From the publisher's announcement:
This is the official text for the National Association of Science Writers. In the eight years since the publication of the first edition of A Field Guide for Science Writing, much about the world has changed. Some of the leading issues in today's political marketplace - embryonic stem cell research, global warming, health care reform, space exploration, genetic privacy, germ warfare - are informed by scientific ideas. Never has it been more crucial for the lay public to be scientifically literate. That's where science writers come in. And that's why it's time for an update to the Field Guide, already a staple of science writing graduate programs across the country. The academic community has recently recognized how important it is for writers to become more sophisticated, knowledgeable, and skeptical about what the write. More than 50 institutions now offer training in science writing. In addition mid-career fellowships for science writers are growing, giving journalists the chance to return to major universities for specialized training. We applaud these developments, and hope to be part of them with this new edition of the Field Guide. In A Field Guide for Science Writers, 2nd Edition, the editors have assembled contributions from a collections of experinced journalists who are every bit as stellar as the group that contributed to the first edition. In the end, what we have are essays written by the very best in the science writing profession. These wonderful writers have written not only about style, but about content, too. These leaders in the profession describe how they work their way through the information glut to find the gems worth writing about. We also have chapters that provide the tools every good science writer needs: how to use statistics, how to weigh the merits of conflicting studies in scientific literature, how to report about risk. And, untimately, how to write.
FORWARD, TIMOTHY FERRIS; PART ONE: LEARNING THE CRAFT; INTRODUCTION, MARY KNUDSON; 1. Finding Story Ideas and Sources; 2. Reporting From Science Journals; 3. Understanding and Using Statistics; 4. Writing Well About Science: Techniques From Teachers of Science Writing; 5. Taking Your Story to the Next Level; 6. Finding a Voice and a Style; PART TWO: CHOOSING YOUR MARKET; 7. Small Newspapers; 8. Large Newspapers; 9. Popular Magazines; 10. Trade and Science Journals; 11. Broadcast Science Journalism; 12. Freelance Writing; 13. Science Books; 14. Popular Audiences on the Web; 15. Science Audiences on the Web; 16. Science Editing; PART THREE: VARYING YOUR WRITING STYLE; 17. Deadline Writing; 18. Investigative Reporting; 19. Gee Whiz Science Writing; 20. Explanatory Writing; 21. Narrative Writing; 22. The Science Essay; PART FOUR: COVERING STORIES IN THE LIFE SCIENCES; INTRODUCITON; 23. Medicine; 24. Infectious Diseases; 25. Nutrition; 26. Mental Health; 27. The Biology of Behavior; 28. Human Genetics; 29. Cloning and Stem Cell Research