Call for Applications: TON/BWF Early-Career Fellowship

We are now accepting applications for the next round of The Open Notebook/Burroughs Wellcome Fund fellowship for early-career science writers. The application deadline is October 21, 2021.

TON Editors Sep 17, 2021

Please Don’t Ignore Me: Requesting Interviews with Scientists

Facing my first story idea as a science journalist, I knew the first step was to email researchers and set up interviews. But after spending years at the lab bench myself, I knew that scientists juggle many demands on their time. To grab their attention, my email had to hit all the marks while also being courteous. And because I hadn’t yet secured an assignment, I wanted to be extra sure that my request wouldn’t get lost in the noise.

Karen Kwon Sep 14, 2021

Navigating Qualitative Research

Most science journalists learn how to read a certain kind of paper: one based on number-heavy, experiment-driven research. But rarely are we taught how to evaluate the credibility of papers that are based on qualitative data such as interviews, observation, or the analysis of historical documents. Doing so requires redefining expectations, calibrating your definition of what “robust” research is, engaging deeply with the internal debates of a field, and resetting the narrative structure of your stories.

María Paula Rubiano A. Sep 7, 2021

Science Journalism Master Classes

Master your craft with our free Science Journalism Master Classes. These short courses, delivered by email, are made possible by a grant from The Kavli Foundation.

TON en Español

The Open Notebook ha publicado más de 500 artículos y otros recursos destinados a ayudar a los periodistas de ciencia a mejorar sus habilidades. Esta página contiene traducciones al español de un conjunto creciente de esos artículos. [The Open Notebook has published more than 500 articles and other resources to help science journalists improve their skills. Our readers come from almost every country in the world and include thousands of people whose first language is Spanish. This page contains Spanish translations of a growing collection of these articles.]

Finding the Right Tools for Organizing Assignments and Reporting

There are lots of tools to help journalists shepherd their story to completion. However, no one organizational tool or strategy is perfect for everyone—or even right for any given person at all times and across all their projects. You’ll need to experiment to find the combination that works for you, without accidentally spending so much time trying to develop an organizational utopia that you are left with no time for doing the journalism itself.

Abdullahi Tsanni Jul 27, 2021