SciDev.Net
Science and Development Network
News, views and information about science, technology and the developing world
Media
- Media enquiries and press releases
- Writing for SciDev.Net
- Using SciDev.Net material
- Corrections and complaints policy
Media enquiries and press releases
For all media enquiries please contact:
Tel: +44(0)20 7292 9910
Fax: +44 (0)20 7292 9929
Email: marketing@scidev.net
See below for a list of our most recent press releases.
If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
If you would like to receive SciDev.Net press releases by email when they are issued, please let us know by contacting marketing@scidev.net with your details.
You may also wish to sign up for our regular email alerts by visiting www.scidev.net/sign-up
Writing for SciDev.Net
Below is essential information and guidance for freelance journalists wishing to write news articles for SciDev.Net.
What makes a SciDev.Net news story?
What makes a news story for SciDev.Net?
In order to be considered for publication on SciDev.Net, a news story must meet the following criteria:
It should describe a new and significant achievement, scientific breakthrough, policy decision, policy recommendation, official statement, unofficial report, etc. In other words, the broad criteria that we use in selecting a story are similar to broad criteria that a news editor would use on a daily (or weekly) newspaper.
The subject of the news story, however, should be directly related to the impact of science and technology on development, particularly their contributions to health, food, and the natural environment.
We are also interested in stories on science policy in or affecting developing countries. For a more detailed list of relevant areas, please consult the list of dossiers and quick guides on the homepage of the website http://www.scidev.net/.
However, we will not necessarily be interested in all news related to these topics. To be of interest to SciDev.Net, a story must carry both a scientific and a development dimension. For example, a story about a new AIDS educational project in Uganda is unlikely to be of interest to us (because it doesn't fulfil the science criteria). But if the project involves the use of new technology, and it was likely that this technology could also be used in other countries, then we might run the story.
Similarly a routine advance in the search for an AIDS or malaria vaccine is unlikely to be of interest to us. But a significant advance – particularly if the results are published in a reputable journal – would be more likely to be published.
It is also important that a story has an international – or at least a regional – significance. We are interested in developments in one country that could have implications for other countries (such as Zambia's decision not to accept GM maize). We are less interested in stories whose significance is purely national, with no international implications. If the international significance is at first unclear, this should be spelt out explicitly in the story.
If in doubt whether your idea for a story is likely to be of interest, consult with us before writing or sending the article. The best guidance on this is to look through the type of stories we have already published.
Please note that all articles submitted to SciDev.Net must be exclusively for publication on our website and must not have been submitted to other publications. We will not pay for articles that have already appeared in other publications.
The first paragraph of the story should summarise the whole article, bringing out its most significant facts. Don't leave these to be 'discovered' later in the story, and particularly not in the final paragraph. (In exceptional cases, if a less direct introduction is used, the whole thrust of the article must still be summarised in the first three paragraphs).
An ideal news item for SciDev.Net should be 400 - 500 words in length. Please consult with the news editor in advance of writing an article if you feel that you need to go much above this length.
Where possible, quotations should be used from some of the main participants in the 'story', or those who are likely to be affected by it. We would encourage you to obtain unique/exclusive quotes where possible and appropriate, rather than quoting from other published sources.
If an individual or organisation is criticised in the article, for example by someone who is quoted, or by a report that is quoted, efforts should be made to contact that individual or organisation for a response to the criticism.
We attach considerable importance to the authority of the information that we publish. This means, for example, that scientific claims made in stories should be credible (e.g. published in a reputable journal, or presented at a recognised conference). Scientific hearsay – such as stories about 'natural' remedies for AIDS – should be used with great caution, if at all.
By using freelance writers, we aim to tap into local knowledge and events, and present a local perspective on issues, even if the article is addressed to readers all over the world. For this reason, we are more interested in original stories than in rewrites of newswire articles.
How to submit a news story
We strongly encourage you to send a brief summary (one or two paragraphs) of your story ideas before writing the news item in full. Submit your story idea by email to the relevant regional coordinator:
| Latin America & the Caribbean | Luisa Massarani | luisa.massarani@scidev.net |
| Sub-saharan Africa | Christina Scott | christina.scott@scidev.net |
| South Asia | T V Padma | padma@scidev.net |
| China | Hepeng Jia | jiahepeng@scidev.net |
| SciDev.Net's news editor | news@scidev.net |
The news editor will let you know whether the story is suitable for us and, if so, will indicate the deadline for the full story.
Please send the full story as a word attachment if possible. Let the news editor know if you are aware of a source of illustrations that could be used with the article. Also, please list any relevant websites that could be linked to under the 'External links' section at the bottom of the article, for example for the full copies of reports that may be referred to in your article.
Please state clearly the source of your story (e.g. press conference, report, conference speech, news release) and send electronic copies or links to relevant documentation if possible.
After submitting the full story you may be required to clarify some of the information that you have provided, or provide additional information. Please let the news editor know if you will not be available through your normal email address.
Payment
You will be paid according to the number of words published, at a rate agreed at the time that the article is commissioned from you. No payment will be made if the article does not meet the terms agreed at the time of commissioning (for example, if its main thrust is essentially different from what was agreed, and is no longer suitable for us). If the article meets the terms of the commission, but is otherwise considered unusable by us for any reason, we will pay half of the amount agreed on commission as a 'kill fee'.
