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What’s Your Story? Contest Finalists and Winners
The Scientist is excited to announce the finalists of our inaugural science writing contest and to give readers a chance to vote for their favorite story.
What’s Your Story? Contest Finalists and Winners
What’s Your Story? Contest Finalists and Winners

The Scientist is excited to announce the finalists of our inaugural science writing contest and to give readers a chance to vote for their favorite story.

The Scientist is excited to announce the finalists of our inaugural science writing contest and to give readers a chance to vote for their favorite story.

SciComms

An image of a brain, with scientific elements on the left side and color splashing out on the right side.
How Visual Cues Can Help Tell the Story
Nathan Ni, PhD | Sep 25, 2024 | 4 min read
Effective scientific figures incorporate artistic principles, using color, layout, and other visual elements to help clarify the message.
istock
Attention to Detail in Scientific Figures
Nathan Ni, PhD | Sep 4, 2024 | 4 min read
Small details—including alignment, layout arrangement, legibility, and visual consistency—are important when designing and creating scientific figures. 
An individual using a laptop and tablet to create and analyze data-based graphics.
Designing Scientific Figures
Nathan Ni, PhD | Aug 23, 2024 | 4 min read
Planning and designing figures—organizing, arranging, and visualizing data—is an important skill for scientists.
A scientist with gloved hands sitting at a table with a magnifying glass and lab glassware and writing in a notepad with a pen.
How the Bench Can Build SciComm Skills
Nathan Ni, PhD | Jul 17, 2024 | 4 min read
A scientist’s day-to-day routine in the laboratory provides many opportunities for developing their scientific communication skills.
An individual standing in front of a screen, delivering a lesson.
How to Write Science for a General Audience
Nathan Ni, PhD | Jul 8, 2024 | 4 min read
Writing for a non-scientific audience uses many of the same skills as writing for other scientists, but uses a bit more of an author’s personal flair.
An individual working at a scientific bench in front of a microscope. 
How to Present a Research Study’s Limitations
Nathan Ni, PhD | Jun 18, 2024 | 4 min read
All studies have imperfections, but how to present them without diminishing the value of the work can be tricky.
An individual looking at graphs and charts on a clipboard in front of a laptop. 
How to Write a Good Results Section
Nathan Ni, PhD | May 27, 2024 | 5 min read
Effective results sections need to be much more than a list of data points given without context. 
3D illustration depicting white and red blood cells flowing in a network of blood vessels.
How Migrating Cells Navigate Biological Mazes
Laura Mac-Daniel, PhD | May 16, 2024 | 4 min read
A key protein that detects changes in plasma membrane curvature guides immune-like cells through environmental obstacles.
Two prairie voles are interacting with one another. The vole on the left sniffs the cheek of the vole on the right.
Be My Vole-entine: How Love and Loss Change the Brain
Paige Nicklas | May 16, 2024 | 4 min read
Neuroscientists studying prairie voles discovered that dopamine in the brain gushes when the animals are with their life partners and that loss of a partner erased this neurochemical signature.
Image showing the legs of multiple people running in the street. 
Another Reason to Challenge Yourself at the Gym
Alara Tuncer | May 16, 2024 | 4 min read
In a chronic stress model, challenging exercise reduced anxiety by activating a three-neuron loop across brain regions.  
A yellow-bellied marmot being held in the arms of a researcher while they collect a cheek swab from the marmot.
Exploring the Link between Sociality and the Marmot Gut Microbiome
Harita Sistu | May 16, 2024 | 4 min read
The marmot social microbiome is unlike that of other mammals, adding a new perspective to wildlife conservation efforts.
Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) perched on a branch with its wings extended.
Two Genetic Loci Control Migration Direction in a Small Bird Species
Pedro Andrade, PhD | May 16, 2024 | 4 min read
The innate genetic program that controls migratory behavior in birds is shrouded in mystery, but scientists are closer to understanding how genetic variation influences their routes between Europe and Africa.
Three dividing <em >Epulopiscium viviparus</em> cells seen on a microscope.
The Genome of a Gigantic Bacterium Reveals Odd Metabolic Properties
Megan Keller | May 16, 2024 | 4 min read
With its complete genome sequenced, one of the world’s largest microbes harbors unique energy processes that highlight its relation to its symbiotic host, the surgeonfish.
A block of cheddar cheese pictured here with various accompaniments.&nbsp;
Cheddar Cheese Lovers Have Interactive Microbes to Thank
Vaishnavi Sridhar, PhD | May 16, 2024 | 3 min read
Scientists used a commercial year-long cheddar making process to show how various bacterial communities interact and contribute to the distinct flavor of cheddar.
iStock
How to Write a Good Introduction Section
Nathan Ni, PhD | May 1, 2024 | 6 min read
A strong narrative is as integral a part of science writing as it is for any other form of communication.
A bookshelf in a library filled with old books.
Building a Scientific Narrative
Nathan Ni, PhD | Apr 15, 2024 | 6 min read
A strong narrative is as integral a part of science writing as it is for any other form of communication.
A person sitting in a laboratory writing notes with a pen in a notebook.
The Fundamentals of Academic Science Writing
Nathan Ni, PhD | Mar 25, 2024 | 5 min read
Writing is an essential skill for scientists, and learning how to write effectively starts with good fundamentals and lots of practice.
Peer Profile Program
Peer Profile Program
The Scientist | Mar 1, 2024 | 1 min read
Scientists elevate other scientists, and we want to help! Recommend a researcher whose achievements inspire you. We’ll share the story.
A ballpoint pen placed on top of a notebook that is sitting on top of a laptop keyboard.
Why Scientific Communication Matters for Manuscripts
Nathan Ni, PhD | Dec 12, 2023 | 4 min read
Scientists are beginning to recognize the importance of being able to effectively communicate their findings.
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