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
Journalists everywhere are increasingly asked to cover issues where scientific evidence, data, and expertise play a central role—often without dedicated science beats or specialized training. The need for accurate science reporting extends to every beat, from health and environment to transportation and infrastructure planning, housing and education policy, and crime and public safety.
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. Our curriculum is grounded in real examples and is designed to help participants strengthen their skills through discussion, hands-on exercises, and expert 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 our 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, taking the intimidation out of bringing scientific evidence into stories. We focus on universal, high-impact skills, including how to make sense of data, weigh competing claims, find expert voices, and communicate complex topics clearly. Through breakout discussions, small-group activities, and real-time exercises, 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 developed by The Open Notebook in partnership with the Reynolds Journalism Institute. The Navigator is designed to help journalists confidently and efficiently integrate science into their stories, even on deadline. Participants will gain a practical understanding of how to use the Navigator to bring scientific evidence, data, and voices into stories on any beat, from health or environment to education, housing, or crime. Through hands-on exercises, attendees will explore the Navigator’s scenario-based learning paths, which provide accessible guidance for specific reporting situations, from breaking news events like wildfires or disease outbreaks to coverage of policy debates around topics such as proposed AI data centers. The session also dives into bite-sized modules focused on essential skills, such as:
- Accessing and reading scientific papers
- Finding and interviewing expert sources
- Deciphering statistical terms
- Spotting pseudoscience
- Reporting on politicized science
- Finding the science in any story
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 Editing Science Stories
As an editor, 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? And as a writer, how can you self-edit your stories before they ever meet an editor’s red pen?
Journalists and editors have few formal opportunities to learn these skills. To help fill this critical gap, we offer customizable, practical training designed for working (or aspiring) editors as well as writers who want to become stronger self-editors. The curriculum combines practical frameworks, hands-on exercises, and expert guidance to help participants develop sharper editorial instincts and produce cleaner, more powerful copy.
Core topics may include:
- Developing the skills and mindset of an editor
- Sharpening story ideas and developing reporting plans
- Prioritizing the steps in your editing or self-editing process
- Using The Open Notebook’s Editing ForensicsTM approach to evaluate stories at the conceptual, structural, and stylistic levels to identify what a piece needs to become clearer, stronger, and more compelling
- Reverse-outlining stories—whether they’re drafts in progress or award-winning published stories—to assess their architecture, spot gaps in reporting and other weaknesses, and identify opportunities to improve flow or focus.
- Nurturing strong editor-writer relationships
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, fill out our training inquiry form.
Training Partners
We’re proud to have delivered trainings and workshops in partnership with the following newsrooms and organizations:
- Science
- Science News
- Springer Nature
- Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources
- Society of Professional Journalists
- Association of British Science Writers
- Nepal Forum of Science Journalists
- Trans Journalists Association
- MUSC Hollings Cancer Center