SciDev.Net

These guidelines, produced by the UK Social Issues Research Centre, the UK Royal Society and the Royal Institution of Great Britain, address the issues of health reporting and science reporting on health-related issues such as new drugs and medical technologies.

The first section is addressed to print and broadcast journalists reporting on health matters, laying out fundamental questions – credibility of sources, significance of findings, accuracy and communicating risk – that need to be addressed when reporting on science or health issues. The section for journalists also includes guidelines for editors and subeditors.

The US National Association of Science Writers has produced this guidance communicating science news. It introduces the different types of media and their different journalistic techniques; the role of the public information officers in creating science news; the dos and don'ts of media arrangements and some of the pitfalls in reporting science news that can generate misunderstanding and tension between science writers, scientists and public information officers.

This is the Association of British Science Writers' booklet on how to enter the field of science journalism. It is addressed to all aspiring science journalists, including researchers and science graduates who are considering a move away from academic research and into science writing.

Prepared by Natasha Loder, science correspondent at The Economist, the practical advice (for example, lists of training courses) is in part specific to a British audience. However, the bulk of the text describes different entry points (specialist courses, journalism courses, informal experience, internships, freelance work and so on) into science journalism, and their advantages, disadvantages and difficulties. These will likely apply to most countries where science journalism is an established profession.

The booklet includes two essays by Pallab Ghosh, science correspondent for the BBC, and Wendy Grossman, freelance science and technology writer, on broadcast journalism and online journalism. Each contains advice on entry into these media. There is also a 'People' section with biographies of various British science journalists, which provide illustrations of the different routes that can be taken into the profession.