It is great that this discussion has smoked out so many opportunities for aspiring science writers. It is a pity that the sites are mostly unknown, and not just to me.
This one, the most substantial I have seen, raises that old issue about editing. If the "hierarchy of editors" is a bunch of fellow students, then it lacks the brutal attack of someone who doesn't give a damn. (Think arts graduate on the Daily Mail, or even the BBC, trying to find a reason not to accept a story.)
The first article I landed on from this message (see below) has an opening sentence of no fewer than 42 words. Long sentences can work, but only when there is a purpose. (Check the works of the late Sir Bernard Levin.) Use them deliberately rather than because you didn't get round to writing a punchy intro.
I know this isn't the place for writing lessons. I mention it because, in the light of the first message, this is the place to discuss what you will get if you write for nothing for websites that simply want to feed the beast or to provide a wall where you can slap up your ramblings.
Then again, the website is clean and easy to find your way around, even if it tells me next to nothing about the people behind it. That is important. A site that comes under the banner of, say, the ABSW or the Wellcome Trust carries more weight than a bunch of folks down the boozer, or the JCR.
I had to ferret around to find that "we have assembled the best team of science and engineering students from across the country".
What a wonderful idea. It looks like somewhere for students interested in creating a portfolio. Just find a way to persuade a nasty person from beyond the student world to give the writers the hard time they'll need to hone their skills. And someone to advise on how to market the place, with the occasional press release for example. (There's at least one deliberate abuse of conventional grammar in this paragraph.)
Sadly, this one does not come anywhere near the top when I "Bing" the phrase "student science writing website".
There is more to science writing than writing about science.
MK
PS Anyone else going to next week's bash for
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Public-engagement/Science-Writing-Prize/index.htm#
-----Original Message-----
From: psci-com: on public engagement with science [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alice Tobin
Sent: 2014-October-17 21:28
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [PSCI-COM] Blu Dot - responses
Some people on this list may also be interested in Experimentation (www.experimentation-online.co.uk). It is run by science students, and both writing and editorial roles are unpaid. However, the monthly turnover and hierarchy of editors means that writers receive regular feedback and work to a set schedule.
We have five sections, split into four different science disciplines and a columnist section, each with their own editor. This, in turn, is overseen by our editor-in-chief and managing editor. All articles are checked by an editor before they are uploaded.
While it is by no means perfect, Experimentation gave me the structure I needed to build a portfolio of science writing, as well as editorial experience managing a team of science writers, which ultimately helped me get to my current job in science communication.
Best wishes,
Alice
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