Apply for the 2025 SciCommBites author cohort!

Submit your application here (<-link)
by December 2, 2024 at midnight in your timezone.

Application materials: 

  • SciCommBites sample post (~750 words). See the SciCommBites Sample Post Guidelines below.
  • Personal statement (~ 500 words) describing why you want to write for SciCommBites. See the Personal Statement Guidelines below.

SciCommBites sample posts and personal statements are reviewed anonymously. Please do not include any identifying information in your post or statement like your name, affiliation, etc.

Optional demographic Information in the application form. Demographic information will be anonymous and only used internally to assess bias in our hiring processes.

Author qualifications: We are looking for authors who …

  • Want to gain a deeper understanding of sci comm literature and bridge research with practice.
  • Have some experience in sci comm, such as participating in public engagement at your university, publishing your own blog or podcast, taking classes in sci comm, teaching or mentoring others in sci comm, etc.
  • Have experience reading peer-reviewed academic literature (not necessarily in sci comm)
  • Communicate in a timely manner, and can be attentive to deadlines and Slack communications
  • Are open to feedback and have a growth mindset
  • Can work independently and in a team

Author expectations: Authors alternate between writing a bite one month and editing a bite the next month. During the first three months, authors will receive hands-on training with a sci comm instructor.

Average Monthly Schedule / Commitment 

  • February 2025 – September 2025 
    • ~14 hours during author months, ~6 hours during editor months
    • Week 1: (2 hours) Authors choose a research article to write about 
    • Week 2:
      • (8 hours) Authors write a draft bite
      • (2) Editors read the research article 
    • Week 3: (2 hours) Authors and Editors review and edit the draft bite 
    • Week 4: (2 hours) Authors incorporate feedback 
  • October 2025 – November 2025 
    • ~2 hours a month

Author benefits:  Authors will receive a small stipend on the order of $750, in addition to the chance to develop professionally as a writer and editor, become more familiar with sci comm literature, and improve their teamwork and mentoring skills. Other benefits include individual coaching from a science communication instructor, networking with people from institutions worldwide, and the possibility of traveling to attend and cover sci comm conferences.

All early-career science communicators are encouraged to apply. The authors who write for other Science Bites blogs (e.g., Astrobites) are usually graduate researchers in the science discipline covered by the blog; however, researchers typically come to the science of science communication from a diversity of other fields. We want to capture that diversity in our hiring, and thus encourage early career researchers from all science fields to apply. Individuals from underrepresented groups and non-native English speakers are also especially encouraged to apply. If you are passionate about sharing the latest research in science communication research and enjoy writing, we want to hear from you! 

Applications will be accepted until December 2, 2024. Upon submitting the complete application, applicants will receive a confirmation email. Hiring decisions will be sent to applicants by December 16, and author training will begin the first week of February 2025.

Personal Statement Guidelines

Your personal statement (~500 words) should give us an idea of why you’re interested in writing for us and what you hope to contribute to SciCommBites. Use this as another chance to show off your writing style!

When crafting your personal statement, keep the following questions in mind:

  • Why are you interested in writing about research on the science of science communication?
  • What is your prior experience with science communication research or communicating science more generally?
  • What do you hope to bring to SciCommBites? This can be in terms of your specific science communication interests, unique perspectives, new ideas we could pursue, or anything else.
  • Submit as a PDF.

SciCommBites Sample Post Guidelines

A SciCommBites post is a ~750 word summary of a research paper on the science of science communication that has been published within the last five years. Please submit a sample post summarizing a science communication research article (that you are not affiliated with) following the SciCommBites style. See the guidelines below for what to include. We also recommend reading a few published SciCommBites to get familiar with our style and how posts are structured. 

Important! If you are hired as an author, we will publish your application post on the SciCommBites website. So, before you begin writing, please make sure the research article you’ve selected to write about has not already been covered by SciCommBites. You can do this by searching for the authors’ names or the paper title on our website. In addition, please do not write about one of your own papers or one from a group you’re affiliated with.

Make sure to include the following in your sample post:

  • The bite’s title — (that makes people want to click and read, not necessarily the title of the article)
  • The publication details of the research paper, including paper title, authors, year published, and a link to the published paper. Do not select a paper that has already been covered on SciCommBites.
  • The TL;DR — 1-2 sentences in plain language summarizing the key result or point of the research paper.
  • The “Why I chose this paper” — 1-2 sentences describing what motivated you to choose the paper you did.
  • The intro/lede to the post — The first 1-2 paragraphs of a typical SciCommBites post summarize the larger context for the research, the research question, and the answer (main finding) of the research study. These paragraphs should make us want to see the rest of the post!
  • The body of the post — The body of the post fills in the details on, or fleshes out, the messages and ideas presented in the intro/lede. Please address the following questions in the body of your post:
    • What larger issue in society and science communication (the status quo) did the research aim to address? Or what larger issue motivated the authors to conduct the research? In answering this question, make sure to provide any background readers will need to understand the study, such as an explanation of a key concept.
    • What wasn’t known that the authors wanted to learn? Or what main question(s) did the authors say needed to be answered to make progress on the larger issue?
    • What is the main thing the authors found that answered their question? In other words, what was their main finding?
    • How does the study’s main answer or finding impact the status quo? Or how did the authors say their findings make progress on the larger issue?
  • A figure from the paper that is modified, if necessary, to match the scope of the Bite, and is easy to read and understand. Please also include a figure caption that explains the figure in the context of the post (i.e., not the paper’s original caption).

In addition …

  • Write at a level appropriate for undergraduates, avoiding unnecessary jargon and succinctly explaining unfamiliar concepts.
  • We encourage you to add hyperlinks to explanations of unfamiliar content (e.g. existing SciCommBites posts or other websites) where appropriate. 
  • Submit as a PDF.

Questions?

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions either by email or our contact form!