Science communication is bigger than social media and simpler than you think. This page covers the basics - from finding your voice to choosing your platform - so you can figure out what scicomm looks like for you.
These are the basics that make science communication work — no matter where you show up or who you’re talking to.
The scientists who connect most effectively aren't the most credentialed, they're the most genuine. Here's how to figure out what makes your perspective worth sharing.
Academic writing is built for peer review. Public writing is built for people. Here's how to build that muscle without losing your scientific integrity.
Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, BlueSky - each one works differently. Here's a breakdown of what works where, so you're not guessing.
Collaborations can fund your scicomm work - but they come with real responsibilities. Here's how to evaluate them and protect your credibility.
Talking about your science to a non-expert audience is one of the highest-impact things you can do. It's also a skill, and it gets easier with practice.
Nobody handed me a roadmap when I started doing scicomm during my PhD. These are the things that stuck. Grad school teaches you how to do science. It doesn't really teach you how to talk about it. Here's what I picked up on my own.
There's no way around the awkward phase, you just have to go through it. The sooner you start, the sooner your judgment catches up with your ambition.
A PhD might get someone to follow you. But if they don't feel like they actually know you, they won't stick around. People follow people, not resumes.
The questions, the confusion, the things people get weirdly excited about, that's your audience telling you exactly what to make next. Don't scroll past it.
Scientists who oversimplify might sound confident, but they lose trust the moment reality gets complicated. Sitting with uncertainty out loud is both honest and disarming, it works.
If you're ready to take scicomm seriously, these are the communities and programs worth looking into.
Spend a summer in a real newsroom as a working scientist. It's one of those experiences that completely changes how you think about communicating research, I can't recommend it enough.
Built around improvisation techniques, which sounds unusual until you try it. It teaches you how to actually listen to your audience and respond in the moment, something no slide deck can prepare you for.
Run by grad students, for grad students. If you're early in your research career and feeling like scicomm is a world you don't quite belong in yet, this is your community.
The professional home for science communicators. Great for networking, finding mentors, and figuring out where scicomm can actually take you career-wise.
Randy Olson
Scientists are wired to list facts, and Olson explains exactly why that's the problem. The ABT framework (And, But, Therefore) alone makes this worth reading.
Randy Olson
It stings a little, in the best way. Olson's core message is that being a great scientist doesn't automatically make you good at talking about it. Don't be offended. Just read it.
Nancy Baron
Practical in a way most scicomm books aren't. Covers how to talk to media, policymakers, and the public, including how to handle criticism when you do.
Alan Gross
More academic than the others but genuinely eye-opening. It breaks down how scientific texts persuade, and changes how you read a paper, not just how you write about science.
