How do you read a scientific article? What are the phases of a clinical trial? What are the differences between climate change and global warming? These guides answer questions for journalists and communication departments. Other specific guides help research staff when dealing with the media.
The devastating floods in Valencia in October 2024 and the rainfall alert issued on September 28, 2025, showed that the way we communicate risks can make a difference, for better or for worse. This article presents eight key points for journalists, public officials, communicators, and anyone else interested in communicating better about floods and other crises.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the prevalence of obesity worldwide has increased by more than 100 % between 1990 and 2022. This reality has been and is constantly reflected in the media, but not always narrated or illustrated in the right way. Here are some tips on how to report on this disease from experts, international guidelines and specialised image banks.
This guide is designed for journalists who cover stories about risks in any sector: health, environment, artificial intelligence etc. You will identify the concepts that will help you explain, for example, why false flood alarms occur, the pros and cons of installing a nuclear plant in a certain area, or the uncertainty of a study that finds a particular diet increases the risk of developing cancer.
The risk of an adverse reaction to a vaccine and the risk of not evacuating a flood-prone area have something in common: both are risks, though very different ones. While one refers to a numerical probability, the other refers to a potential consequence. Here, we explore six different meanings of the word “risk” in headlines. These examples will help you explain risks more clearly, or demand that clarity from others.
Increasing temperatures and international travel, among other factors, are causing the dengue epidemic to spread to more countries. In Spain, there is a growing number of imported cases, and health authorities warn that the incidence may increase. This article explains the basics of this disease.
Behind any study that hits the media with eye-catching headlines there are usually numbers to back it up. Analysing the statistics of a study is one of the greatest challenges in communicating any finding with rigour.
The Ibero-American Day of Science takes place on 28 November; it was launched last year during a meeting of science ministers within the framework of the Ibero-American Summit. On this occasion, we have compiled below several guides and databases maintained by universities, research centres and other science organisations that aim to help journalists in search of expert sources. Of course, this list is not comprehensive; if you have suggestions for other guides and sources—whether from Spain, Portugal or Latin America—that we could add, please don't hesitate to contact us so that we can continue to expand this resource.
We often see the term 'vaccine' used in the media to refer to drugs that target diseases that are not even infectious, such as cancer and cholesterol. In this article we explain when it is correct to talk about vaccines and when it would be wrong.
The prions have made headlines after El País reported that a researcher working with them at a Catalan research center died in 2022 with symptoms compatible with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a type of prion disease.
Synthetic embryos, artificial placentas, genome editing... Advances in biology and medicine keep bringing up thorny ethical questions. Here's an overview of Spain’s many bioethics committees, which can be useful resources for journalists.