Writing about science for a general audience

1. Writing about science for a general audience A workshop presented in the School of Biology’s Integrated Learning Week by Alex Sinclair and Catie Lichten of EUSci February 22, 2012

2. What is EUSci? EUSci or eu:sci [yoo-sahy] noun: 1) Edinburgh science magazine Ex. Did you read the latest issue of EUSci? It's amazing! 2) Edinburgh student society Ex. I just joined EUSci and it only cost £3! 3) Producers and organisers of science podcasts, seminars, events... Ex. I can't keep up with all the fantastic content that EUSci is producing!

3. Workshops: * Editing (incl. External speakers) * Copyediting * Layout * Coming soon: writing The Four parts of EUSci

4. Issue 5 Jan ‘10 Issue 1 Sep ‘08 Issue 2 Jan ‘09 Issue 4 Sep ‘09 Issue 3 May ‘09 Issue 7 Sep ‘10 Issue 10 Sep ‘11 Issue 6 May ‘10 Issue 9 Apr ‘11 Issue 8 Jan ‘11

5. We can always use more people… Editors-in-chief: Sub-editors: Production team: Artists (UoE and ECA): Article/Copy Editors: Writers (they edit too): Total people involved (issue 8): 51

6. The Plan • Writing News • What makes the news? • Nailing the key idea and headlines (activity) • Short Break • Structure of news articles • News writing exercise (activity) • Introduction to editing • Activity • Introduction to features • Where to go from here

7. Why news? • The audience- mostly not scientists • Good practice of transferable skills: • Avoiding jargon • Reducing information down to key points • Communicating facts clearly • Making complex ideas understandable • Important- most people hear about science from news media

8. Why are each of these stories newsworthy? Girls use Facebook to attract gangs Greece heads for final bailout talks There is no one reason behind Whitney's awful self-destruction Let's Dance for Sport Relief attracts 6.5 million

9. Newsworthiness • Timeliness • Proximity • Rarity (‘holy cow!’) • Prominence (e.g. famous people) • Impact • Novelty • Human Interest • Magnitude • Conflict/controversy

10. Sample story: Human Tears Contain a Chemosignal • Read abstract(on your own, 5 minutes) • In groups (5 minutes): • Find and discuss key information(Who?, What?, Where?, Why is it interesting?, How) • What makes this story newsworthy? • Write a headline about this story for your assigned publication

11. The Original Paper: The Institute’s Press Release:

12. Human Tears Contain a Chemosignal- headlines from groups Daily Mail: Science proves the obvious: men turned off by women crying Men’s Health: Turned off by tears Nuts: Crybabies equals no babies Time Magazine: The science behind why your sex life is bad The Telegraph: A tear a day keeps your man at bay Guardian: Tears reduce sexual arousal Facebook status update: Who knew? Crying actually IS a turn-off, it’s not just me… [link] Cosmopolitan: Don’t cry for me

13. Pretty straightforward headlines:

14. More headlines…. Weeping women make willies wilt

15. 5-10 min Break

16. Part 2: Structuring a news piece Crucial Important Nice

17. Structure Example Hook What Why Who Where When

18. Your turn to write • On your own (15 minutes): • Read: Zebra paper abstract and excerpts • Note: who, what, where, when, why it matters • Write: First paragraph of story (3-4 sentences at most) • Share, discuss in small groups (10 minutes) • Feeling inspired? Send us your zebra para/story for feedback (see handout for emails)

19. Editing 1) Help the author to effectively say what they intend 2) Make it readable for others 3) Check facts for accuracy A few tips: - Note any places where you felt confused or had to reread. - Trim words, sentences, or information that are not adding anything. Remember: Less is More. - Be positive, diplomatic, respectful. - Work WITH (not against) the author, - Explain your suggested edits. - DON’T be a perfectionist.

20. Editing activity • Read ‘Altitude Illness’ (individually, 5 min) • Make notes of problems • You should find plenty! • Discuss how this piece can be improved (in groups, 5-10 min) • What suggestions would you make? • Remember to be positive and tactful

22. Pretty much everything else Features = Reviews TV podcasts books Interviews day in the life of… opinion pieces the science budget is going to ruin us does Brian Cox smile too much? rants why does no one ever clear up in my lab? sceptics view of religion “in depth” analysis science and/of .... politics new media society culture booze magic zombies historical /philosophical careers advice

23. Coming up with an idea Your own research Part of your research, technique, general introduction, general field, interview someone. Follow your interest Stuff you’ve seen , read, watched, heard, chatted about... Scout out press releases/publications e.g. Science daily/Nature news Science festival event....

24. Finding an angle – an example Classic Kit by Andrea Sella Petri dish a peculiar novel in my father's study. Written in 1884, Edwin Abbott's Flatland  described the strange adventures of a character called A Square… First line 3nd Para Richard Julius Petri was born in the town of Barmen…. Narrative But was it really Petri's idea?... My feeling… 5th Para 6th Para He retired in 1900 and was reported to have become both stout and vain… …where their low dimensionality helps to make visible the most complex of phenomena… Final Para http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Issues/2010/February/PetriDish.asp

25. EUSA society providing science writing, broadcasting and presenting opportunities and training Conceived, written and edited by a team of students Articles can be submitted on any scientific topic Informal 15 min talk and question session given by researcher or student on their subject area or nerdy passion Science discussions bringing the latest in science and technology Produced fortnightly with 1200 downloads a month Interested in getting involved? Contact us… email -euscimag@gmail.com website -eusci.org