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A Field Guide for Science Writers: The Official Guide of the National Association of Science Writers
"Science writing offers some wonderful adventures," notes Patrick Young, a former editor of Science News. "I've visited the South pole, stared into a steaming volcano, covered the first human landing on the moon, and dived with an underwater archaeology team investigating an old fur trade route." But as Young readily admits, science writing is, above all, an adventure of the mind. It is in fact probably the most fascinating beat in journalism, spanning everything from new advances in cancer treatment and the depletion of the ozone layer, to dinosaurs, black holes in space, human evolution, animal behavior, and much more besides. What science writers ultimately cover--and convey to the reading public--is the forefront of human knowledge, the leading edge of our understanding of the universe and of ourselves.
Now, in A Field Guide for Science Writers, the official guide of the National Association of Science Writers, budding journalists and veteran reporters have a superb roadmap to this exciting area of journalism. Here some three dozen of the best known science writers in America share their hard-earned knowledge on how they do their job. Boyce Rensberger describes how he covers stories for the Washington Post; two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and New York Times reporter John Noble Wilford outlines the pitfalls and rewards of writing full-length books on scientific topics; NPR's Ira Flatow tells how radio pieces combine ambient sounds, music, voices, and facts to create a mental picture and evoke the feeling of "being there"; and Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Laurie Garrett, author of the best-selling The Coming Plague, discusses how to cover, and survive, a deadly epidemic. Each article brims with detailed, nuts-and-bolts information. For instance, Mary Knudson prints a section of a piece she has published, and then explains point by point how she researched every detail. Victor Cohn provides six tests to help reporters discern between probable facts and probable trash. And Sandra Blakeslee, a freelance writer who reports regularly for the New York Times, discusses covering the field of neuroscience: what you should know, which books give you a good background knowledge, which courses might help, which meetings to attend, which journals to read. In addition, readers will learn how newspaper writing differs from magazine stories, books, and science journals; how to tell a good story, use sources, do investigative reporting, write a solid but interesting op-ed piece or science column; how to translate a highly technical journal article; how to pitch ideas to magazine editors; and how to find ideas. Finally, a superb appendix offers a goldmine of resources for science writers, including both general sources of information as well as sources in fields such as anthropology, earth sciences, the environment, health and medicine, and technology.
A Field Guide for Science Writers gathers together insights and tips, personal stories and lessons of some of America's best-known science writers, men and women who work for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Time Magazine, Science, Science News, National Public Radio, and other eminent news outlets. Filled with wonderful anecdotes and down-to-earth, practical information, it is both illuminating and a pleasure to read. If you want to be a science writer, this book will be your bible.
Now, in A Field Guide for Science Writers, the official guide of the National Association of Science Writers, budding journalists and veteran reporters have a superb roadmap to this exciting area of journalism. Here some three dozen of the best known science writers in America share their hard-earned knowledge on how they do their job. Boyce Rensberger describes how he covers stories for the Washington Post; two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and New York Times reporter John Noble Wilford outlines the pitfalls and rewards of writing full-length books on scientific topics; NPR's Ira Flatow tells how radio pieces combine ambient sounds, music, voices, and facts to create a mental picture and evoke the feeling of "being there"; and Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Laurie Garrett, author of the best-selling The Coming Plague, discusses how to cover, and survive, a deadly epidemic. Each article brims with detailed, nuts-and-bolts information. For instance, Mary Knudson prints a section of a piece she has published, and then explains point by point how she researched every detail. Victor Cohn provides six tests to help reporters discern between probable facts and probable trash. And Sandra Blakeslee, a freelance writer who reports regularly for the New York Times, discusses covering the field of neuroscience: what you should know, which books give you a good background knowledge, which courses might help, which meetings to attend, which journals to read. In addition, readers will learn how newspaper writing differs from magazine stories, books, and science journals; how to tell a good story, use sources, do investigative reporting, write a solid but interesting op-ed piece or science column; how to translate a highly technical journal article; how to pitch ideas to magazine editors; and how to find ideas. Finally, a superb appendix offers a goldmine of resources for science writers, including both general sources of information as well as sources in fields such as anthropology, earth sciences, the environment, health and medicine, and technology.
A Field Guide for Science Writers gathers together insights and tips, personal stories and lessons of some of America's best-known science writers, men and women who work for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Time Magazine, Science, Science News, National Public Radio, and other eminent news outlets. Filled with wonderful anecdotes and down-to-earth, practical information, it is both illuminating and a pleasure to read. If you want to be a science writer, this book will be your bible.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 1997
37 people are currently reading
443 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Blum
16 books426 followersDeborah Blum is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author.
As a science writer for the Sacramento Bee, Blum (rhymes with gum) wrote a series of articles examining the professional, ethical, and emotional conflicts between scientists who use animals in their research and animal rights activists who oppose that research. Titled "The Monkey Wars", the series won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting.
