Getting Started in Science Journalism: A TON Collection

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 resources, with a focus on what’s most relevant to new science writers. Dig in!

 

 

Breaking In

Ask TON: Planning Reporting
Ask TON: How Do You Juggle Assignments?
Weaving a Seamless Tale from Threads of Narrative and Exposition
A Day in the Life of Jennifer Ouellette
David Wolman Explores Italian Earthquake’s Legal Aftershocks
Dear TON Readers: Please Vote
A Day in the Life of Amy Maxmen
Call for Fellowship Applications
How to Do a Close Read
Congratulations, You’re an Editor! What Do You Do Now?
Single Best: Paul Raeburn
Show Me the Money: The Economics of Freelance Science Journalism
Office Hours with Henriette Löwisch
Michelle Nijhuis Tracks Hopeful Signs Amid a Bat Plague
Douglas Fox Recounts an Antarctic Adventure
What Are the Odds? Reporting on Risk
Narrative X-Rays: Looking at Stories’ Structural Skeletons
Steve Silberman Finds the Placebo Effect Is … Pretty Sweet
Can You Lend a Hand to The Open Notebook?
Michelle Nijhuis’s Brief Guide to Writing Reported Essays
Single Best: Deborah Blum
A Day in the Life of Dan Vergano
Ask TON: Embedded with Scientists
Brendan Koerner Storyboards a Hijacking Tale
Melissa Hendricks
Office Hours with Melissa Hendricks
Storygram: George Johnson’s “Why Everyone Seems to Have Cancer”
Ask TON: Meeting Coverage
A Day in the Life of Brian Switek
Robin Meadows
A Day in the Life of Robin Meadows
Phil McKenna Describes the Making of “Life in the Death Zone”
Ask TON: Mastering News Turnaround
Ask TON: Reconnecting After a Disruption
The First Critic Is You: Editing Your Own Work
Writing When on the Autism Spectrum
A Day in the Life of Erik Vance
Natural Habitat: Mark Schrope
A Day in the Life of Emily Anthes
On Being a PIO in the Age of the Internet
Decolonizing Science Writing in South Africa
Is This a Story? How to Evaluate Your Ideas Before You Pitch
Tom Linden
Office Hours with Tom Linden
The Open Notebook presenta TON en Español
How to Talk to Your Facebook Friends about Fake News
Introducing the newest TON/Burroughs Wellcome Fund Fellow
Jennifer Kahn Asks: Can a Child Psychopath Be Saved?
How to Vet Industry PR Claims
Single Best: Charles Choi
Activism and Science Journalism: Where Are Your Boundaries?
Ask TON: Saving String
Single Best: Cristine Russell
Lizzie Wade
A Day in the Life of Lizzie Wade
A Mid-Year Update and Request
Excerpt: The Science Writers’ Handbook
Science Writing in the Age of Denial: Only a Few Slots Left
Why Is It So Hard for Foreign Journalists to Break into U.S. and European Outlets?
David Corcoran
A Day in the Life of David Corcoran
A Day in the Life of Nidhi Subbaraman
Nusnin Akter
Including Diverse Voices in Science Stories
Christie Aschwanden Pits Evidence against ‘Truthiness’
Taking Good Notes: Tricks and Tools
Ask TON: Is This Draft Too Long?
Meet the Newest TON/BWF Fellows, Rodrigo Pérez Ortega and Rachel Zamzow
Single Best: Maryn McKenna
A Day in the Life of Virginia Hughes
Greg Miller Examines Mental Health Care in Indonesia
Journalists as Characters: Using First-Person Narration to Drive Stories
The Open Notebook is growing, thanks to a $150,000 grant from Science Sandbox
Words with Friends: The Story Behind the Scilance Book
Writing Elegant Background
Nice Niche: How to Build and Keep Up with a Beat
Linda Nordling Probes the Transformation of South African Science
Writing Revealing Stories Based on Unreliable Sources
The Reluctant Scientist: When Meeting Presenters Get Cold Feet
A Day in the Life of Ashley Smart
A Day in the Life of Florence Williams
A Day in the Life of Maryn McKenna
Peter Andrey Smith and Sruthi Pinnamaneni Interview a Doctor Trying to Untangle ALS “Reversals”
A Day in the Life of David Quammen
Special TON Event: A Conversation with David Quammen
Gender Differences in Pitching: Results from the TON Pitching Habits Survey
A Day in the Life of Jo Marchant
Ross Andersen
Ross Andersen Writes a New Creation Story
Sharpening Ideas: From Topic to Story
Natural Habitat: Jessa Gamble
David Quammen on Turning Research Into Story, Part II
A Day in the Life of Hannah Hoag
Storygram: Maria Konnikova’s “Altered Tastes”
A New Year and Farewell
A Day in the Life of Erika Check Hayden
A Day in the Life of Eli Chen
Good Transitions: A Guide to Cementing Stories Together
Storygram: Anna Maria Barry-Jester’s “Surviving Suicide in Wyoming”
Ask TON: How Soon to Repitch an Editor?
We Are Seeking a Part-Time Engagement Editor
Seeking to Awe: An “Oops!” Story
Jessica Wapner
Jessica Wapner Knocks at the Door of a Drug Epidemic
Call for Proposals: Early-Career Fellowship Program
Matt Hutson
A Day in the Life of Matthew Hutson
Finding the Science in Any Story
Maryn McKenna Describes Life as “Scary-Disease Girl”
Storygram: Annie Waldman’s “How Hospitals Are Failing Black Mothers”
A Day in the Life of Anna Kuchment
Writing Young: Crafting Science Stories for Kids
Explaining Complexity
Introducing the TON/BWF Fellows
Extra! Get Yer “Science Writing in the Age of Denial” Conference Recaps Here!
Storygram: Charles Piller’s “Failure to Report”
Rachel Aviv Examines the Science of Sex Abuse
The Science Byline Counting Project: Where Are the Women—and Where Are They Not?
Is Anyone Out There? Sourcing News Stories
Science Photojournalist Morgan Heim Illuminates Environmental Cost of California’s Trespass Marijuana Grows
Max Ufberg
A Day in the Life of Max Ufberg
Ask TON: Sending Embargoed Papers for Outside Comment
Herding on motobike
Storygram: Jane Qiu’s “Trouble in Tibet”
Book shelf
Read This! (Or Not): Writing Book Reviews
A Day in the Life of Mark Peplow
George Johnson Chases Lightning
Cynthia Graber Profiles a Modern-Day Dr. Frankenstein
Tackling the Physical Sciences
David Quammen on Turning Research Into Story, Part I
Please Consider Supporting The Open Notebook
Making the Most of Lab Visits
Data Journalism: A Primer for Science Journalists
Ask TON: Organizing Notes
Are You Savvy about Digital Security?
William deBuys Goes to Extremes for Endangered Species
Ask TON: Crafting a Winning Fellowship Proposal
Liza Gross Digs into California’s Pesticide Data
Help Kids Interview Scientists at the Science Storytellers Booth at AAAS
Ask TON: Using Quotes
Office Hours with Patricia Thomas
Brendan Borrell Jets to Bolivia for a Hot Story on Chili Peppers
Office Hours with Lynne Friedmann
Dispatches from Fact-Checking
Ask TON: Anonymous Sources
Depression Monster
On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
Natural Habitat: Christie Aschwanden
Happy New Year and Some News
Joanne Silberner
Office Hours with Joanne Silberner
Storygram: Sarah Wild’s “Bones Specialists Try to Prise Secrets from the Veld Bodies”
Get the Word Out: Start a Newsletter
Alicia Chang
A Day in the Life of Alicia Chang
Tools: Planner Pad, the Funnel of Focus
Serendipity Stories: A New TON Series
Storygram: Azeen Ghorayshi’s “Sounding the Alarm”
Tina Saey Couldn’t Sleep, and She Wanted to Know Why
Lost and Found: How Great Nonfiction Writers Discover Great Ideas
A Day in the Life of Megha Satyanarayana
Getting the Most out of Scientific Conferences
No Need to Fear FOIA
Ask TON: How Much Time Should I Spend Preparing a Pitch?
Mac McClelland Tails Extreme Birders through Cuba
Brian Vastag Profiles a Dinosaur Tracker
How to Be a Great Science Editor at a Student Publication
Christie Wilcox Gets a Taste of the Atlantic Lionfish Invasion
Ask TON: How to Build Narrative in Explanatory Stories
Covering the Environment Beat
Ask TON: From Idea to Story
Laura Beil Dissects a Criminal Doctor’s Surgical Rampage
Do You Need a Science Degree to Be a Science Reporter?
Ask TON: Who Should Trim Long Drafts?
Anahad O'Connor
A Day in the Life of Anahad O’Connor
(Free) Tickets to Quammen/Dobbs Event in Raleigh
Science Blogging: The Essential Guide Makes an Online Home at TON
How to Prepare for the ScienceWriters2013 Power Pitch
Richard Todd on Good Prose
Cómo sacar el máximo provecho de las conferencias científicas
Adriana Gallardo
Adriana Gallardo Finds the Untold Stories of Black Mothers
Trading the Pipette for the Pen: Transitioning from Science to Science Writing
Susan White’s Brief Guide to Investigations
Maggie Koerth-Baker
Maggie Koerth-Baker Explores the Legacy of a Very Prolific Panda
Press Freedom
Reporting in Hostile Conditions: What U.S. Science Journalists Can Learn from Overseas Writers
Emily Willingham
A Day in the Life of Emily Willingham
Nailing the Nut Graf
A Day in the Life of Charles Seife
Meredith Wadman Probes the Aftermath of a Shooting
Office Hours with Emily Laber-Warren
Brooke Borel
Brooke Borel Investigates a Scientist’s Bizarre Alter Ego
The Human Element: Bringing Science to Life with Profiles
Got a Question You’re Too Shy to Ask? Ask TON
Erik Vance Scrutinizes a Battle over Dolphin Rights
Tools: Sipping from the Internet Firehose
Apoorva Mandavilli
When Science Reporting Takes an Emotional Toll
Adam Rogers Shadows a Fungus Detective
Stephen Ornes Explains the Science of Lightning to Young Readers
The Big Leap: From Article to Book
Meet the Newest TON/BWF Fellows, Aneri Pattani and Olga Kreimer
How to Use Reporting Skills from Any Beat for Science Journalism
Serendipity Story: A Pitch in Sheep’s Clothing
Deborah Blum Traces a Poisonous History
recycle symbol
Repurposing Story Ideas for Multiple Venues
Kathryn Schulz Paints a Chilling Picture of “The Really Big One”
Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn on The Death of Cancer
Becky Lang
A Day in the Life of Becky Lang
Adam Rutherford Eulogizes the Space Shuttle
navigation compas
Navigating Conflicts of Interest
Ask TON: Finding International Stories
Making the Leap from News to Books: Critical Questions
Ask TON: Finding Patients
William Saletan Explores the Malleability of Memory
What Do You Need and Want from TON?
Call for Fellowship Proposals
David Grimm
A Day in the Life of David Grimm
Florence Williams Takes the Measure of Modern Breasts
Elizabeth Kolbert
Elizabeth Kolbert Stares Down Mass Extinction
Ask TON: Breaking Into Science Writing
Holly Tucker Animates a Centuries-Old Science Story
Natural Habitat: Mary Caperton Morton
Ask TON: How Many Interviews?
A Day in the Life of Carl Zimmer
A Day in the Life of Elizabeth Svoboda
Charles Seife’s Brief Guide to Writing Opinion
A Day in the Life of Amanda Gefter
Lizzie Presser Reveals the Underground Work of Home-Abortion Providers
Ask TON: Repitching Killed Stories
Storygram: Amanda Gefter’s “The Man Who Tried to Redeem the World with Logic”
Elaina Plott Explores Everyday Life on a Sinking Island
Ask TON: Nailing Physical Descriptions
Chrissie Giles
A Day in the Life of Chrissie Giles
Ed Yong Profiles a Scientific Dynasty
Is a Science Blog Still a Viable Path into Science Journalism?
Natural Habitat: Priya Shetty
Maggie Koerth-Baker
Maggie-Koerth Baker Untangles the Story behind Trump’s False Claims of Immigrant Voter Fraud
A Heartfelt Thanks to NASW, and Many Others
The Open Notebook Announces New Funding Support from Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Rhitu Chatterjee
A Day in the Life of Rhitu Chatterjee
Carl Zimmer Ponders Unseen Ecosystems Teeming Within Us
Happy 4th Birthday to TON—And Good News
Naming the Dog: The Art of Narrative Structure
r/scienceblogging: Science Blogging and Reddit
Natural Habitat: Andrew Curry
A Guide to Translating Science to Audio
Ask TON: Which Meetings?
Glendon
Glendon Mellow on Science Art: More than Just Picking the Right Image
Navigating Newsrooms as a Minority
Announcing the TON Fellowship
Interviewing for Career-Spanning Profiles
Call for Fellowship Applications
Roberta Kwok
Roberta Kwok Tracks an Asteroid as It Hurtles toward Earth
Creating Characters on the Page
Introducing the Diverse Voices Series
Single Best: David Dobbs
Ask TON: How to Fact-Check
Thanks to TON Readers, We’ve Met Our Matching Goal!
A Day in the Life of Tim De Chant
Single Best: Robin Lloyd
Post-Slam Dunk
On the Scene: Reporting from the Field
Pitching Errors: How Not to Pitch
TON Collaborates with Knight Science Journalism at MIT
Unlock lock
Unlocked: How to Push Past a Career Barrier
Natural Habitat: Cassandra Willyard
Science Storytellers: Connecting Kids, Scientists, and Science Writers at AAAS
Robin Marantz Henig Explores the Biology of Anxiety
Fliers at hospital
Storygram: Amy Maxmen’s “How the Fight Against Ebola Tested a Culture’s Traditions”
Is Anybody Out There? Building a Blog Audience
Ross Andersen
A Day in the Life of Ross Andersen
The XX Question
Amanda R. Martinez Explores Island Conservation’s Ethical Quandries
Good Beginnings: How to Write a Lede Your Editor—and Your Readers—Will Love
Video: David Quammen Interview
Erica Klarreich Profiles an Award-Winning Mathematician
An Army of Helpers: Twitter as a Reporting Tool
#$%^* This: What Else Are My Skills Good For?
Dan Ferber Relates One Couple’s Struggle against the Farm Next Door
What Is Science Journalism Worth? Part I
John McPhee on Characters, Structure, Titles, and Facing the ‘Low Dread’ of Writing
Hillary Rosner Makes Readers Care about Saving an Unassuming Endangered Fish
science blogging
Going Social: Science Blogging, Twitter, and Facebook
A Day in the Life of Nadia Drake
Capture the Moment: Get More out of Your Stories through Photography
Helen Ouyang Studies the Ethics of Compassionate Drug Use
Call for Proposals: Early-Career Fellowship Program
Time Traveling: Writing Graceful Flashbacks
Pictures and Prose: When Photographers and Writers Work Together
A Day in the Life of Kate Travis
Melinda Wenner Moyer Tracks Drug-Resistant Bacteria from Farm to Table
A Two-Peep Limit: Marshmallow Dioramas Meet Middle-Schoolers
A Day in the Life of John Timmer
Ask TON: Using PIOs to Hunt Stories
Ask TON: How Many Stories at Once?
Gabriel Spitzer Explores the Chicago Science Scene
tree coroners
Storygram: Cally Carswell’s “The Tree Coroners”
Smooth Scriptwriting
Journalists of Color Face Harassment by Sources
Resurrecting the Dead: Richard Conniff on Bringing Historical Characters to Life
Call for Pitches for “Diverse Voices” Series
Sandeep Ravindran
A Day in the Life of Sandeep Ravindran
science blogging
Science Bloggers on Why They Do It
El primer crítico eres tú: cómo editar tu propio trabajo
A Day in the Life of Heather Boerner
Writing Well about Disability
Lauren Morello
