A Field Guide for Science Writers: The Official Guide of the National Association of Science Writers,2 Edition

Science writers are translators of sorts: they transform the jargon-laden language and arcane concepts of the science world into something the rest of us can understand and even appreciate. For this, they must be able to comprehend (and assess the value of) the science at hand, then simplify, calling into action whatever metaphor and analogy they can find to get the idea across. For this indispensable guidebook, 39 committed and enthusiastic science writers chime in about what their jobs entail. Among them are newspaper reporters, magazine and journal contributors, book authors, and freelance, editorial, and op-ed writers. Specialists relate the intricacies of covering topics such as infectious diseases, neuroscience, the environment, and technology. A final section explores science-writing jobs for colleges and universities, government agencies, museums, and industry. Particularly fascinating is the chapter by Mary Knudson, a freelance writer who covered medicine for the Baltimore Sun for 18 years and one of the editors of this book; in the chapter, she dissects one of her articles, explaining how she arrived at each piece of information included therein.
From Library Journal
This is not a "field guide" in the sense of a reference or guidebook but a report from the field by more than 30 expert science writers from all disciplines. Each writes about his or her own area of expertise, often including a road map that shows how he or she ended up in a series of particularly interesting places, e.g., the New York Times, Science, and the President's Office of Technology. Somewhat similar to The New Science Journalists (LJ 4/15/95), although much more comprehensive, this well-written collection is full of interesting insights into professional science writing and serves as a valuable resource for current and would-be science writers. Collections emphasizing career planning, especially at institutions with programs in journalism, writing, and communication, should obtain this work. Nice for crossover collections between the liberal arts and the sciences as well.?Mark L. Shelton, Worcester, Mass.