Writing for The Scientist

So you want to write for The ScientistHow to apply for an internship:The Scientist interns start writing almost as soon as they walk in the door, quickly becoming integral members of our staff. As an intern your primary responsibility will be to write news briefs for our online website, however, we encourage interns to write for other sections of the print magazine as well. Administrative work is kept to a minimum (you won't be getting coffee, making copies, or running anyone else's errands). Your work will be published with your byline both online and in the print magazine. This is an excellent opportunity for researchers with writing abilities looking to get into science journalism and for writers with a strong science background. We.re looking for candidates who are as comfortable with writing as they are with digesting primary scientific literature. You must be able to write on deadline and be open to critiques from your editors. We write for an audience of researchers, so experience working in a lab is a plus. You must be a college graduate. The position is for a paid internship located in New York City, with openings starting February 1st. Please send your resume and cover letter to interns@the-scientist.com , no later than December 17th.How to pitch us stories:The Scientist's editors are always looking for writers who can contribute enterprising reporting to tell the stories of science around the world. Our online news stories, and Notebooks, which appear in print, are generally the best places to break in as a freelance journalist. We cannot underestimate how important it is for potential contributors to carefully study and understand our audience as well as our approach.We offer competitive rates per word. Once we accept your idea, we will discuss particulars about payment, and will ask some general questions about potential conflicts of interest.If you are an active scientist or policymaker, and would like to reach our tens of thousands of scientist readers in print, and many more on the web with an Opinion, we welcome those submissions too.Specific instructions follow.Pitching newsPitching NotebooksSubmitting OpinionsPitching news:If you have an idea for a news story, use the pitch guidelines posted below for either research or policy stories, and send your idea to news contact Jef Akst at Jakst@the-scientist.com.-To pitch research news, follow these guidelines:Daily news research roundups are short items (600 words generally) set to be released on the date that the embargo lifts for the paper or papers you're covering. There should be at least three interviews: one of the authors involved and two outside voices. You'll generally be pitching these from press releases.We're all getting the same releases, so instead of just cutting and pasting, spend a little time and write a pitch that includes the following, with these exact categories:THE FINDINGTHE METHODWHY IT'S IMPORTANT OR FUNDAMENTAL TO LIFE SCIENCE RESEARCHERSWHAT'S DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE KNEW BEFORE?WHAT MIGHT BE CONTROVERSIALSome might have shorter answers than others. Sometimes "why it's important" is just because it's a timely finding that has something to do with what's going on in the world. But if there aren't really good answers to at least one of the last three questions, it may not be a good fit for the Daily News.If you feel the need to quote the press release, do so, but say so.When 24 hours has passed since the press release came out, we'll review them together. If the study is worth covering, I'll assign a story to that writer who seems to have the most insight into why it's a good story.Administrative notes:-- Always, always, always, attach the paper or a link to it, or let me know why it's not available.-- Always, always, always include the embargo date. Don't assume I know just because it's a journal we typically cover.-- Include one pitch per email.-- Your subject line should always be "Journal name" "pitch" "lead author" (eg Nature pitch Smith).-To pitch news stories that aren't based on journal articles, but have a significant impact on life scientists working in the lab, follow the guidelines listed below.THE STORY (Describe what the story would be about, 1-2 sentences.)WHY SIGNIFICANT (Describe why this story is significant to life scientists, 1-2 sentences. What makes this story worth covering?)PREVIOUS COVERAGE (Describe when we covered the story before, how this new story would be different. Include links of our previous studies.)WHAT WILL YOU SAY THAT'S NEW: 1-2 sentences.SOURCES: (Categories of people, such as "stem cell researcher," are fine. 3-4 categories.)Pitching Notebooks:Send Notebook ideas to Associate Editor Bob Grant at bgrant@the-scientist.com. Notebooks do not need to follow such formal pitches, but any pitch should include the general idea, who else has covered the story, what you'll give us that is unique, and why the idea is important to our readers. Notebooks run about 700 words and are sort of mini-profiles, with a heavy dose of narrative. Please see the Notebook sections of several recent issues to get a sense of what they're about.Submitting Opinions:We welcome unsolicited opinions, of 700 words or less. Email your submission as a Word document to Bob Grant at bgrant@the-scientist.com.

Writing for The Scientist

So you want to write for The Scientist

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of