Lauren Morello Examines Twitter and Sexism in Science
Christie Aschwanden Tackles the Science of Exercise Recovery
Making the Most of a Writers’ Association Membership
Marshall Allen Unearths Waste in Health Care
A Day in the Life of Shannon Palus
Ask TON: Are Edits Suggestions or Demands?
Bryn Nelson
A Day in the Life of Bryn Nelson
A Day in the Life of Ben Lillie
Susan Dominus Delves into the Lives and Minds of a Remarkable Pair of Conjoined Twins
Jon Mooallem on a Plan to Bring Hippopotamus Ranching to America
How to Read a Scientific Paper
How to Tell Science Stories with Maps
The High School Chemistry Students Who Built the Peepiodic Table
How to Ace a 300-Word Story: An Interview with Roy Peter Clark
Apoorva Mandavilli
Apoorva Mandavilli Recounts an Unlikely Recovery from Brain Injury
Now Accepting Fellowship Applications
Help Kids Interview Scientists at the Science Storytellers Booth at AAAS
Nidhi Subbaraman Uncovers a Story of Medical Neglect—and of Useful Anger—on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation
Like Being There: How Science Writers Use Sensory Detail
A Day in the Life of Joe Palca
A Day in the Life of Maggie Koerth-Baker
Seeking New Pitches for Diverse Voices Series
Serendipity Story: Cynthia Graber
Ask TON: Dumb Questions
Michelle Nijhuis
Natural Habitat: Michelle Nijhuis
Beyond the Press-Release Rat Race: Fresh Ways to Cover Science News
Robin Marantz Henig Examines End-of-Life Issues
Rebecca Boyle
Rebecca Boyle Excavates Earth’s Earliest History
diverging tracks
Cómo ser (o no ser) un periodista activista
Something New: The TON Pitch Database
Meet the Newest TON/Burroughs Wellcome Fund Fellows
Storygram: Eric Boodman’s “Accidental Therapists”
Interviewing Scientists for Kids’ Science Stories
Ask TON: Conducting and Condensing Q&A Interviews
Maryn McKenna Reports the Dark Side of Agriculture
Sharon Begley’s Brief Guide to Writing Medical News
Jacqui Banaszynski
Jacqui Banaszynski’s Literary Forensics: A Diagnostic Tool to Improve Writing
Natural Habitat: Erik Vance
Ready … Set … Peep!
Surviving the Grind of Fact-Checking
Spotting Shady Statistics
Ask TON: Getting Sources to Open Up
David Grimm Covers Nuclear Fallout, Horse Brains, Mummified Remains, and Wine—All in One Story
Writing for Women’s Magazines
David Tuller Untangles the Research History of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Amy Harmon Follows a Young Autistic Man into the World
Storygram: Andrew Grant’s “At Last, Voyager 1 Slips into Interstellar Space”
Storygram: Nicola Twilley’s “The Billion-Year Wave”
Writing Magic: The Mechanic and the Muse
Seth Mnookin Follows a Family Battling a Rare Genetic Disease  
Helen Pearson Profiles an Activist Turned Scientist
A Day in the Life of Rose Eveleth
Good Endings: How to Write a Kicker Your Editor—and Your Readers—Will Love
Are You a Writer or an Editor? Part I: The Writers
Natural Habitat: Cynthia Graber
Going Digital: Inside New Science Journalism Outlets
Including LGBTQ+ Scientists as Sources
Ready for Its Close-Up: Shooting Video with a Smart Phone
Delivering the Bad News: How to Reject Pitches Well
unfurling fern
Following a Story as It Unfurls
Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley on Cooking Up the Food Podcast Gastropod
A Day in the Life of Ann Finkbeiner
Image Is (Almost) Everything: How to Find Great Story Art
Meetings of Minds, or, How to Talk to a Scientist
Ask TON: What Does a Science Writing Master’s Program Get You?
How to Cover Big Science Events: Lessons from the Great American Eclipse
En busca del ángulo científico de cualquier historia
A Day in the Life of Liz Neeley
Cramming for the Slam
Oral Histories in Science Journalism: An Underrated Art
A Day in the Life of Hillary Rosner
Office Hours with Ellen Ruppel Shell
Virginia Hughes Enters the Land of the Sleepyheads
Lizzie Wade Examines a Debate over the Origins of the Amazon’s Biodiversity
Brooke Jarvis Uncovers an Insect Armageddon
Lauren Gravitz Relates Nobel Laureate Steinman’s Poignant Story
Surviving the Elements: Confronting Difficult Field-Reporting Conditions
Talking for Radio
Kate Clancy Takes Periods from the Page to the Podcast
Happy Birthday to Us! And … Introducing “Ask TON”
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee Weaves a Tale of Scientific Rivalry and Nobel Celebration
Single Best: Laura Helmuth
A Day in the Life of Alexandra Witze
Annalee Newitz
A Day in the Life of Annalee Newitz
Michelle Nijhuis’s Nat Geo Adventure Began with a Word
What Is Science Journalism Worth? Part II
A Day in the Life of Rich Stone
Single Best: Elizabeth Preston
David Dobbs Examines a Provocative New Theory of How Genes Shape Behavior
Thoughts on Voice: What It Is (And Isn’t). And How to Find Yours.
Track Changes: From Writer to Editor
A Day in the Life of Emma Marris
Ask TON: Why Blog?
Deborah Blum: From Book to Documentary Film
Vote Now for the Peeple’s Choice Award!
Storygram: Natalie Wolchover’s “Visions of Future Physics”
Single Best: Dan Ferber
Office Hours with Douglas Starr
Daniel Engber Dissects the Ubiquitous Laboratory Mouse
A Day in the Life of Kat McGowan
Ask TON: Clearing Writer’s Block
Finding and Landing the Right Internship in Science Writing
Paying for It: Getting Grants and Fellowships
Joe Hanson on Communicating Science on the Silicon Screen
The Intern’s Survival Guide
Robin Lloyd
Office Hours with Robin Lloyd
David Dobbs Deconstructs “My Mother’s Lover”
A Day in the Life of Nsikan Akpan
Ask TON: Using Outlines and Storyboards
Please Support The Open Notebook during Our Spring Matching Campaign
Storygram: Joshua Sokol’s “Life After Mercury Poisoning”
A Science Writer’s Guide to U.S. Visas
Are You an Editor or a Writer? Part II: The Editors
TON Partners with CASW on Storygrams Series
Ask TON: When Is Outsourcing Unethical?
A Day in the Life of George Musser
Paige Williams Investigates a Dinosaur Fossil Underworld
Peep Ye, Peep Ye! Announcing the Winners of the World’s Finest Science-Themed Peeps Diorama Contest!
Natural Habitat: Ed Yong
Ask TON: How Much Editing to Expect?
How to Conduct Difficult Interviews
Donate to TON and Your Gift Will Double—or Triple
Asking for More: Negotiating Rates for Freelance Assignments
Ask TON: Taking Notes Discreetly
Serendipity Story: Hillary Rosner
Natural Habitat: Robin Marantz Henig
Applying Science to the Beauty and Wellness Beat
Diversity in Science Writing: A Survey
Feeling Like a Fraud: The Impostor Phenomenon in Science Writing
The Art of the Essay
diverging tracks
How to Be (or Not to Be) an Advocacy Journalist
Bad blood
Pow! Zap! Bam! Using Comics to Tell Compelling Science Stories
How Rebecca Skloot Built The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Tim Folger
A Day in the Life of Tim Folger
Office Hours with Robert Irion
Butterfly On A Bullet
Four Editors Give Tips on Writing Headlines. You Won’t Believe What Happens Next.
Sharon Dunwoody
Office Hours with Sharon Dunwoody
Stephen Ornes
Office Hours with Stephen Ornes
Single Best: Seth Mnookin
A Day in the Life of Philip Yam
TON Welcomes Jane Hu to Early-Career Fellowship
Meet the Newest TON/BWF Early-Career Fellows, Knvul Sheikh and Jennifer Lu