As a science writer for the Sacramento Bee, Blum (rhymes with gum) wrote a series of articles examining the professional, ethical, and emotional conflicts between scientists who use animals in their research and animal rights activists who oppose that research. Titled "The Monkey Wars", the series won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 14, 2015
Excelente coletânea de textos sobre escrita científica, com um pouco de tudo, escrita por gente muito competente. De divulgação em revistas à relações públicas e crise em instituições. Também tem um pouco de escrita para internet, mas nada mais moderno.
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March 3, 2010I wouldn't have ever touched it if I hadn't been a science editor!!!
But it is PERFECT!!!!! All you need to know about science writing!
But it is PERFECT!!!!! All you need to know about science writing!
February 17, 2011
Best book on science writing i've read so far - really made a difference in how i approach writing and researching myself.
August 30, 2015
Some good information, but seems pretty outdated at this point.
September 28, 2022
Buku ini berisi kumpulan artikel dari puluhan penulis sains, terbagi dalam beberapa bagian:
1. Getting Started, berisi tentang bagaimana bekerja sebagai penulis/reporter sains di suratkabar, majalah, jurnal perdagangan, jurnal ilmiah, televisi. Juga membahas tentang menulis buku sains (populer), bagaimana bekerjasama dengan ilmuwan (menjadi co-author buku), tentang komunikasi sains oleh ilmuwannya sendiri, dan tentang persoalan freelancing.
2. Techniques of the Trade, membahas berbagai hal yang berkaitan dengan teknik kepenulisan sains. Tentang struktur cerita, investigative journalism, pengambilan sumber, penggunaan data, statistik, dan penulisan opini.
3. Covering the Stories in Science, membahas penulisan sains di berbagai bidang, seperti kesehatan, psikologi, neurosains, lingkungan, fisika, astronomi, teknologi, dll.
4. Working Outside the Media, membahas penulisan/reportase sains di institusi pendidikan, pemerintahan, museum, laboratorium, lembaga non profit, dan industri.
-dydy-
1. Getting Started, berisi tentang bagaimana bekerja sebagai penulis/reporter sains di suratkabar, majalah, jurnal perdagangan, jurnal ilmiah, televisi. Juga membahas tentang menulis buku sains (populer), bagaimana bekerjasama dengan ilmuwan (menjadi co-author buku), tentang komunikasi sains oleh ilmuwannya sendiri, dan tentang persoalan freelancing.
2. Techniques of the Trade, membahas berbagai hal yang berkaitan dengan teknik kepenulisan sains. Tentang struktur cerita, investigative journalism, pengambilan sumber, penggunaan data, statistik, dan penulisan opini.
3. Covering the Stories in Science, membahas penulisan sains di berbagai bidang, seperti kesehatan, psikologi, neurosains, lingkungan, fisika, astronomi, teknologi, dll.
4. Working Outside the Media, membahas penulisan/reportase sains di institusi pendidikan, pemerintahan, museum, laboratorium, lembaga non profit, dan industri.
-dydy-
October 30, 2017
excellent advice on specific areas of science
March 18, 2010
If I even had a network of contacts to develop, I would take the advice given in this book. If I had an editor, This would help me deal with him/her. If I didn't know that I really REALLY should check my sources, I would now know that.
The problem with this book is that it's written by science writers, and science writers are reporters and reporters are not very good sources on how to be reporters.
Still, it was free and I am grateful for it and I did learn from it, though not as much as I'd hoped I might.
The problem with this book is that it's written by science writers, and science writers are reporters and reporters are not very good sources on how to be reporters.
Still, it was free and I am grateful for it and I did learn from it, though not as much as I'd hoped I might.
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April 12, 2012This is pretty exciting stuff, because it gets into the nuts and bolts of how one goes about writing about science. The book is divided into sections, one of which is about actually writing well, one about the peculiarities of certain fields such as medicine, and one about working in all the various print markets. Print markets. The biggest problem with this book is that it was published in 2006, and the written word has been through an upheaval since then. I’d recommend this book for the section on craft alone, but the ten pages on writing for the Web left me wanting more.
September 17, 2013
This is an outstanding book for those considering a career in science writing. I appreciated the quality of each writer's contribution (great writing by seasoned science writers) and the breadth and depth of topics addressed. This book remains relevant even as science writing moves further into digital spheres.
May 9, 2011
This book is made up of chapters written by different people who write about their experiences in the publishing industry. Although I read this for a class, it was an interesting insight into how the publishing industry works
February 8, 2008
I'm reading/analyzing this for my dissertation, so my take on it isn't likely to be useful to others.
February 9, 2012
Was okay, less of a "how to" than a "here's what I do." Some compelling writing about writing in here, but a little too much personal narrative than examples and case studies.
October 12, 2013
just more than perfect !
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September 23, 2013Must read for science writers. Get the first edition and read that, too.
October 22, 2015
This book is very usefull and has lots of practical tips for science writers
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews