ucb extension science writing€¦ · • brief class introductions: your name, professional...

UCB Extension Science Writing

Instructor: Jennifer Huber, Ph.D. [email protected]

March 10, 2016 (Class 1) Introduction & Diversity of Science Writing

•  Brief Class Introductions: your name, professional background, why you’re taking this class, and what scientific topics interest you

•  Class Assignments: Ø  Write weekly blog on Tumblr (about 500 words each) Ø  Write one in-depth feature article as final project (about 1500 words) Ø  See syllabus for specific weekly assignments

•  Class Grade: Ø  30% in-class exercises (must attend & participate in at least 9 classes) Ø  30% weekly homework assignments Ø  40% final project in-depth feature article

•  Class Website: http://scientiststalkfunny.com/science-writing-course/ucb-class/ Password: UCBEsw2016

Getting Started

Technical Writing

•  A formal style of writing used in diverse fields that have their own specialized vocabularies, such as computer hardware and software, engineering, chemistry, finance, consumer electronics, biotechnology and aerospace industries.

•  Three main types:

(1) End-user assistance – e.g., online help and user manuals for computer software, hardware, household products, medical equipment and consumer electronics.

(2) Traditional technical documentation – e.g., maintenance guides, appliance repair manuals, engineering specifications, research papers, annual reports, business proposals, legal disclaimers and technical journal articles.

(3) Marketing communications – e.g., product catalogs, brochures, introductory pages for websites, press releases and advertising copy.

•  We aren’t really covering technical writing in this Science Writing course, although many concepts that we cover also apply to technical writing.

•  See instead Technical Writing course: http://extension.berkeley.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=41079

Science Writing

•  Writing about a scientific subject, often in a non-technical manner for a general audience of non-scientists.

•  Written by scientists or journalists.

•  Presented in many formats, such as newspapers, websites, magazines, books, radio podcasts, television documentaries and scientific journals.

Types of Science Communication

•  Formal education – e.g., textbooks, teacher training, undergraduate courses, etc.

•  Informal education – e.g., museum exhibits, observation events (eclipses, comets), etc.

•  Public outreach – e.g., websites, blogs, magazine articles, podcasts, public lectures, events, popular books, etc.

•  Press support – e.g., press releases, press conferences, press kits, video news releases, media interviews, etc.

•  Branding/PR support – e.g., brochures, posters, merchandise (pins, stickers, caps, t-shirts, bookmarks, mugs), etc.

Science Communication

•  Science communicators bridge the gap between the scientific community and the wider world.

•  The field of science communication includes science outreach, popularization, public relations, marketing and education.

•  The are four basic communities involved in the flow of scientific information: scientists, full-time communicators, the press and the public.

Scientist (producer)

Public Information Officer (intermediary)

Journalist (mediator/translator)

Public (receiver)

Electronic Preprints, Personal Web Pages

Public Talks, Events & Open Houses

Science Communication Process

•  Scientists complete their research and write a scientific peer-reviewed journal article. Once accepted, they contact their local communications office.

•  Public Information Officers (PIOs) work as intermediaries between scientists and the media.

They work in an education & public outreach (EPO) office = communications office = public affairs office = media relations office.

Most universities, scientific institutions and large companies now have a communications office.




Public (receiver)



Science Communication Process

•  A Public Information Officer writes and issues a press release/press kit (that is approved by the scientists).

•  Ingelfinger rule – scientific results must not be published elsewhere before the paper has been published by the journal. That includes news articles.

So PIOs and journalists have a short lead time to do their work.

•  A journalist researches, interviews scientists and writes up the story.

Gets early access to journals and press releases, but must honor news embargo.

•  Primarily a linear flow of information, but sometimes scientists communicate directly with the public.




Public (receiver)



Science News Sources

Science news reported in media may originate from a variety of sources:

•  Press releases from scientific institutions, funding agencies and government organizations

•  Press conferences

•  Scientists giving public talks

•  Journalists attending scientific conferences

•  Science journalists researching directly from scientific journals

Scientist

(producer) Public Information

Officer (intermediary) Journalist

(mediator/translator) Public

(receiver)



Science Journalist “Markets”

•  Newspapers

•  Popular Magazines

•  Trade and Science Journals

•  Broadcast Science Journalism

•  Freelance Writing

•  Science Books

•  Popular Audiences on the Web

•  Science Audiences on the Web

•  Science Editing

More on these in detail throughout the course.

Also see “A Field Guide for Science Writers” on pgs 46-106.

What to Read For

•  If you want to be a good writer, you need to read, read, read! And pay attention to how other people craft their writing.

•  Read a story all the way through at the normal pace. Then read it again, taking it apart.

•  The New York Times Reader Science and Technology “What to Read For” criteria:

Ø  Gut Test

Ø  Topic

Ø  Focus

Ø  Information

Ø  Organization

Ø  WritingØ  EditingØ  Extras

What to Read For: Group Exercise

•  Gut Test – Did you like it? Why?

•  Topic – Do you like/hate it because of the subject matter?

•  Focus – Is the material covered in a fresh, interesting, important, and clear way? Can you write a focus statement in 10 words or less?

•  Information – Is the focus supported by a rich amount of information: facts, numbers, quotes, people, anecdotes, scenes, explanatory material, context, history, etc.?

