2 Trading the Pipette for the Pen: Transitioning from Science to Science Writing

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Note to Readers xi
4. Introduction 1
5. Part 1: Who Is a Science Journalist and How Do You Become One?
6. Introduction 9
7. 1 How to Use Reporting Skills from Any Beat for Science Journalism 11
8. 2 Trading the Pipette for the Pen: Transitioning from Science to Science Writing 21
9. 3 Do You Need a Science Degree to Be a Science Reporter? 28
10. 4 How to Break into English-Language Media as a Non-Native- English Speaker 35
11. 5 Feeling Like a Fraud: The Impostor Phenomenon in Science Writing 45
12. 6 What Is Science Journalism Worth? 55
13. 7 Nice Niche: How to Build and Keep Up with a Beat 64
14. 8 A Conversation with Amy Maxmen on “How the Fight against Ebola Tested a Culture’s Traditions” 69
15. Part 2: What Makes a Science Story and How Do You Find One?
16. Introduction 79
17. 9 Is This a Story? How to Evaluate Your Ideas Before You Pitch 81
18. 10 Sharpening Ideas: From Topic to Story 86
19. 11 Critically Evaluating Claims 92
20. 12 Finding the Science in Any Story 98
21. 13 Pitching Errors: How Not to Pitch 103
22. 14 Five Ways to Sink a Pitch 116
23. 15 What Makes a Good Pitch? Annotations from the TON Pitch Database 117
24. 16 A Conversation with Kathryn Schulz on “The Really Big One” 130
25. Part 3: How Do You Report a Science Story?
26. Introduction 141
27. 17 Is Anyone Out There? Sourcing News Stories 143
28. 18 Interviewing for Career-Spanning Profiles 148
29. 19 How to Conduct Difficult Interviews 157
30. 20 Including Diverse Voices in Science Stories 164
31. 21 How to Find Patient Stories on Social Media 172
32. 22 Pulling It All Together: Organizing Reporting Notes 178
33. 23 Gut Check: Working with a Sensitivity Reader 183
34. 24 When Science Reporting Takes an Emotional Toll 190
35. 25 A Conversation with Annie Waldman on “How Hospitals Are Failing Black Mothers” 196
36. Part 4: How Do You Tell Your Story?
37. Introduction 209
38. 26 Good Beginnings: How to Write a Lede Your Editor and Your Readers Will Love 211
39. 27 Nailing the Nut Graf 218
40. 28 How to Find and Use Quotes in Science Stories 225
41. 29 Like Being There: How Science Writers Use Sensory Detail 232
42. 30 Eradicating Ableist Language Yields More Accurate and More Humane Journalism 236
43. 31 Good Endings: How to Write a Kicker Your Editor and Your Readers Will Love 246
44. 32 The First Critic Is You: Editing Your Own Work 253
45. 33 A Conversation with Linda Nordling on “How Decolonization Could Reshape South African Science” 257
46. Part 5: How Do You Build Expertise in Science Writing?
47. Introduction 269
48. 34 How to Read a Scientific Paper 271
49. 35 What Are the Odds? Reporting on Risk 277
50. 36 Spotting Shady Statistics 282
51. 37 Problems with Preprints: Covering Rough-Draft Manuscripts Responsibly 291
52. 38 Getting the Most out of Scientific Conferences 299
53. 39 Interrogating Data: A Science Writer’s Guide to Data Journalism 306
54. 40 Explaining Complexity 312
55. 41 How to Do a Close Read 314
56. 42 A Conversation with Maggie Koerth on “The Complicated Legacy of a Panda Who Was Really Good at Sex” 322
57. Acknowledgments 327
58. Contributors 335
59. Index 343