Communicate your findings to the general public for early-career scientists
By Anaïs Remili,
PhD Candidate at McGill University – Founder and chief editor of Whale Scientists: anais.remili@mail.mcgill.ca
This workshop is open for students or recently graduated scientists who wish to get some tips on how to share some of their findings with the public. This workshop is free and will be delivered online (Zoom).
Throughout this workshop, I wish to help you turn your research into articles aimed towards the general public. As the founder and chief editor of Whale Scientists, I have edited and published over 100 articles on marine mammal science. The workshop's goal is to share what I have learned and help you start in scientific communication by offering guidance, tips, and a platform to publish your work.
During the activity, we will practice focusing on the main idea of a paper and how to turn an academic study into a piece that will interest the public. The goal is to help you get started in scientific communication. This skill has become increasingly important in the last few years, not only for the public but also for scientists and their future opportunities.
Prior to the workshop, I will encourage you to practice writing a ~700-word recap of one of your recent findings. If you do not have results for a study and wish to focus on something different related to marine mammal science, it is fine too (examples: "why are dolphins born tail first?", "why do whales sing?", etc.). I will create small groups so that you can give your peers some feedback on their piece.
The day of the workshop, I will give a presentation and share some tips on how to captivate your audience and make your article attractive to the public. I will also give you tips on publishing your pieces. Then, I will share tips on how to write good articles with insider knowledge from Whale Scientists. The outcome of this workshop will be a post ready to be pitched to a publisher. Whale Scientists can also publish some of the pieces produced during the workshop to help participants get started in science communication.
The maximum capacity is 25 people.
You can register using this link: https://forms.gle/c5A5HeXzvr5puoje8
(I will ensure all participants are students or recent graduates)
Program for the workshop:
March 20th, 2022: Please draft a ~700-word recap of one of your recent findings (honors, master thesis, PhD paper, latest study) and upload it to the google drive folder I will send.
March 31st, 2022: Please send your group members feedback on their text, so that they can update their piece with your comments.
April 4th, 2022 – Day of the zoom workshop (Due to a significant time difference - I am based in Canada- the workshop will happen in the afternoon.)
15:00 (GMT+2 – Israel time): Beginning of the workshop – Introduction
15:20 How to write for the public, what are the tips to improve your piece?
16:00 Break
16:10 How to get your article out on the internet?
16:50 Open questions time
17:30 Activity – finding ways to improve a text
18:00 End of the zoom workshop
April 11th, 2022 – If you wish to receive my feedback on your updated piece, after practicing in the workshop and taking into account your peers’ suggestions, send me your revised piece.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions! anais.remili@mail.mcgill.ca