Resources for Researchers Writing for the Public

Greetings again. I hope you’re doing well.

In a comment on last week’s blog post, a researcher asked about opportunities for training in popular writing about science. Although AuthorAID workshops generally don't focus much on communicating research to the general public, the AuthorAID Resource Library does include materials on this topic.

Here are some of the main items that the AuthorAID Resource Library includes on writing for the public:

• The SciDev.Net Practical Guide “How to Write about Your Science” offers advice on “how to switch from writing for science to writing about it—and reach a much wider audience.” Parts of some other SciDev.Net Practical Guides also can aid in this regard.
• The presentation “Public Science Communication” contains material on writing for general readerships and on related topics. This presentation is in English, but an adaptation of it is in Spanish.
• The Online Course in Science Journalism, although mainly for journalists, also can help researchers who want to write for the public. The lesson titled “Writing Skills” might be especially relevant. This course is available in several languages.

Also, the book Presenting Science to the Public now is openly accessible, as a PDF file. Although this book is rather old (from the pre-Internet era!), its main advice on writing remains valid. Chapter 1 and some chapters in Part III may especially aid researchers in writing for general readers.

Do you have additional resources to suggest? Or do you have tips on writing for the public about research? If so, please post a comment.

Until the next post—

Barbara