Programs

The Open Notebook empowers journalists everywhere to tell impactful stories, contributing to an informed and engaged society. We achieve this through a variety of major programs designed to support journalists at every stage of their career.

 

Publications, Tools, and Resources

Explore our collection of freely available resources designed to equip journalists worldwide to cover science. These include:

• More than 600 articles on the craft of science journalism. Our vast library of articles, all freely available to anyone, anywhere in the world, includes:
  • Reported Features that dive deep into the craft of science journalism; dozens of our articles and guides center diversity, equity, and inclusion in science journalism, including articles on topics such as covering Indigenous communities, reporting and writing with trans-inclusion in mind, navigating bias in newsrooms, and finding diverse sources for science stories.
  • Concise, accessible tip sheets focused on core challenges that journalists may face in covering science at the local level.
  • Our Storygram™ series, begun with funding support from the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, in which experienced journalists provide in-depth annotations of noteworthy journalism to show what makes the best science stories so good.
  • Story-Behind-the-Story Interviews, in which we ask journalists to deconstruct their working process, from how they found and sharpened their ideas to what they left on the cutting-room floor.
  • Our A Day in the Life series, providing a peek behind the curtain, inviting respected science journalists to break down the habits, tricks, and must-have tools that sustain their work.
  • TON en Español, our collection of more than 130 popular TON articles translated into Spanish, reaching some 15,000 readers.
• Our interactive Science Reporting Navigator™, developed in partnership with the Reynolds Journalism Institute, takes the intimidation out of bringing science into any beat
• Our Local Science Reporting Help Desk, a peer-supported resource for local and general assignment reporters and editors
• The Science Writers Database, a free, global directory of science journalists, writers, editors, and other communicators who cover science.
• TheTON Pitch Database, a searchable resource containing hundreds of successful queries to a wide range of publications. This unique tool gives science journalists the opportunity to study the first—and often the most difficult—step in producing outstanding science stories.
• Our books The Craft of Science Writing (2nd, expanded edition November 2024) and The Best Science Stories and How They Work (July 2026), published by the University of Chicago Press. Our books offer an essential primer for journalists, science communicators, students, and others who want to improve their science writing skills.

 

Training and Mentoring

We offer hands-on training and mentoring opportunities that help journalists build their skills and advance their careers.

• We offer interactive, hands-on trainings and workshops for journalists, editors, newsroom teams, scientists, and other science communicators. Led by experienced science journalists and editors, our workshops draw on more than 15 years of expertise in the craft of science writing. Every training is grounded in real-world examples and designed around active learning—combining discussion, practical exercises, expert feedback, and resources participants can continue using long after the session ends.
• Online skills courses: More than 10,000 people have taken at least one of our free Science Journalism Master Classes, which have an 83 percent completion rate, on average.
• We support a variety of mentoring programs, including:
  • An intensive, 12-month mentored early-career fellowship program
  • A mentoring community for science journalists from historically underrepresented communities
  • A peer-mentoring community for international students in science writing

 

Community Support

We believe that community is essential to strong journalism that informs, equips, and ultimately serves the public. In an era when many journalists work in isolation and mentorship opportunities are shrinking, The Open Notebook fosters connection at every career stage. Our programs are designed not only to build skills but to cultivate a sense of belonging, shared purpose, and mutual support.

Across continents and time zones, journalists use TON to share wisdom, troubleshoot challenges, and celebrate wins. Whether it’s a freelance pitch workshopped in a peer circle, a fellowship lead passed along in a virtual meetup, or a reporting dilemma resolved with help from a fellow journalist across the globe, these moments of connection ripple outward. They fuel stories that are more accurate, more inclusive, and more impactful. Contributors tell us they stay involved not just for the resources, but for the people. TON offers a professional home: a place to learn, grow, connect, and thrive—so journalists can do their best work for the audiences who rely on them.