The publications in which scientific results are made public, known as papers in the jargon, are sometimes newsworthy, that is, what they report can be narrated to a wider - non-scientific - audience as journalistic news. But in the paper-news transition the message is formatted very differently.
A journalistic article follows an inverted pyramid structure in which the most important things are at the beginning. A paper does not present its results and conclusions until the end. This is a suggested reading order, depending on the level of depth we want to reach.
Scientific studies are regularly published in various scientific journals. Science journalists who have contacted the journal and registered have prior access to them under an embargo that they undertake to respect. This is an advantageous system, but it is not without its critics.
Not all studies are revolutionary and not all researchers are free of conflicts of interest. This Decalogue of common mistakes aims to help you write about science with rigour and, above all, putting the public first.
Having a PhD is not synonymous with omniscience or infallibility. The fields of science are very small and scientists do not know everything, even about their general area. This guide aims to help identify reliable sources away from the noisiest social media profiles.
Thousands of scientists around the world have spent decades studying the Earth's climate and how its evolution is affecting life on the planet, including human life. Their work is channelled through the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose regular reports are an unprecedented effort to reach consensus on what has been learned and communicate it in a way that is useful for decision-making. We offer a quick update on the climate crisis.
"At present, it is not possible to know exactly when and how a volcano may erupt," explains the National Geological Institute (IGN). In other words: it pays to be prepared. Even if you are a journalist. These resources make it easier.
Volcanic monitoring in the Canary Islands must be constant. Not only because the archipelago is "one of the most interesting active volcanic regions on the planet", according to the IGN, but above all because "volcanism in the Canary Islands poses a potential risk to some two million people" who live on the islands or visit them as tourists.
The monographs of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) cause controversy in the public debate when they analyze topics such as meat and cell phone radiation. Interpreting their work rigorously is not easy: in this guide we try to help contextualize their studies.
Reporting on vaccines is not easy, but in recent years many journalists have had to navigate studies and reports full of new terminology and concepts. In this guide, we attempt to clarify some of the most important points for accurate reporting on these medicines.