At this year’s AAAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, I participated in a seminar for public information officers (PIOs) – the folks who communicate research from research organizations. The topic in hand was earning trust, a subject that is always pertinent for PIOs, but also captures the mood of our times. Other members of the …
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How do I write an attention-grabbing headline? What are some tips to avoid “hyping” a scientific study? Why does EurekAlert! have a “90-day rule”? How do I make sure my researcher nails her Reddit AMA? Is it worth promoting a preprint paper if it hasn’t been peer reviewed yet?
These are just a few questions that you, as public information officers (a.k.a. PIOs), probably find familiar. You may even have some good answers, but no one place that covers the many facets of being a PIO working in science communication. That’s where we come in with EurekAlert!’s #SciComm Blog!
The initial idea to start a blog came from wanting to improve and increase engagement with the large and diverse PIO community that uses EurekAlert!. That motivation, along with a desire to create a repository for articles that go in-depth about EurekAlert! policies and features, led us to plan our first-ever foray into blogging. Now, with the EurekAlert! #SciComm Blog, we’ve created a space where we can share news and tips about EurekAlert!, and also to raise important issues for the wider science communication community by drawing on the experience of PIOs directly. Find out how to contribute by pitching a blog post!
In conjunction with this blog, we’ve set up a EurekAlert! PIO Forum on Trellis. The forum is a dedicated “safe space” for PIOs to network, share advice, ask questions, and learn from each other. The EurekAlert! PIO Forum is also where you can continue the conversation about any of the articles posted on the #SciComm Blog. By that same token, discussions in the PIO Forum will inspire blog posts here. Please note, you must be a EurekAlert! PIO-registrant to receive an invitation to join the PIO Forum (PIO registration is free).
As always, we are open to your feedback. Send comments, concerns, or questions by email to pio@eurekalert.org.
Why submit B-roll to the Science Press Package? The Science Press Package (or “SciPak”) team has talked with reporters at The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, STAT, The Economist and other outlets, and we have learned that these reporters greatly value video; having it can make the difference in whether they cover a piece of new research. Thus, the …
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From the bustling capital of Tokyo to the remote resort island of Okinawa, Japan’s universities are speaking up about their contribution to science, and the world seems to be listening.
EurekAlert! will continue to hold workshops and training sessions for media professionals in China to help them enhance their communications skills, hone their ability to promote science by offering participants the “tools and confidence needed to help their scientists communicate openly the value and challenges of science.”
