Grants: The Pros and Cons of Telling the World You Just Got Some Money

writing

Grants: The Pros and Cons of Telling the World You Just Got Some Money

Posted 9 May 2013 by Matt Shipman

If someone just gave me a bunch of money, would you be interested? Probably not. That’s because when one person gets money it is not inherently interesting to anyone else. But when that money comes in the form of a research grant, there’s often a lot of pressure on public information officers (PIOs) to stir up interest among reporters. I am a PIO, and I struggled with this particular task for a few years before realizing that, sometimes, promoting grant... Read more

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How Do You Not Get Curious? An Interview with Jessica Wapner

Posted 7 May 2013 by Matt Shipman

Medical writing can be dry, technical and confusing. But it can also be spellbinding, pulling readers into a world where men and women are engaged in a daily battle against human suffering. At its best, medical writing reminds readers that the triumph of scientific discovery can not only change lives, but save them. “The Philadelphia Chromosome,” by first-time author Jessica Wapner, is an example of great medical writing. The book involves dozens of researchers, more than a century of complex... Read more

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Do Not Bury the Lead

Posted 8 April 2013 by Matt Shipman

The opening lines of any written work are essential. This is true of news stories, blog posts and novels, and I’ve written about it before. But I forgot to mention an important point that all news writers (including bloggers) should bear in mind: you need to tell the reader right away why they should bother reading what you wrote. In other words, do not “bury the lead.” The lead (rhymes with greed) is the news hook of the story: What’s... Read more

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The Importance of Defining Terms

Posted 2 April 2013 by Matt Shipman

Words have meanings. This is the basis of language and shouldn’t surprise anyone. Yet people often use one word when they mean another — and this significantly weakens many attempts to communicate about scientific topics. There are two issues here: first, make sure you use technical terms correctly; second, define those terms. This second point is significant, because even if you are using a technical term correctly, you should not assume that your reader will understand precisely what you meant.... Read more

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There’s an Interesting Book There: an Interview with Mary Roach

Posted 20 March 2013 by Matt Shipman

Of all the authors whose books are shelved in the “Science” section, Mary Roach may be the funniest. And she is definitely the funniest to have written books about scientific research related to sex, death (twice!), and sending humans into space. If you’re not familiar with Roach, she is the author of “Stiff,” “Spook,” “Bonk” and “Packing for Mars.” (Her newest book, “Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal,” comes out April 1.) She has also written for a variety of... Read more

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It’s Worth Remembering That Writing Is Fun

Posted 18 March 2013 by Matt Shipman

Once upon a time, I was a reporter. I had a full-time job writing news stories about environmental and health policy issues, and I moonlighted as a freelancer writing about everything from antiques to breweries. Then that changed. Over the course of a few years I stopped being a reporter and had one, two and ultimately three children. I became a science writer for a university, so I still get to write — primarily news releases and blog posts about... Read more

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Four Ways to Open a Science Story

Posted 9 March 2013 by Matt Shipman

There are many ways to begin a story. And finding the right opening line can make writing the rest of the story much easier. Finding the right opening line is also important if you want the reader to keep reading. I am not the first person to say this. Tim Radford’s famous “Manifesto for the Simple Scribe” lists the all-important first line in rule number 12, which says (among other things) that “there is always an ideal first sentence.” But... Read more

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Science, People, Ideas and Agendas: an Interview with David Dobbs

Posted 22 January 2013 by Matt Shipman

Books can be powerful communication tools, and good writers can turn complex scientific subjects into spellbinding stories that are accessible by readers of all backgrounds – not just scientists and science enthusiasts. David Dobbs is one of those writers. Dobbs is the author of “The Northern Forest,” “The Great Gulf” and “Reef Madness,” and has written for The Atlantic, New York Times Magazine, National Geographic and other outlets. He also writes the Neuron Culture blog for Wired Science. I read... Read more

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What the Rosy Hare Told Me about Writing for Kids

Posted 16 January 2013 by Matt Shipman

[Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Elizabeth Preston, editor of the children’s science magazine Muse. Preston will be co-moderating a session on science writing for kids at ScienceOnline 2013. She writes about science for grown-ups on her blog, Inkfish.] In 2011 I received a strange email about a bunny. “We have a presenter here who is telling kids about the discovery of pink bunnies,” a woman working at a science museum wrote. “He said he read an article... Read more

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