Resources
Questions about science journalism? We've compiled some resources to help inform aspiring and early-career science writers.
Science Writing Awards Programs
Stories featured on CASW Showcase are selected by a panel of volunteer judges from work recognized by recent awards given by scholarly and professional organizations. The awards from which Showcase stories are drawn include the following:
- AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards
- CASW’s Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award for young science journalists
- CASW’s Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting
- NASW’s Science in Society Journalism Awards
- European Science Writer of the Year
- AGU’s David Perlman Award
- AGU’s Walter Sullivan Award
- AIP’s Science Communication Award
Another six stories were winners of the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative Communication Awards, which ended in 2019. You can read more about the awards represented in Showcase on the Awards page.
Many Showcase stories have won other awards. Among the awards programs closely related to science writing are:
- CASW’s Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award (new in 2022)
- National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communication (new in 2022)
- Acoustical Society of America Science Writing Awards
- American Institute of Biological Sciences Media Award
- Grady-Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public
- John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism
- PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
- Society of Environmental Journalists Annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment
- Society for Neuroscience Science Journalism Student Award
- Thomas L. Stokes Award for Best Energy Writing
Science Writing Anthologies
Want more examples of superb science writing? Anthologies select from the best work published each year. These include:
- The Best American Science and Nature Writing
- The Best Writing on Mathematics
- The Best of the Best of American Science Writing (presents exemplars from an anthology series that has been discontinued)
Annotations
If you like the Storygrams, you might be interested in these:
- Annotation Tuesday! at Nieman Storyboard
- The New York Times Reader: Science & Technology
Advice on Science Writing
Here are some online guides that discuss the craft and trade:
- A Guide to Careers in Science Writing
- CASW’s Who Are Science Writers?
- The Guardian’s Secrets of Good Science Writing
Plenty of websites and blogs are dedicated to discussing science journalism:
- Pitch, Publish, Prosper
- The Nieman Journalism Lab
- The Open Notebook
- Undark Magazine
- On Science Blogs
- The Observatory at Columbia Journalism Review
Books
There are plenty of books that can help you learn the ins and outs of the field. Here are a few of our favorites:
- A Field Guide for Science Writers
- Science Blogging: The Essential Guide
- The Science Writers’ Handbook
- The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking
Books that advise scientists on the challenges of interpreting science for the public include:
Graduate Programs
A graduate program in science writing isn’t for everyone, but it can help a novice hone the craft and make valuable connections. An article at The Open Notebook asks what a science writing master’s program gets you. CASW supports graduate education in science writing with the Taylor/Blakeslee University Fellowships.
Prominent science journalism graduate programs in the U.S. include:
- Boston University
- Columbia University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- New York University
- University of California, Santa Cruz
Science Journalism Associations
In the field of science journalism, networking is everything. Here are multiple communities that can help you connect.
National:
- Association of Health Care Journalists
- Council for the Advancement of Science Writing
- National Association of Science Writers
- Society of Environmental Journalists
California:
- Northern California Science Writers Association
- San Diego Science Writers Association
- SciCommCamp (Greater Los Angeles)
- SoCal Science Writing
The West Coast (sans California, plus Hawaii):
- Northwest Science Writers Association
- Hawaii Science Writers Association
- Science Talk (Portland, Oregon)
- Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains
Central Time:
- Austin Texas Science Writers
- Chicago Science Writers
- SciComm South (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana)
The East Coast:
- D.C. Science Writers Association
- New England Science Writers
- Philadelphia-Area Science Writers Association
- Science Communicators of North Carolina
- Science Writers in New York
- Science Writers in and around Cambridge, MA
Global:
- World Federation of Science Journalists (includes information on 50+ affiliated membership associations)
Professional Fellowships
These programs provide science-writing experience, project support, or opportunities to explore an area of interest.
- AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellows Program
- Knight Science Journalism @ MIT
- Nieman Fellowships
- Scripps Fellowships in Environmental Journalism
Many other fellowship programs are open to science journalists. Announcements are regularly posted on the NASW website.
Let us know of useful resources via the Suggestion Box. Note that although these resources are primarily oriented toward U.S. journalists, some awards programs and organizations are international.