 

 

Finding Ideas

David Quammen on Turning Research Into Story, Part I
William Saletan Explores the Malleability of Memory
Spotting Shady Statistics
Single Best: Paul Raeburn
The Open Notebook is growing, thanks to a $150,000 grant from Science Sandbox
Introducing the Diverse Voices Series
Stephen Ornes
Office Hours with Stephen Ornes
Lauren Morello
Lauren Morello Examines Twitter and Sexism in Science
Special TON Event: A Conversation with David Quammen
Storygram: Anna Maria Barry-Jester’s “Surviving Suicide in Wyoming”
Single Best: Charles Choi
Congratulations, You’re an Editor! What Do You Do Now?
Tim Folger
A Day in the Life of Tim Folger
#$%^* This: What Else Are My Skills Good For?
Maryn McKenna Reports the Dark Side of Agriculture
How to Cover Big Science Events: Lessons from the Great American Eclipse
Ask TON: Embedded with Scientists
Fliers at hospital
Storygram: Amy Maxmen’s “How the Fight Against Ebola Tested a Culture’s Traditions”
A Day in the Life of Florence Williams
Interviewing for Career-Spanning Profiles
Help Kids Interview Scientists at the Science Storytellers Booth at AAAS
Naming the Dog: The Art of Narrative Structure
Brooke Borel
Brooke Borel Investigates a Scientist’s Bizarre Alter Ego
A Day in the Life of Nadia Drake
Seeking New Pitches for Diverse Voices Series
Mac McClelland Tails Extreme Birders through Cuba
diverging tracks
Cómo ser (o no ser) un periodista activista
Roberta Kwok
Roberta Kwok Tracks an Asteroid as It Hurtles toward Earth
Kate Clancy Takes Periods from the Page to the Podcast
Image Is (Almost) Everything: How to Find Great Story Art
Post-Slam Dunk
Kathryn Schulz Paints a Chilling Picture of “The Really Big One”
Sharpening Ideas: From Topic to Story
Michelle Nijhuis’s Nat Geo Adventure Began with a Word
(Free) Tickets to Quammen/Dobbs Event in Raleigh
Marshall Allen Unearths Waste in Health Care
Call for Fellowship Applications
A Day in the Life of Nsikan Akpan
Meet the Newest TON/BWF Fellows, Aneri Pattani and Olga Kreimer
Storygram: Annie Waldman’s “How Hospitals Are Failing Black Mothers”
Storygram: George Johnson’s “Why Everyone Seems to Have Cancer”
Natural Habitat: Mary Caperton Morton
Is Anybody Out There? Building a Blog Audience
Dan Ferber Relates One Couple’s Struggle against the Farm Next Door
Ask TON: Is This Draft Too Long?
Melinda Wenner Moyer Tracks Drug-Resistant Bacteria from Farm to Table
Maggie Koerth-Baker
Maggie Koerth-Baker Explores the Legacy of a Very Prolific Panda
Ask TON: Sending Embargoed Papers for Outside Comment
TON Partners with CASW on Storygrams Series
Gender Differences in Pitching: Results from the TON Pitching Habits Survey
David Dobbs Deconstructs “My Mother’s Lover”
We Are Seeking a Part-Time Engagement Editor
A Guide to Translating Science to Audio
Robin Lloyd
Office Hours with Robin Lloyd
Journalists of Color Face Harassment by Sources
Laura Beil Dissects a Criminal Doctor’s Surgical Rampage
Susan Dominus Delves into the Lives and Minds of a Remarkable Pair of Conjoined Twins
Do You Need a Science Degree to Be a Science Reporter?
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee Weaves a Tale of Scientific Rivalry and Nobel Celebration
Dear TON Readers: Please Vote
Paige Williams Investigates a Dinosaur Fossil Underworld
Call for Pitches for “Diverse Voices” Series
Ask TON: How Much Editing to Expect?
Delivering the Bad News: How to Reject Pitches Well
Paying for It: Getting Grants and Fellowships
The XX Question
Tina Saey Couldn’t Sleep, and She Wanted to Know Why
Meetings of Minds, or, How to Talk to a Scientist
A Day in the Life of Alexandra Witze
Help Kids Interview Scientists at the Science Storytellers Booth at AAAS
Writing Revealing Stories Based on Unreliable Sources
A Day in the Life of Erik Vance
r/scienceblogging: Science Blogging and Reddit
Office Hours with Douglas Starr
Lizzie Wade Examines a Debate over the Origins of the Amazon’s Biodiversity
A Day in the Life of Virginia Hughes
Amanda R. Martinez Explores Island Conservation’s Ethical Quandries
A Day in the Life of Heather Boerner
Please Consider Supporting The Open Notebook
Douglas Fox Recounts an Antarctic Adventure
David Grimm
A Day in the Life of David Grimm
Press Freedom
Reporting in Hostile Conditions: What U.S. Science Journalists Can Learn from Overseas Writers
A Day in the Life of George Musser
Now Accepting Fellowship Applications
Christie Aschwanden Pits Evidence against ‘Truthiness’
Natural Habitat: Christie Aschwanden
David Quammen on Turning Research Into Story, Part II
An Army of Helpers: Twitter as a Reporting Tool
Peep Ye, Peep Ye! Announcing the Winners of the World’s Finest Science-Themed Peeps Diorama Contest!
Resurrecting the Dead: Richard Conniff on Bringing Historical Characters to Life
Covering the Environment Beat
Robin Meadows
A Day in the Life of Robin Meadows
Ask TON: What Does a Science Writing Master’s Program Get You?
Ask TON: Using Outlines and Storyboards
Storygram: Natalie Wolchover’s “Visions of Future Physics”
No Need to Fear FOIA
Brendan Borrell Jets to Bolivia for a Hot Story on Chili Peppers
Ask TON: Which Meetings?
The Art of the Essay
Single Best: Maryn McKenna
Deborah Blum: From Book to Documentary Film
Peter Andrey Smith and Sruthi Pinnamaneni Interview a Doctor Trying to Untangle ALS “Reversals”
How to Ace a 300-Word Story: An Interview with Roy Peter Clark
A Day in the Life of Megha Satyanarayana
Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley on Cooking Up the Food Podcast Gastropod
Single Best: Seth Mnookin
Apoorva Mandavilli
Apoorva Mandavilli Recounts an Unlikely Recovery from Brain Injury
Call for Fellowship Proposals
How to Read a Scientific Paper
Bad blood
Pow! Zap! Bam! Using Comics to Tell Compelling Science Stories
Single Best: Laura Helmuth
Max Ufberg
A Day in the Life of Max Ufberg
What Is Science Journalism Worth? Part II
What Is Science Journalism Worth? Part I
Bryn Nelson
A Day in the Life of Bryn Nelson
Herding on motobike
Storygram: Jane Qiu’s “Trouble in Tibet”
Nusnin Akter
Including Diverse Voices in Science Stories
Susan White’s Brief Guide to Investigations
Brendan Koerner Storyboards a Hijacking Tale
The Open Notebook presenta TON en Español
Science Photojournalist Morgan Heim Illuminates Environmental Cost of California’s Trespass Marijuana Grows
A Day in the Life of Erika Check Hayden
diverging tracks
How to Be (or Not to Be) an Advocacy Journalist
Single Best: David Dobbs
Single Best: Elizabeth Preston
Ask TON: Using Quotes
David Wolman Explores Italian Earthquake’s Legal Aftershocks
Ask TON: Who Should Trim Long Drafts?
Is Anyone Out There? Sourcing News Stories
Writing Elegant Background
Ask TON: Taking Notes Discreetly
Extra! Get Yer “Science Writing in the Age of Denial” Conference Recaps Here!
Helen Pearson Profiles an Activist Turned Scientist
Introducing the newest TON/Burroughs Wellcome Fund Fellow
Office Hours with Ellen Ruppel Shell
Interviewing Scientists for Kids’ Science Stories
The Big Leap: From Article to Book
Got a Question You’re Too Shy to Ask? Ask TON
Ask TON: When Is Outsourcing Unethical?
