HOW TO GET INTO SCIENCE COMMUNICATION

Thinking about a career in science communication? Kat Arney has a selection of useful newsletters, guides and communities to get you started.

“That tho’ a Man were admitted into Heaven to view the wonderful Fabrick of the World, and the Beauty of the stars, yet what would otherwise be Rapture and Extasie, would be but melancholy Amazement if he had not a Friend to communicate it to.” Attributed to Archytus, via Christiaan Huygens, The Celestial Worlds Discover’d (1722)

Whenever I speak to school or university students about my journey from being a lab scientist to leading First Create The Media, I start with this quote, which sums up the passion and excitement I feel when I’m sharing stories about science. Science is incredible, and being able to understand it well enough to communicate it clearly to the wider world is a joy and a privilege. So it’s not surprising that I’m often contacted by graduates, PhD or MSc students or other early career researchers wanting to know how they can get into science communication, writing or broadcasting, either alongside their research or as a career.

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to jump on a call to talk it through one-to-one – much as I’d like to. So instead, I’ve pulled together some resources that people might find helpful when they’re thinking about moving into the world of sci-comm.

Some of these links are showing their age (as we all do in the end, darling…) It’s been 20 years since I left the lab to start my own career in science communication, and quite a lot has changed since then! But the fundamentals of good science communication don’t really go out of date, even when the platforms and job titles do. What’s less likely to change: start now, seek out and say yes to small opportunities, build a portfolio, and find your people.

I’ve grouped these into a few categories so you can dip into whichever feels most useful right now, whether that’s finding a community, filling your inbox with useful reading, settling down with a book or working through a proper guide.

Communities and newsletters

SciComm Society — Founded by Sarah Wettstadt, this is a hub of guides, courses, workshops and one-to-one coaching specifically aimed at training scientists in communication skills. There’s a free email course to start with, plus an ongoing blog, The Engaging Scientist.

PSCI-COM — A long-running UK mailing list for science communication news, jobs, training and opportunities.

The SciCommer — Heather Doran’s weekly newsletter (out every Tuesday, with 5,000+ subscribers) rounds up science communication news, opportunities and ideas from around the world. A great way to keep a finger on the pulse of the field without having to go looking for it yourself.

Guides, books and blog posts

From Science to SciComm — Eva Amsen’s practical guide and workbook for scientists moving into science communication. It’s a paid resource (currently around $6, now in its third edition), with four chapters and seven hands-on exercises covering writing, freelancing and the job hunt. Eva also writes about science communication on her site, Eastern Blot  — worth a browse, though she’s since moved most of her regular writing to a monthly newsletter called Mixture, so that’s where to go for her latest thinking.

Getting started in Science Communication — Dr Jamie Gallagher’s straight-talking post on how to actually begin: start small, volunteer, say yes to things, and build up your experience and reputation gradually. His advice to “start now” rather than waiting to feel ready is worth bookmarking for the days your confidence dips.

A Comprehensive Guide to Science Communication — A free, thorough PDF guide covering everything from public speaking and writing to social media and tackling misinformation, with interviews from working science communicators. Originally published by Hindawi, this is a mirrored copy, since the original has vanished – a good reminder that it’s always worth keeping a saved copy of guides like this.

The Beginner’s Guide to a Career in Science Writing — Answers the five questions everyone actually wants to know: how to get your first piece published, how to meet other science communicators, what training helps, how people actually make a living from it, and where to find more resources. Its reminder that “any first clip is better than no first clip” is one I’d underline twice.

How to Become a Science Writer: An ABSW Guide — The Association of British Science Writers’ own guide to breaking in. Also worth knowing: the ABSW offers discounted student membership, which is a genuinely good way to start building a network of working science writers while you’re still studying.

The Open Notebook — An extensive resource for existing or wannabe science journalists, aiming to provide the skills, tools, and community support they need to produce evidence-based reporting that informs the public and empowers society (US focused).

Houston, we have a narrative: Why science needs story by Randy Olson, University of Chicago Press — A brilliant book exploring the importance of story in science communication. Also check out his more recent books, Narrative is Everything, Don’t be Such a Scientist and the Narrative Gym.

Storytelling in Life Science Marketing: Story Purpose and The And-But-Therefore Format by David Chapin — A useful blog post explaining more about how to use the well-known ‘And – But –Therefore’ (ABT) storytelling framework for communicating science.

Share Your Science. — Website with loads of tips and resources for science communication. 

Sell Your Research: Public speaking for scientists by Alexia Youknofsky & James Bowers — A useful book about how to structure and deliver brilliant presentations about your research.

Work through it at your own pace, join the communities that feel like a good fit, and start putting something out into the world, however small. Nobody starts a career in science communication with a perfect portfolio – they start by explaining one thing they find wonderful, and then they do it again.

How I got into science communication

I didn’t parachute into this career. I built it, one “yes” at a time. During my degree I started writing about science for the Cambridge student newspaper, Varsity. By the time I was doing my PhD in the early noughties I’d got swept up in the early, scrappy world of science blogging, alongside school events, science festivals, and the very first wave of science podcasts.

I just kept going: saying yes to whatever was on offer, and actively looking out for the next bit of experience. Some of it was paid, most of it was not. And I joined the ABSW and found a group of like-minded people who also loved science, but hadn’t loved being scientists.

This meant that when I left the lab in 2004 to apply for my first proper science communication job at Cancer Research UK, I wasn’t turning up with a CV that just said I wanted to do this – I turned up with a genuine portfolio. I had published articles, events I’d been part of, radio shows I’d presented. I could prove I was already doing the job, not just hoping for it. That’s still the best advice I can give anyone starting out.

I applied the same philosophy when I left CRUK twelve years later to go freelance. I’d been building up my portfolio of writing and broadcasting alongside my job – taking a few months of unpaid leave to finish my first book, Herding Hemingway’s Cats: Understanding How Our Genes Work – along with my network of useful contacts in the world of science media. So when the book came out in early 2016, I had built up just enough reliable work that the thought of leaving behind a regular salary wasn’t quite so terrifying.

Fortunately the hustling paid off and within a couple of years I was getting more work than I could cope with. Unable to say no, I brought together some people to help me. First Create The Media was born, and the rest is history.

Got a useful scicomm resource to share?

If you’ve found a useful resource, newsletter or mailing list that you think should go on this page, just send it over to info@firstcreatethemedia.com  And if this list was useful, feel free to send it on to anyone else who’s asked you the same question.

I’ll end as I started, with another quote about the joy of science communication. Very best of luck with your journey.

— Kat

“Not explaining science seems perverse. When you’re in love, you want to tell the world.” Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark.