing or deepening a science beat
These sessions are highly practical and interactive, giving participants tools and strategies they can immediately apply to their own reporting.
The Craft of Science Editing
As an editor, how do you decide whether to assign or reject a pitch from a freelancer? How do you work with writers to shape story ideas and to support their reporting? How do you identify what’s missing in a draft and figure out what revisions will make a story sing? How do you communicate your edits effectively and build collaborative relationships with writers? How do you edit with diversity, equity, and inclusion in mind? How do you handle difficult conversations with writers when tricky situations arise?
Science editors have few formal opportunities to learn these skills. To help fill this critical gap, we offer a collection of interactive workshops that give emerging and established editors the skills and confidence to work with writers on selecting and sharpening story ideas, planning and carrying out reporting, anticipating and troubleshooting problems in the reporting and writing process, and crafting accurate and compelling stories.
What Participants Receive
Every training includes:
- Customizable slides and learning materials
- Hands-on exercises and discussion prompts
- Practical checklists, templates, and step-by-step guides
- Curated collections of TON articles and tools
- A post-training resource list
Customization and Add-Ons
Any training can be expanded with:
- Breakout sessions or small-group coaching
- Follow-up virtual office hours (group or 1:1)
- Custom resource packets tailored to beats or newsroom priorities
- Annotated sample stories and beat-specific science angles
- Consultations with newsroom leadership
Partnership Opportunities
We partner with newsrooms, journalism schools, journalism organizations, scientific societies, and philanthropies that offer professional development programs for journalists.
Our workshops are:
- Interactive: Built around discussion, guided exercises, and hands-on practice
- Flexible: Offered virtually or in person
- Customizable: Tailored to the goals, scheduling needs, and disciplines of our partner institutions
- Scalable: Suitable for small cohorts or larger groups
For more information or to discuss hosting a virtual or in-person training through your institution, contact our training team at editors@theopennotebook.com.