Telltale Signs of a Future Science Communicator

Do you frequent seminars and journal clubs on subjects unrelated to your own research? When scientists visit your institution, do you often get tapped to meet with them because everyone knows you like chatting about a diverse range of topics? Do you secretly read the front sections of Science and Nature when you should be collecting or analyzing your own data? Do colleagues seek your help when they need to turn incomprehensible gibberish into well-crafted manuscripts and grant proposals? If you nodded yes to these questions, and your own research suffers from your eclectic interests, you may be a budding science writer or editor.

Science writing and editing for general audiences often flows from the keyboards of journalists and editors who learn about science on the job. However, as discussed below, some types of science communication benefit from, and often demand, the knowledge gained from hands-on laboratory experience.

You Needn't Leave Science

Alan Dove winces when queried "What made you leave science?" "I never left!" he states emphatically. "In fact, as a science writer, I’m more involved with biology than when I was a specialist, getting my Ph.D. in microbiology." Dove, who currently writes for Nature Biotechnology, Nature Medicine, and the Journal of Cell Biology, felt skillful in experimental design as a graduate student, but he was "all thumbs" in the lab. Therefore, Dove chose to play to his strengths, merging his passion for biology with the communication skills he had honed through formal debating and the coaching of debaters.

Dove shifted into writing during his final year in graduate school when he took an internship at Nature America. He learned that most staff writers and editors at the Nature journals had Ph.D.s in the life sciences and thus favored interns with similar training. Flexible hours at the journals' office enabled him to finish his dissertation while learning his new profession. The internship gave him clips from press releases and news articles he authored and a valuable network of contacts.

Before starting the internship, Dove told his thesis advisor about his plan to leave research. His advisor's initial response - the typical response of a mentor who invests time and energy to train the student - was less than enthusiastic. With time, however, the advisor acknowledged that science writing is a worthwhile endeavor.

After his internship, Dove briefly considered writing for general audiences, but when the offer to become a regular contributor to the Nature journals came, he took it. "I like the level of technical sophistication that writing for scientists demands," he said. While he hopes to also write for a wider audience someday, he gets ample pleasure from seeing his own work cited in the popular press.

New Fixes for a Self-Professed "Science Junkie"

Laura DeFrancesco, currently the editor of Bioresearch Online, spent many years in research, and then motherhood interrupted her academic career development. When she was ready to return to full-time work, DeFrancesco's talent for using and teaching molecular biology techniques gained her an invitation to take charge of the LabConsumer column at The Scientist.

DeFrancesco's innate curiosity about science led her to transform the LabConsumer column from one of dry descriptions of high-volume items used by researchers into lively presentations of specialized products. In the column's new format, the articles covered not just the products, but also their applications for addressing specific biological questions. This change made the articles far more interesting for writers and readers alike.

DeFrancesco's recent move to become the first editor of VerticalNet's Internet newsletter Bioresearch Online gave her the chance to design the content structure of the Web site, tailoring it to an audience of bench researchers. Along with editing news releases and commissioning articles from her Los Angeles-area home office, she keeps in touch with the scientific community by attending conferences and then authoring meeting briefs.

Part of DeFrancesco's love of science came from making discoveries firsthand. The possibility of that thrill is gone but, she notes, "when you're writing or editing, you learn about exciting new discoveries at a much faster pace than when you're doing the work yourself."

Look for a Niche

Kevin Ahern, like Laura DeFrancesco, did not plan to become a science writer and editor. Rather, Ahern's interest in scientific software drew him in that direction during graduate school in the mid-1980s. Ahern is now the contributing software editor at Science. He writes a bimonthly column for Genetic Engineering News, and he teaches biochemistry at Oregon State University. He states gleefully that this set of activities gives him "the greatest job in the world."

Shortly after getting his first computer, Ahern started exploring scientific software. When the editor of Biotechnology Software (now called Biotech Software and Internet Report) asked him to write software reviews, he agreed largely because the payment included free access to new software. Two years later, the editor recommended Ahern as his replacement. The publisher encouraged this move despite Ahern's professed lack of editorial experience. Seat-of-the-pants training in editing and writing lasted over a decade, while in his other life, Ahern finished his postdoctoral training and opted not to pursue a traditional career in research.

Reviewing his own successful move into science writing and editing, Ahern stresses that he found a niche and filled it. This led him to hone his writing skills and build his resume without needing to pitch stories to unknown editors. Since he still struggles to write clearly, he advises students interested in science communication to get some formal training, either in technical or creative writing.

Variety: The Spice of a New Professional Life

In the middle of her disappointing postdoctoral experience, neuroscientist Amy Fluet realized that academic research was the wrong career for her. She liked the intellectual and technical aspects of research, just not the professional hurdles and the enormous time commitments. Writing her dissertation as well as editing her postdoctoral advisor's grant proposals had been satisfying activities. "That's when I started thinking that writing and/or editing might be a really fun career," she said, "but I had no idea about how to pursue that possibility."

As often happens, Fluet entered the science-writing world through a referral from a friend. The friend connected her with an HMS Beagle editor who needed freelancers to write call-outs (quotes or paraphrases extracted from an article, appearing in prominent letters) and find Web links for their articles. Soon she started writing articles for the Webzine as well. In addition, to learn more about nontraditional careers for scientists, she moderated an HMS Beagle dialogue on the topic.

Fluet eased her way into science writing during a second, and terminal, postdoctoral training period at the University of Colorado. She let her advisor know from the outset about her plans for a career change, and did all her freelance assignments after laboratory hours. With support from her boss, Fluet took an environmental journalism course at the university. The course, taught by a practicing journalist, gave her writing skills that she uses on a daily basis.

Last summer, Fluet finished her laboratory research and officially became a freelancer. Along with her work for HMS Beagle, she has two long-term projects: writing and editing for a study conducted by the Institute of Medicine and copyediting for Current Protocols. (Scientists seeking writing opportunities at the Institute of Medicine should contact the managing editor, Michael Eddington.) Her work with the IOM draws on her expertise in neuroscience and molecular biology. For the editorial work at CP, she mentally returns to the lab to critique protocols from the perspective of a bench researcher. "I really love this variety of activities," says Fluet, echoing Ahern's comments.

While Fluet's current work all came from referrals by editorial colleagues, she also learns of freelance assignments through the National Association of Science Writers (NASW). In fact, when asked what advice she gives about becoming a science writer, she replies "Join NASW. I'm learning so much about the profession from the information at their Web site and from their email discussions. Also, being a member lets you post your own Web pages at their site." As Fluet has discovered, having your resume online makes it easy for prospective clients to learn about your work.

Conclusion (AKA Pitching a Story to the Editor)

While reading this article, did you pause a lot to imagine yourself doing the work of the individuals profiled in this article? Meanwhile, did you fail to shut off a power supply before a precious protein sample ran off the gel? Yes, it may be time to consider seriously saying "Goodbye benchtop, hello laptop."