Shortform (editor: Jenny Kim)

SITN Shortform is about showcasing and highlighting new and interesting science that is “making waves.” Contributors write consistently for the shortform blog; every month, they pick a recently-published research article and provide context-content-conclusions in ~300 words.

Shortform writers should: be Harvard graduate students interested in science communication

Shortform writers don’t need to: have prior writing experience. You learn on the job, as the editor works closely with each contributor to make sure their waves are written well and provide all the salient details for understanding the science at hand.

Interested? Email sitnbostonshortform@gmail.com and express interest in writing waves. If the team is full, the email will be stored in a “waiting list” folder until a position becomes available. 

Longform (editors: Kristin Qian and Tess Whitwam)

The goal of the SITN blog is to distill scientific information in a way that makes it both digestible and interesting to members of the general public. One way that we do this is through long-form articles, which are “deep dives” into a particular topic, idea, or research finding. These articles are generally ~1000 words and contain 2-3 figures, courtesy of the SITN graphics designers. The best way to learn about the blog is to read some of our pieces, so feel free to check them out! Here are some of our favorites: Example 1, Example 2, Example 3. Writing for the longform blog is interest-driven, rather than a consistent commitment. Some people sign up once to write an article on a topic that interests them; others might write every semester. 

Longform writers should: have a passion for science communication, the patience and respect to meet the audience where they’re at, and a willingness to learn and accept constructive criticism throughout the writing process

Longform writers don’t need to: have previous science writing experience. It is always helpful, but is certainly not needed! All of our writers are paired with a managing editor and a graphics designer. The managing editor will walk the writer through every step of the process, from picking a topic to writing drafts to making edits. The graphics designer will talk with the writer about their vision for figures and will produce drafts throughout the writing process. We also provide detailed writing guidelines and science-writing tips to help first time writers get a hang of the process.

Interested? We recruit long-form writers twice per year, once in the fall and once in the spring. Anyone interested in writing a long-form piece should join the SITN mailing list and look for our bi-annual calls for authors.