What is science writing?
An introduction to science writing
Science writers cover some of the most complex, exciting and important issues of our day, from contentious developments in climate change, to the discovery of planets in remote solar systems and the COVID-19 pandemic. They use words, sounds, images, and graphics to create compelling stories about science that appear in newspapers and magazines online and in print, and on the radio, TV, podcasts and videos.
Science writers do more than just write about recent research discoveries – they provide analysis, context, and perspective, helping the reader explore and understand the social, ethical, and political implications of scientific advances and the scientific process.
They cover issues in which science impacts on society and policy, such as energy, pollution, health and technology. But they also hold scientists and the scientific process up to scrutiny. They examine questionable statistics or overinflated claims and investigate scientific misconduct, conflicts of interest, and ethical breaches.
For the audience, all this hopefully makes for enlightening, stimulating, informative, influential and entertaining articles and programs. For the journalist, it makes for a fascinating, constantly changing, and highly rewarding profession combining the creativity of writing with the curiosity and discovery of the scientific field. And as with any creative career, it is very satisfying to have your story read, watched or listened to by perhaps tens or hundreds of thousands of people, and even — at its widest reach — have an influence on society at large.
This is a competitive profession, but the world of science writing, journalism and communication has expanded greatly since the 2010s and there are many unique and highly rewarding careers to be found.