•  Organization – Does the writing structure create seamless prose that reels you and keeps you reading?

•  Writing – Is it written using vivid nouns, active verbs and images drawn with the senses? Is the prose vibrant, lean and conversational?

•  Editing – Is it edited for grammar, accuracy, spelling, punctuation and journalistic style (GASPS)? Has the information been properly vetted for accuracy?

•  Extras – Do the links, photos, graphics, videos and other “extras” on the Web add value? If not, then how could they? (Check online.)

Copyrights & Creative Commons •  You must be very careful of copyrights when you blog! You cannot just copy images

from the web and use them in your articles/blogs without permission.

•  Many images are available for use under a Creative Commons license. You just need to attribute the photographer, typically in the image caption (e.g., “This image was provided courtesy of Jane Smith.”).

•  You can search for Creative Commons images from various sources, such as: Ø  Flickr – http://www.flickr.com

Ø  Google Images, Pixabay, etc. – https://search.creativecommons.org/

•  You can also legally get free images from government agencies, such as:

Ø  NASA – http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/index.html

Ø  US Geological Survey (USGS) – http://libraryphoto.cr.usgs.gov/

Ø  National Institute of Health (NIH) – http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/ihm/

Ø  Public Health Image Library (PHIL) – http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/home.asp

•  You can also ask the artist directly for permission.

Blogging on Tumblr

•  As part of this class, you will create a Tumblr blog and write weekly posts.

•  Posts can be short (500 words).

•  See the class syllabus for the specific blog assignments for each week.

•  See the “Start Blogging on Tumblr Instructions” handout for detailed step-by-step directions on how to setup your blog.

Ø Create a Tumblr account

Ø Customize your blog

Ø Register a Disqus shortname

Ø Post your first blog

Ø Email me your Tumblr blog URL

Ø Follow your classmates’ blogs and write constructive comments using Disqus

Blogging on Tumblr – Disqus

•  As part of this class, you will follow your classmates’posts and write constructive comments.

•  You need to register with Disqus to get a Disqus shortname, http://disqus.com/. You also use your Disqus account to customize your commenting features; you can’t do this via your Tumblr account.

•  Tumblr uses Disqus to manage the comments on their blog platform.

•  You need to pick a Tumblr theme that supports Disqus and input your Disqus shortname.

Blogging on Tumblr – Disqus You need to register with Disqus to get a

Disqus Shortname, http://disqus.com/. You also use your Disqus account to customize your commenting features.

Register Disqus Shortname

Blogging on Tumblr – Edit Theme Customize theme & choose theme that supports Disqus

Input Disqus Shortname (must register it first)

Can add extra web pages

Set blog title & short description / tagline

Blogging on Tumblr: Individual Exercise

•  See the “Start Blogging on Tumblr Instructions” handout.

•  Start setting up your blog in class, following the step-by-step instructions.

Blogging on Tumblr – Extra Web Pages

•  You can create extra pages on Tumblr to use as a website (not required for class).

Example: http://scientistviewpoint.tumblr.com/AboutMe http://lookslikescience.tumblr.com/

•  Standard pages to include:

Ø  Home = your blog Ø  About = brief overview of your professional background &/or blog Ø  Contact = contact information, such as email, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

•  One purpose for a blog is to generate new content for a website to facilitate search engine optimization (SEO). Namely, so your website is found by Google.

•  If you keep blogging, you’ll want to use your own domain name. So your website is helped when you generate online traffic, instead of helping Tumblr.

Ø Pick a short, memorable and relevant domain name.Ø There are lots of websites you can use to find an available domain name. Example, http://www.godaddy.com/

Blogging on Tumblr – Social Media Integration You can integrate your Tumblr blog with social media via Edit appearance (not required).Example: http://scientistviewpoint.tumblr.com/.

Facebook

Twitter

Social Media – Basics

•  Focus on the basic social media tools used professionally (not required for class): Ø  Blog Ø  Facebook Fan Page, http://www.facebook.com/ Ø  LinkedIn, http://www.linkedin.com/ Ø  Twitter / Microblog, https://twitter.com/

Whatever you choose to use, you need to keep it updated – choose wisely!

Example: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ScientistsTalkFunny/103123913063782 & http://ScientistsTalkFunny.com/ & http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jennifer-huber/2/180/9b7

•  Book recommendation:

Ø “Inbound Marketing: Attract, Engage, and Delight Customers Online" by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah

http://www.amazon.com/Inbound-Marketing-Revised-Updated-Customers/dp/1118896653/ref=dp_ob_title_

Social Media – Classes

Social Media classes you might want to take:

UC Berkeley Extension

Ø Social Media Marketing Workshop http://extension.berkeley.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=40157

Ø Writing for Social Media Class http://extension.berkeley.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=41100

SF State Extended Learning

Ø Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate, http://www.cel.sfsu.edu/socialmedia/

•  Finish setting up your science blog on Tumblr with Disqus comments. Email me the

URL for your Tumblr blog.

•  Write a blog that briefly describes your professional background, explains what you would like to learn from this class, and identifies scientific topics that interest you.

Blogs are due on the Tuesday before the next class – e.g. March 15. This will allow you time to read and comment on each other’s blogs before class.

Homework

ucb extension science writing€¦ · • brief class introductions: your name, professional...

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