Joe Hanson on Communicating Science on the Silicon Screen
Applying Science to the Beauty and Wellness Beat
Helen Ouyang Studies the Ethics of Compassionate Drug Use
Please Support The Open Notebook during Our Spring Matching Campaign
Explaining Complexity
Michelle Nijhuis
Natural Habitat: Michelle Nijhuis
Office Hours with Robert Irion
Storygram: Nicola Twilley’s “The Billion-Year Wave”
Nidhi Subbaraman Uncovers a Story of Medical Neglect—and of Useful Anger—on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation
Ask TON: Clearing Writer’s Block
Making the Most of a Writers’ Association Membership
Ready … Set … Peep!
Trading the Pipette for the Pen: Transitioning from Science to Science Writing
The Science Byline Counting Project: Where Are the Women—and Where Are They Not?
Adam Rutherford Eulogizes the Space Shuttle
Ask TON: How Many Stories at Once?
Maryn McKenna Describes Life as “Scary-Disease Girl”
Get the Word Out: Start a Newsletter
Daniel Engber Dissects the Ubiquitous Laboratory Mouse
Brooke Jarvis Uncovers an Insect Armageddon
Matt Hutson
A Day in the Life of Matthew Hutson
Good Transitions: A Guide to Cementing Stories Together
recycle symbol
Repurposing Story Ideas for Multiple Venues
science blogging
Going Social: Science Blogging, Twitter, and Facebook
Beyond the Press-Release Rat Race: Fresh Ways to Cover Science News
Are You an Editor or a Writer? Part II: The Editors
Lost and Found: How Great Nonfiction Writers Discover Great Ideas
Single Best: Cristine Russell
Natural Habitat: Robin Marantz Henig
Ask TON: Dumb Questions
A Day in the Life of Maryn McKenna
A Day in the Life of Amy Maxmen
Cómo sacar el máximo provecho de las conferencias científicas
Ask TON: How to Fact-Check
A Day in the Life of Kate Travis
Navigating Newsrooms as a Minority
unfurling fern
Following a Story as It Unfurls
Ask TON: Reconnecting After a Disruption
Finding the Science in Any Story
Weaving a Seamless Tale from Threads of Narrative and Exposition
A Day in the Life of Dan Vergano
Are You Savvy about Digital Security?
Steve Silberman Finds the Placebo Effect Is … Pretty Sweet
A Day in the Life of Anna Kuchment
Michelle Nijhuis Tracks Hopeful Signs Amid a Bat Plague
A Day in the Life of Liz Neeley
Track Changes: From Writer to Editor
Erica Klarreich Profiles an Award-Winning Mathematician
Ask TON: How Do You Juggle Assignments?
Meredith Wadman Probes the Aftermath of a Shooting
The Intern’s Survival Guide
The First Critic Is You: Editing Your Own Work
How to Do a Close Read
Jon Mooallem on a Plan to Bring Hippopotamus Ranching to America
Finding and Landing the Right Internship in Science Writing
Ask TON: Getting Sources to Open Up
Sharon Begley’s Brief Guide to Writing Medical News
Why Is It So Hard for Foreign Journalists to Break into U.S. and European Outlets?
Serendipity Stories: A New TON Series
Storygram: Eric Boodman’s “Accidental Therapists”
A Day in the Life of John Timmer
Storygram: Sarah Wild’s “Bones Specialists Try to Prise Secrets from the Veld Bodies”
Liza Gross Digs into California’s Pesticide Data
A Day in the Life of Charles Seife
A Day in the Life of Kat McGowan
How to Prepare for the ScienceWriters2013 Power Pitch
Diversity in Science Writing: A Survey
Ask TON: Saving String
Tackling the Physical Sciences
Meet the Newest TON/BWF Fellows, Rodrigo Pérez Ortega and Rachel Zamzow
Christie Aschwanden Tackles the Science of Exercise Recovery
A Day in the Life of Carl Zimmer
Happy New Year and Some News
Office Hours with Patricia Thomas
A Day in the Life of Ashley Smart
A New Year and Farewell
Science Writing in the Age of Denial: Only a Few Slots Left
Natural Habitat: Cynthia Graber
Natural Habitat: Jessa Gamble
Narrative X-Rays: Looking at Stories’ Structural Skeletons
Ask TON: Repitching Killed Stories
Office Hours with Henriette Löwisch
Anahad O'Connor
A Day in the Life of Anahad O’Connor
A Day in the Life of Rich Stone
Ready for Its Close-Up: Shooting Video with a Smart Phone
Lauren Gravitz Relates Nobel Laureate Steinman’s Poignant Story
Ask TON: Breaking Into Science Writing
Single Best: Deborah Blum
Storygram: Andrew Grant’s “At Last, Voyager 1 Slips into Interstellar Space”
Jacqui Banaszynski
Jacqui Banaszynski’s Literary Forensics: A Diagnostic Tool to Improve Writing
Elizabeth Kolbert
Elizabeth Kolbert Stares Down Mass Extinction
Tools: Sipping from the Internet Firehose
Joanne Silberner
Office Hours with Joanne Silberner
Ask TON: Nailing Physical Descriptions
Adriana Gallardo
Adriana Gallardo Finds the Untold Stories of Black Mothers
Office Hours with Emily Laber-Warren
Linda Nordling Probes the Transformation of South African Science
Words with Friends: The Story Behind the Scilance Book
Glendon
Glendon Mellow on Science Art: More than Just Picking the Right Image
TON Welcomes Jane Hu to Early-Career Fellowship
Science Blogging: The Essential Guide Makes an Online Home at TON
A Day in the Life of David Quammen
Making the Leap from News to Books: Critical Questions
Storygram: Azeen Ghorayshi’s “Sounding the Alarm”
Ask TON: How Much Time Should I Spend Preparing a Pitch?
Ed Yong Profiles a Scientific Dynasty
Data Journalism: A Primer for Science Journalists
Ask TON: From Idea to Story
How to Be a Great Science Editor at a Student Publication
Storygram: Joshua Sokol’s “Life After Mercury Poisoning”
A Mid-Year Update and Request
Serendipity Story: A Pitch in Sheep’s Clothing
Hillary Rosner Makes Readers Care about Saving an Unassuming Endangered Fish
A Day in the Life of Nidhi Subbaraman
Surviving the Grind of Fact-Checking
Writing Magic: The Mechanic and the Muse
Seth Mnookin Follows a Family Battling a Rare Genetic Disease  
A Day in the Life of Jo Marchant
David Grimm Covers Nuclear Fallout, Horse Brains, Mummified Remains, and Wine—All in One Story
A Day in the Life of Hannah Hoag
The Open Notebook Announces New Funding Support from Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Single Best: Robin Lloyd
Ask TON: How Soon to Repitch an Editor?
Christie Wilcox Gets a Taste of the Atlantic Lionfish Invasion
A Two-Peep Limit: Marshmallow Dioramas Meet Middle-Schoolers
Dispatches from Fact-Checking
Phil McKenna Describes the Making of “Life in the Death Zone”
Annalee Newitz
A Day in the Life of Annalee Newitz
Rhitu Chatterjee
A Day in the Life of Rhitu Chatterjee
A Day in the Life of Joe Palca
Storygram: Maria Konnikova’s “Altered Tastes”
Deborah Blum Traces a Poisonous History
Amy Harmon Follows a Young Autistic Man into the World
A Day in the Life of Emma Marris
Apoorva Mandavilli
When Science Reporting Takes an Emotional Toll
Time Traveling: Writing Graceful Flashbacks
Pitching Errors: How Not to Pitch
Excerpt: The Science Writers’ Handbook
Four Editors Give Tips on Writing Headlines. You Won’t Believe What Happens Next.
The High School Chemistry Students Who Built the Peepiodic Table
Going Digital: Inside New Science Journalism Outlets
Carl Zimmer Ponders Unseen Ecosystems Teeming Within Us
Taking Good Notes: Tricks and Tools
Natural Habitat: Erik Vance
Activism and Science Journalism: Where Are Your Boundaries?
Thanks to TON Readers, We’ve Met Our Matching Goal!
A Day in the Life of Eli Chen
Sandeep Ravindran
A Day in the Life of Sandeep Ravindran
Serendipity Story: Cynthia Graber
A Day in the Life of Philip Yam
Talking for Radio
Seeking to Awe: An “Oops!” Story
Smooth Scriptwriting
Getting the Most out of Scientific Conferences
Nice Niche: How to Build and Keep Up with a Beat
What Are the Odds? Reporting on Risk
Good Endings: How to Write a Kicker Your Editor—and Your Readers—Will Love
How to Conduct Difficult Interviews
Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn on The Death of Cancer
Natural Habitat: Mark Schrope
A Science Writer’s Guide to U.S. Visas
Feeling Like a Fraud: The Impostor Phenomenon in Science Writing
Ask TON: Planning Reporting
Good Beginnings: How to Write a Lede Your Editor—and Your Readers—Will Love
tree coroners
Storygram: Cally Carswell’s “The Tree Coroners”
Becky Lang
A Day in the Life of Becky Lang
Donate to TON and Your Gift Will Double—or Triple
Natural Habitat: Ed Yong
Journalists as Characters: Using First-Person Narration to Drive Stories
TON Collaborates with Knight Science Journalism at MIT
Meet the Newest TON/BWF Early-Career Fellows, Knvul Sheikh and Jennifer Lu
Ask TON: Are Edits Suggestions or Demands?
A Heartfelt Thanks to NASW, and Many Others
science blogging
Science Bloggers on Why They Do It
Nailing the Nut Graf
Emily Willingham
A Day in the Life of Emily Willingham
A Day in the Life of Jennifer Ouellette
On Being a PIO in the Age of the Internet
Chrissie Giles
A Day in the Life of Chrissie Giles
Ask TON: Finding International Stories
Ask TON: Organizing Notes
Serendipity Story: Hillary Rosner
How to Tell Science Stories with Maps
Ask TON: Using PIOs to Hunt Stories
Florence Williams Takes the Measure of Modern Breasts
On the Scene: Reporting from the Field
Michelle Nijhuis’s Brief Guide to Writing Reported Essays
William deBuys Goes to Extremes for Endangered Species
Storygram: Amanda Gefter’s “The Man Who Tried to Redeem the World with Logic”
Elaina Plott Explores Everyday Life on a Sinking Island
Natural Habitat: Cassandra Willyard
Book shelf
Read This! (Or Not): Writing Book Reviews
John McPhee on Characters, Structure, Titles, and Facing the ‘Low Dread’ of Writing
Writing When on the Autism Spectrum
Ross Andersen
Ross Andersen Writes a New Creation Story
Call for Proposals: Early-Career Fellowship Program
Is a Science Blog Still a Viable Path into Science Journalism?
Ask TON: How Many Interviews?
Rachel Aviv Examines the Science of Sex Abuse
Something New: The TON Pitch Database
Creating Characters on the Page
Making the Most of Lab Visits
A Day in the Life of Emily Anthes
Is This a Story? How to Evaluate Your Ideas Before You Pitch
Ask TON: Why Blog?
Call for Proposals: Early-Career Fellowship Program
Announcing the TON Fellowship
Happy 4th Birthday to TON—And Good News
A Day in the Life of Shannon Palus
Ross Andersen
A Day in the Life of Ross Andersen
Rebecca Boyle
Rebecca Boyle Excavates Earth’s Earliest History
Single Best: Dan Ferber
A Day in the Life of Hillary Rosner
Ask TON: Meeting Coverage
Ask TON: Conducting and Condensing Q&A Interviews
Sharon Dunwoody
Office Hours with Sharon Dunwoody
George Johnson Chases Lightning
Ask TON: Finding Patients
Thoughts on Voice: What It Is (And Isn’t). And How to Find Yours.
Vote Now for the Peeple’s Choice Award!
Unlock lock
Unlocked: How to Push Past a Career Barrier
Writing for Women’s Magazines
Asking for More: Negotiating Rates for Freelance Assignments
Like Being There: How Science Writers Use Sensory Detail
Pictures and Prose: When Photographers and Writers Work Together
Butterfly On A Bullet
Lizzie Presser Reveals the Underground Work of Home-Abortion Providers
Virginia Hughes Enters the Land of the Sleepyheads
Robin Marantz Henig Examines End-of-Life Issues
Office Hours with Lynne Friedmann
Cramming for the Slam
Alicia Chang
A Day in the Life of Alicia Chang
Jennifer Kahn Asks: Can a Child Psychopath Be Saved?
David Corcoran
A Day in the Life of David Corcoran
Adam Rogers Shadows a Fungus Detective
Can You Lend a Hand to The Open Notebook?
Surviving the Elements: Confronting Difficult Field-Reporting Conditions
Melissa Hendricks
Office Hours with Melissa Hendricks
Ask TON: Crafting a Winning Fellowship Proposal
Cynthia Graber Profiles a Modern-Day Dr. Frankenstein
Video: David Quammen Interview
How Rebecca Skloot Built The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
A Day in the Life of Amanda Gefter
Decolonizing Science Writing in South Africa
A Day in the Life of Tim De Chant
Richard Todd on Good Prose
Happy Birthday to Us! And … Introducing “Ask TON”
Meet the Newest TON/Burroughs Wellcome Fund Fellows
El primer crítico eres tú: cómo editar tu propio trabajo
Lizzie Wade
A Day in the Life of Lizzie Wade
Storygram: Charles Piller’s “Failure to Report”
What Do You Need and Want from TON?
A Day in the Life of Brian Switek
A Day in the Life of Maggie Koerth-Baker
A Day in the Life of Elizabeth Svoboda
Ask TON: How to Build Narrative in Explanatory Stories
How to Vet Industry PR Claims
A Day in the Life of Ann Finkbeiner
Tools: Planner Pad, the Funnel of Focus
Brian Vastag Profiles a Dinosaur Tracker
Ask TON: Mastering News Turnaround
Science Storytellers: Connecting Kids, Scientists, and Science Writers at AAAS
Charles Seife’s Brief Guide to Writing Opinion
The Reluctant Scientist: When Meeting Presenters Get Cold Feet
Natural Habitat: Priya Shetty
The Human Element: Bringing Science to Life with Profiles
A Day in the Life of Mark Peplow
Including LGBTQ+ Scientists as Sources
Depression Monster
On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
How to Talk to Your Facebook Friends about Fake News
David Tuller Untangles the Research History of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Oral Histories in Science Journalism: An Underrated Art
Erik Vance Scrutinizes a Battle over Dolphin Rights
Tom Linden
Office Hours with Tom Linden
Stephen Ornes Explains the Science of Lightning to Young Readers
Greg Miller Examines Mental Health Care in Indonesia
Call for Fellowship Applications
En busca del ángulo científico de cualquier historia
Jessica Wapner
Jessica Wapner Knocks at the Door of a Drug Epidemic
Show Me the Money: The Economics of Freelance Science Journalism
Gabriel Spitzer Explores the Chicago Science Scene
navigation compas
Navigating Conflicts of Interest
David Dobbs Examines a Provocative New Theory of How Genes Shape Behavior
Holly Tucker Animates a Centuries-Old Science Story
Natural Habitat: Andrew Curry
How to Use Reporting Skills from Any Beat for Science Journalism
Ask TON: Anonymous Sources
A Day in the Life of Rose Eveleth
Writing Well about Disability
Capture the Moment: Get More out of Your Stories through Photography
Writing Young: Crafting Science Stories for Kids
Are You a Writer or an Editor? Part I: The Writers
A Day in the Life of Ben Lillie
Maggie Koerth-Baker
Maggie-Koerth Baker Untangles the Story behind Trump’s False Claims of Immigrant Voter Fraud
Robin Marantz Henig Explores the Biology of Anxiety
Introducing the TON/BWF Fellows

