Finishing Science

Favorite Online SciComm Resources

Over the years, I’ve become a digital packrat. Everything is organized into neat and idyllic folders, with nice corresponding names for the 200 links embedded.

Image of a website folder including several sub-folders.

What is a resource?

Resources are anything that helps me complete my task at had, especially reference material. They can come in the form of a study-focused Spotify playlist or a kind librarian who meets with me over Zoom. Usually, though, it is a website or pdf that I’ve bookmarked.

What’s buried in the digital filing cabinet has been accessible to me, but I’ve never shared the swath of documents within it. Here are three of my favorites that I use to write, research, and share about SciComm.

The Open Notebook

The Open Notebook (TON) is a community and collection of articles that specifically discuss science communication and science stories. I’ve used their resources to understand how other people write, look into nuances of the industry, and ask better questions to scientists. They have a wide cast of storytellers and editors who share their expertise. There’s also master classes, tip sheets, and a pitch database at your fingertips.

Don’t know where to start? They have a page for that too.

Favorites Sections:

• Finding Story Ideas
• Freelancing
• Ethics in Science Journalism
• Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Resources
• Statistics
• Data Journalism

Knight Science Journalism @ MIT

The Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT (KSJ) provides resources to enhance journalist skills. One of the most useful books I’ve read is the Science Editing Handbook which is available for free on their site. The topics range from editing about science, understanding statistics, and fact-checking styles.

Favorite Sections:

• The KSJ Science Editing Handbook
• Data Journalism Tools
• Being a Science Journalist

NPR Training

While not exclusively SciComm, the National Public Radio’s Training Site has excellent articles about sharing information ethically, concisely, and clearly — all important skills for science communication. Topics include diversity, ethics, social media, and digital-first writing.

Favorite Articles:

• What Journalists Need to Know When Covering Climate Change
• Must-have Math Skills for the Number-Crunching Newsperson
• A Field Guide to Reporting on COVID-19 (Bring Plastic Wrap)
• During the Pandemic, Cover Those We’ve Left Out

If you’re curious about other resources in that folder, start here with this Google Doc of extended SciComm Resources.