If your article is published before the 20th of the month, we will endeavour to pay you at the end of that month. If your article is published on or after the 20th of the month, you will be paid at the end of the following month. Please note that electronic payments made abroad can take four or five days to reach your bank account (although this will vary from country to country), so please wait at least seven days after the beginning of the month to query payments due.
If the total amount payable to you is less than £100, we will wait until further articles are published in order to reach this amount, before paying. We will wait a maximum of three months, and then payment will be made regardless of the total. This is to minimise the extremely high bank transfer charges for each payment (please note there may be variations in this procedure from country to country).
To receive payment, you must forward your bank details to Karen Levin using the email accounts@scidev.net. The bank details required are as follows:
- Bank name
- Bank address, country
- Bank code
- Branch name
- Account number
- Account holder
Exceptions: If payment by electronic bank transfer is not possible, payment can be made by:
- Western Union (only with permission from SciDev.Net accounts department and in cases where electronic bank transfer is not possible)
- Bank cheques drawn in sterling on a UK bank account
- Cash (in exceptional circumstances, and only where such payment can be made easily)
Bank charges: SciDev.Net will endeavour to reduce any bank charges to the beneficiary. However some local banks will charge the account holder for incoming transactions. SciDev.Net cannot take responsibility for the different banking systems in each country and cannot bear these costs.
If you have any queries about payments, please contact Karen Levin at accounts@scidev.net
Copyright
In general, the copyright of all material commissioned by SciDev.Net and used on the SciDev.Net website remain the property of the author of the item published. However the terms of publication are that, in exchange for payment for the article, SciDev.Net has an exclusive licence to its use, and rights over its reproduction elsewhere.
The reason for this is to allow us to impose a requirement on other publications that, even though they are permitted to use our material free of charge, if it is used on another website, then full acknowledgement must be given to SciDev.Net.
All freelance contributors are required to sign a form accepting these terms. This will be sent out to you on the acceptance of your first commission, and must be completed and returned to us either by fax or in 'hard' copy. Only one form is required from each contributor.
Using SciDev.Net material
Copyright
Unless otherwise stated, the copyright, database rights and similar rights in all material published on SciDev.Net are exclusively licensed to SciDev.Net. SciDev.Net makes the written content of this website available for use by others under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 licence.
This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence
Under the terms of this licence you are permitted to:
- copy, distribute and display the work.
- make derivative works.
- On condition thatyou give the original author and source credit.
If you wish to reproduce SciDev.Net material on another website, please make sure that:
- the source of the material is clearly indicated as SciDev.Net
- you make an active link to our homepage
- wherever possible, the link is accompanied by a small version of our logo (available from the ‘Link to Us’ page)
- the title, author, and original date of publication are clearly indicated.
Some documents and photos have been published on this site with the permission of the relevant copyright owners (who are not SciDev.Net). All rights are reserved on these documents, and permission to copy them must be requested from the copyright owners (the sources are indicated within these documents/photographs).
Trademarks
’SciDev.Net’, 'SCIDEV.NET' and 'scidev.net' are registered trademarks of SciDev.Net. All rights reserved.
SciDev.Net is a UK company limited by guarantee. Registered no. 4218234
SciDev.Net is also a registered UK charity. Registered charity no. 1089590
Registered address: 97-99 Dean Street, London W1D 3TE, United Kingdom
Corrections and complaints policy
SciDev.Net seeks to ensure that its news and feature articles, as well as policy briefs, are accurate, truthful and balanced, and that the editorial and opinion articles it publishes discuss issues in a fair way, representing the genuine opinions of the author.
SciDev.Net also seeks to ensure that all external material to which it links is reliable and authoritative, although we do not take responsibility for the accuracy of such material, or the views that it may contain.
Please do not hesitate contact us if you feel that we have failed to meet any of the above criteria.
If you have a comment about a particular article or a differing opinion to one expressed in an article, feel free to comment in the section provided at the bottom of each article. Alternatively you can email your comment directly to the editor (editor@scidev.net), who will consider it for publication as a letter to the editor.
Corrections
All requests for corrections in material published on the website, or complaints about such material should be sent to corrections@scidev.net
Please ensure that your communication includes:
- Type of feedback (i.e. comment, factual inaccuracy, etc)
- Title of item (and posting date if possible) that the feedback refers to
- Details of feedback
- Your contact details
All such suggestions and complaints will be considered promptly, and appropriate action taken at the discretion of the editor.
Where a significant correction is involved, users of the website will be informed that this has taken place.
Complaints
If you are dissatisfied with the way that a suggestion for a correction, a complaint about an item posted on the website, has been handled, the issue should be raised with the executive committee of SciDev.Net. These can be sent to complaints@scidev.net
Any formal complaint to the executive committee should be received within three months of the article in question being posted on the website.
The executive committee will decide if further action is required, or — in exceptional circumstances — whether the issue should be referred to the board of trustees. You will be notified of the executive committee's actions within three months of receipt of your complaint.
For other complaints please use the feedback facility on the right hand side of the homepage/screen or email support@scidev.net