 

 

Pitching

Ross Andersen
A Day in the Life of Ross Andersen
Single Best: Charles Choi
David Quammen on Turning Research Into Story, Part II
Science Blogging: The Essential Guide Makes an Online Home at TON
Capture the Moment: Get More out of Your Stories through Photography
The Big Leap: From Article to Book
What Is Science Journalism Worth? Part II
How to Prepare for the ScienceWriters2013 Power Pitch
A Day in the Life of Carl Zimmer
Call for Fellowship Proposals
Natural Habitat: Erik Vance
A Day in the Life of Ann Finkbeiner
A Day in the Life of Virginia Hughes
Annalee Newitz
A Day in the Life of Annalee Newitz
A Day in the Life of George Musser
Image Is (Almost) Everything: How to Find Great Story Art
A Day in the Life of Nsikan Akpan
Announcing the TON Fellowship
Decolonizing Science Writing in South Africa
Call for Proposals: Early-Career Fellowship Program
Taking Good Notes: Tricks and Tools
Ask TON: Finding International Stories
Fliers at hospital
Storygram: Amy Maxmen’s “How the Fight Against Ebola Tested a Culture’s Traditions”
Florence Williams Takes the Measure of Modern Breasts
Chrissie Giles
A Day in the Life of Chrissie Giles
Robin Marantz Henig Examines End-of-Life Issues
Depression Monster
On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
Single Best: Maryn McKenna
A Day in the Life of Joe Palca
Helen Pearson Profiles an Activist Turned Scientist
Single Best: Laura Helmuth
Pitching Errors: How Not to Pitch
Introducing the newest TON/Burroughs Wellcome Fund Fellow
Special TON Event: A Conversation with David Quammen
A Day in the Life of Tim De Chant
A Guide to Translating Science to Audio
A Two-Peep Limit: Marshmallow Dioramas Meet Middle-Schoolers
Storygram: Maria Konnikova’s “Altered Tastes”
Amy Harmon Follows a Young Autistic Man into the World
Ask TON: When Is Outsourcing Unethical?
Melinda Wenner Moyer Tracks Drug-Resistant Bacteria from Farm to Table
Lizzie Wade
A Day in the Life of Lizzie Wade
Ask TON: Reconnecting After a Disruption
Susan Dominus Delves into the Lives and Minds of a Remarkable Pair of Conjoined Twins
David Corcoran
A Day in the Life of David Corcoran
Gender Differences in Pitching: Results from the TON Pitching Habits Survey
David Grimm Covers Nuclear Fallout, Horse Brains, Mummified Remains, and Wine—All in One Story
Activism and Science Journalism: Where Are Your Boundaries?
Ask TON: How to Build Narrative in Explanatory Stories
Donate to TON and Your Gift Will Double—or Triple
A Heartfelt Thanks to NASW, and Many Others
A Day in the Life of Nadia Drake
Making the Most of Lab Visits
Introducing the Diverse Voices Series
How Rebecca Skloot Built The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
No Need to Fear FOIA
Surviving the Grind of Fact-Checking
The Science Byline Counting Project: Where Are the Women—and Where Are They Not?
Ask TON: Is This Draft Too Long?
Tim Folger
A Day in the Life of Tim Folger
How to Ace a 300-Word Story: An Interview with Roy Peter Clark
Call for Proposals: Early-Career Fellowship Program
Journalists as Characters: Using First-Person Narration to Drive Stories
Ask TON: Why Blog?
Explaining Complexity
Single Best: David Dobbs
Adam Rutherford Eulogizes the Space Shuttle
Storygram: Eric Boodman’s “Accidental Therapists”
A Day in the Life of Nidhi Subbaraman
Words with Friends: The Story Behind the Scilance Book
Oral Histories in Science Journalism: An Underrated Art
Extra! Get Yer “Science Writing in the Age of Denial” Conference Recaps Here!
Is Anyone Out There? Sourcing News Stories
Tools: Sipping from the Internet Firehose
Office Hours with Henriette Löwisch
Navigating Newsrooms as a Minority
Hillary Rosner Makes Readers Care about Saving an Unassuming Endangered Fish
Storygram: Andrew Grant’s “At Last, Voyager 1 Slips into Interstellar Space”
Ask TON: From Idea to Story
Jon Mooallem on a Plan to Bring Hippopotamus Ranching to America
A Day in the Life of Alexandra Witze
On Being a PIO in the Age of the Internet
Now Accepting Fellowship Applications
Including LGBTQ+ Scientists as Sources
An Army of Helpers: Twitter as a Reporting Tool
A Day in the Life of Florence Williams
Track Changes: From Writer to Editor
Ask TON: Repitching Killed Stories
Ask TON: Using PIOs to Hunt Stories
Steve Silberman Finds the Placebo Effect Is … Pretty Sweet
Herding on motobike
Storygram: Jane Qiu’s “Trouble in Tibet”
Natural Habitat: Robin Marantz Henig
The Human Element: Bringing Science to Life with Profiles
Single Best: Dan Ferber
Sandeep Ravindran
A Day in the Life of Sandeep Ravindran
Serendipity Story: A Pitch in Sheep’s Clothing
On the Scene: Reporting from the Field
Ask TON: Finding Patients
Sharon Begley’s Brief Guide to Writing Medical News
Phil McKenna Describes the Making of “Life in the Death Zone”
Cómo sacar el máximo provecho de las conferencias científicas
Ask TON: Are Edits Suggestions or Demands?
David Dobbs Examines a Provocative New Theory of How Genes Shape Behavior
Pictures and Prose: When Photographers and Writers Work Together
El primer crítico eres tú: cómo editar tu propio trabajo
Ask TON: Clearing Writer’s Block
Trading the Pipette for the Pen: Transitioning from Science to Science Writing
Liza Gross Digs into California’s Pesticide Data
Natural Habitat: Cynthia Graber
Happy Birthday to Us! And … Introducing “Ask TON”
The Open Notebook is growing, thanks to a $150,000 grant from Science Sandbox
Writing When on the Autism Spectrum
Surviving the Elements: Confronting Difficult Field-Reporting Conditions
The Intern’s Survival Guide
A Day in the Life of John Timmer
Office Hours with Lynne Friedmann
Max Ufberg
A Day in the Life of Max Ufberg
A Day in the Life of Emily Anthes
TON Partners with CASW on Storygrams Series
Like Being There: How Science Writers Use Sensory Detail
Anahad O'Connor
A Day in the Life of Anahad O’Connor
Paige Williams Investigates a Dinosaur Fossil Underworld
Storygram: Sarah Wild’s “Bones Specialists Try to Prise Secrets from the Veld Bodies”
Good Beginnings: How to Write a Lede Your Editor—and Your Readers—Will Love
Ask TON: How Much Editing to Expect?
David Grimm
A Day in the Life of David Grimm
Ask TON: Taking Notes Discreetly
Robin Lloyd
Office Hours with Robin Lloyd
Natural Habitat: Christie Aschwanden
A Day in the Life of Hillary Rosner
Storygram: Anna Maria Barry-Jester’s “Surviving Suicide in Wyoming”
Please Consider Supporting The Open Notebook
Weaving a Seamless Tale from Threads of Narrative and Exposition
How to Use Reporting Skills from Any Beat for Science Journalism
Excerpt: The Science Writers’ Handbook
A Day in the Life of Kate Travis
Tackling the Physical Sciences
Glendon
Glendon Mellow on Science Art: More than Just Picking the Right Image
A Day in the Life of Erika Check Hayden
Is Anybody Out There? Building a Blog Audience
Tina Saey Couldn’t Sleep, and She Wanted to Know Why
A Day in the Life of Jo Marchant
Science Photojournalist Morgan Heim Illuminates Environmental Cost of California’s Trespass Marijuana Grows
Single Best: Elizabeth Preston
Storygram: Azeen Ghorayshi’s “Sounding the Alarm”
Interviewing for Career-Spanning Profiles
Single Best: Deborah Blum
Diversity in Science Writing: A Survey
A Day in the Life of Rose Eveleth
Gabriel Spitzer Explores the Chicago Science Scene
Linda Nordling Probes the Transformation of South African Science
Christie Wilcox Gets a Taste of the Atlantic Lionfish Invasion
Narrative X-Rays: Looking at Stories’ Structural Skeletons
Dan Ferber Relates One Couple’s Struggle against the Farm Next Door
A Day in the Life of Maryn McKenna
Mac McClelland Tails Extreme Birders through Cuba
David Dobbs Deconstructs “My Mother’s Lover”
David Tuller Untangles the Research History of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
A Mid-Year Update and Request
Meetings of Minds, or, How to Talk to a Scientist
Naming the Dog: The Art of Narrative Structure
Alicia Chang
A Day in the Life of Alicia Chang
Matt Hutson
A Day in the Life of Matthew Hutson
Amanda R. Martinez Explores Island Conservation’s Ethical Quandries
A Day in the Life of Dan Vergano
Christie Aschwanden Tackles the Science of Exercise Recovery
Natural Habitat: Andrew Curry
Natural Habitat: Jessa Gamble
Lauren Gravitz Relates Nobel Laureate Steinman’s Poignant Story
How to Cover Big Science Events: Lessons from the Great American Eclipse
Storygram: Nicola Twilley’s “The Billion-Year Wave”
John McPhee on Characters, Structure, Titles, and Facing the ‘Low Dread’ of Writing
Good Transitions: A Guide to Cementing Stories Together
navigation compas
Navigating Conflicts of Interest
Melissa Hendricks
Office Hours with Melissa Hendricks
A Day in the Life of Mark Peplow
Maryn McKenna Describes Life as “Scary-Disease Girl”
Apoorva Mandavilli
When Science Reporting Takes an Emotional Toll
Meet the Newest TON/BWF Early-Career Fellows, Knvul Sheikh and Jennifer Lu
Brooke Borel
Brooke Borel Investigates a Scientist’s Bizarre Alter Ego
Feeling Like a Fraud: The Impostor Phenomenon in Science Writing
Joe Hanson on Communicating Science on the Silicon Screen
Ask TON: Embedded with Scientists
Single Best: Cristine Russell
A Day in the Life of Maggie Koerth-Baker
A Day in the Life of David Quammen
Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn on The Death of Cancer
Office Hours with Robert Irion
Ask TON: Planning Reporting
Ask TON: Meeting Coverage
Cramming for the Slam
Storygram: Annie Waldman’s “How Hospitals Are Failing Black Mothers”
David Wolman Explores Italian Earthquake’s Legal Aftershocks
Natural Habitat: Cassandra Willyard
Spotting Shady Statistics
Bad blood
Pow! Zap! Bam! Using Comics to Tell Compelling Science Stories
A Day in the Life of Anna Kuchment
Rhitu Chatterjee
A Day in the Life of Rhitu Chatterjee
Tom Linden
Office Hours with Tom Linden
Natural Habitat: Priya Shetty
Talking for Radio
Deborah Blum Traces a Poisonous History
Ready for Its Close-Up: Shooting Video with a Smart Phone
science blogging
Science Bloggers on Why They Do It
tree coroners
Storygram: Cally Carswell’s “The Tree Coroners”
En busca del ángulo científico de cualquier historia
Are You an Editor or a Writer? Part II: The Editors
Ask TON: Dumb Questions
Office Hours with Ellen Ruppel Shell
How to Conduct Difficult Interviews
Resurrecting the Dead: Richard Conniff on Bringing Historical Characters to Life
Applying Science to the Beauty and Wellness Beat
Delivering the Bad News: How to Reject Pitches Well
What Are the Odds? Reporting on Risk
A Day in the Life of Kat McGowan
Susan White’s Brief Guide to Investigations
Thanks to TON Readers, We’ve Met Our Matching Goal!
The Art of the Essay
Elizabeth Kolbert
Elizabeth Kolbert Stares Down Mass Extinction
A Day in the Life of Amanda Gefter
Charles Seife’s Brief Guide to Writing Opinion
A Day in the Life of Rich Stone
Happy New Year and Some News
William Saletan Explores the Malleability of Memory
Happy 4th Birthday to TON—And Good News
Ask TON: How Many Stories at Once?
A Day in the Life of Liz Neeley
Interviewing Scientists for Kids’ Science Stories
Single Best: Robin Lloyd
Get the Word Out: Start a Newsletter
William deBuys Goes to Extremes for Endangered Species
A Day in the Life of Megha Satyanarayana
A Day in the Life of Hannah Hoag
Michelle Nijhuis’s Nat Geo Adventure Began with a Word
How to Tell Science Stories with Maps
Adriana Gallardo
Adriana Gallardo Finds the Untold Stories of Black Mothers
Writing Revealing Stories Based on Unreliable Sources
How to Vet Industry PR Claims
Video: David Quammen Interview
A Day in the Life of Ashley Smart
Ask TON: Saving String
Time Traveling: Writing Graceful Flashbacks
A Day in the Life of Brian Switek
Jessica Wapner
Jessica Wapner Knocks at the Door of a Drug Epidemic
Beyond the Press-Release Rat Race: Fresh Ways to Cover Science News
Maryn McKenna Reports the Dark Side of Agriculture
Show Me the Money: The Economics of Freelance Science Journalism
A Day in the Life of Erik Vance
Storygram: George Johnson’s “Why Everyone Seems to Have Cancer”
Call for Fellowship Applications
How to Talk to Your Facebook Friends about Fake News
diverging tracks
How to Be (or Not to Be) an Advocacy Journalist
Are You Savvy about Digital Security?
What Do You Need and Want from TON?
Four Editors Give Tips on Writing Headlines. You Won’t Believe What Happens Next.
Storygram: Charles Piller’s “Failure to Report”
Rachel Aviv Examines the Science of Sex Abuse
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Cómo ser (o no ser) un periodista activista
David Quammen on Turning Research Into Story, Part I
Got a Question You’re Too Shy to Ask? Ask TON
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Storygram: Amanda Gefter’s “The Man Who Tried to Redeem the World with Logic”
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Brian Vastag Profiles a Dinosaur Tracker
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science blogging
Going Social: Science Blogging, Twitter, and Facebook
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Stephen Ornes Explains the Science of Lightning to Young Readers
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Peep Ye, Peep Ye! Announcing the Winners of the World’s Finest Science-Themed Peeps Diorama Contest!
Nidhi Subbaraman Uncovers a Story of Medical Neglect—and of Useful Anger—on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation
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Unlock lock
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Ross Andersen Writes a New Creation Story
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How to Do a Close Read

 

Want to be pitch perfect? The TON Pitch Database contains about 200 successful news and feature pitches.

 

Story Planning and Reporting

Brian Vastag Profiles a Dinosaur Tracker
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Good Transitions: A Guide to Cementing Stories Together
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Apoorva Mandavilli Recounts an Unlikely Recovery from Brain Injury
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Christie Wilcox Gets a Taste of the Atlantic Lionfish Invasion
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Science Photojournalist Morgan Heim Illuminates Environmental Cost of California’s Trespass Marijuana Grows
Ask TON: How Do You Juggle Assignments?
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Ask TON: From Idea to Story
David Dobbs Deconstructs “My Mother’s Lover”
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A Day in the Life of Max Ufberg
Ed Yong Profiles a Scientific Dynasty
A Day in the Life of Carl Zimmer
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A Two-Peep Limit: Marshmallow Dioramas Meet Middle-Schoolers
A Day in the Life of Nsikan Akpan
Naming the Dog: The Art of Narrative Structure
What Are the Odds? Reporting on Risk
Press Freedom
Reporting in Hostile Conditions: What U.S. Science Journalists Can Learn from Overseas Writers
Deborah Blum Traces a Poisonous History
Explaining Complexity
Ask TON: Organizing Notes
Storygram: Charles Piller’s “Failure to Report”
Nailing the Nut Graf
Lizzie Presser Reveals the Underground Work of Home-Abortion Providers
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A Day in the Life of Chrissie Giles
TON Partners with CASW on Storygrams Series
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Fliers at hospital
Storygram: Amy Maxmen’s “How the Fight Against Ebola Tested a Culture’s Traditions”
Deborah Blum: From Book to Documentary Film
Ask TON: Saving String
Michelle Nijhuis
Natural Habitat: Michelle Nijhuis
Virginia Hughes Enters the Land of the Sleepyheads
The Intern’s Survival Guide
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Please Consider Supporting The Open Notebook
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Repurposing Story Ideas for Multiple Venues
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Meet the Newest TON/BWF Fellows, Rodrigo Pérez Ortega and Rachel Zamzow
A Science Writer’s Guide to U.S. Visas
Science Blogging: The Essential Guide Makes an Online Home at TON
A Day in the Life of Brian Switek
Seth Mnookin Follows a Family Battling a Rare Genetic Disease  
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William deBuys Goes to Extremes for Endangered Species
Writing Well about Disability
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David Dobbs Examines a Provocative New Theory of How Genes Shape Behavior
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Talking for Radio
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Richard Todd on Good Prose
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Glendon Mellow on Science Art: More than Just Picking the Right Image
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Going Social: Science Blogging, Twitter, and Facebook
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Maryn McKenna Reports the Dark Side of Agriculture
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Science Bloggers on Why They Do It
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Christie Aschwanden Pits Evidence against ‘Truthiness’
Charles Seife’s Brief Guide to Writing Opinion
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A Day in the Life of Ann Finkbeiner
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Storygram: Eric Boodman’s “Accidental Therapists”
Peter Andrey Smith and Sruthi Pinnamaneni Interview a Doctor Trying to Untangle ALS “Reversals”
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Butterfly On A Bullet
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On Being a PIO in the Age of the Internet
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Science Storytellers: Connecting Kids, Scientists, and Science Writers at AAAS
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Ask TON: Repitching Killed Stories
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Robin Marantz Henig Examines End-of-Life Issues
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A New Year and Farewell
Tina Saey Couldn’t Sleep, and She Wanted to Know Why
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Storygram: Natalie Wolchover’s “Visions of Future Physics”
Ask TON: Clearing Writer’s Block
Oral Histories in Science Journalism: An Underrated Art
Brooke Jarvis Uncovers an Insect Armageddon
What Is Science Journalism Worth? Part I
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Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn on The Death of Cancer
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How to Be (or Not to Be) an Advocacy Journalist
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#$%^* This: What Else Are My Skills Good For?
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Storygram: Anna Maria Barry-Jester’s “Surviving Suicide in Wyoming”
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Phil McKenna Describes the Making of “Life in the Death Zone”
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Elizabeth Kolbert Stares Down Mass Extinction
Narrative X-Rays: Looking at Stories’ Structural Skeletons
Happy Birthday to Us! And … Introducing “Ask TON”
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Surviving the Elements: Confronting Difficult Field-Reporting Conditions
Announcing the TON Fellowship
TON Welcomes Jane Hu to Early-Career Fellowship
Something New: The TON Pitch Database
A Day in the Life of Charles Seife
Ask TON: How to Build Narrative in Explanatory Stories
How to Ace a 300-Word Story: An Interview with Roy Peter Clark
Brendan Koerner Storyboards a Hijacking Tale
Lizzie Wade Examines a Debate over the Origins of the Amazon’s Biodiversity
Call for Fellowship Applications
The Big Leap: From Article to Book
No Need to Fear FOIA
The Art of the Essay
Storygram: Andrew Grant’s “At Last, Voyager 1 Slips into Interstellar Space”
The Open Notebook is growing, thanks to a $150,000 grant from Science Sandbox
Amy Harmon Follows a Young Autistic Man into the World
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A Day in the Life of Tim Folger
Time Traveling: Writing Graceful Flashbacks
Storygram: Sarah Wild’s “Bones Specialists Try to Prise Secrets from the Veld Bodies”
Smooth Scriptwriting
Natural Habitat: Jessa Gamble
Ask TON: Finding International Stories
Gabriel Spitzer Explores the Chicago Science Scene
Ask TON: Is This Draft Too Long?
Ask TON: Which Meetings?
A Day in the Life of Ashley Smart
Is a Science Blog Still a Viable Path into Science Journalism?
Delivering the Bad News: How to Reject Pitches Well
How to Conduct Difficult Interviews
A Day in the Life of Virginia Hughes
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Lauren Gravitz Relates Nobel Laureate Steinman’s Poignant Story
Meetings of Minds, or, How to Talk to a Scientist
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Show Me the Money: The Economics of Freelance Science Journalism
Melinda Wenner Moyer Tracks Drug-Resistant Bacteria from Farm to Table
Single Best: Laura Helmuth
Tackling the Physical Sciences
Going Digital: Inside New Science Journalism Outlets