Entering the field and keeping up - How to seek a scientific-communication career - Other topics in scientific communication

How to write and publish a scientific paper - Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day 2022

Entering the field and keeping up
How to seek a scientific-communication career
Other topics in scientific communication

How can you find job opportunities in scientific communication? Look at position announcements posted on employment websites, published in journals, and disseminated by groups such as the Council of Science Editors, the National Association of Science Writers (NASW), and the American Medical Writers Association. Keep informed about job openings through social media. Whether or not job opportunities are announced, make yourself known to potential employers. Network, through organizations and otherwise.

Those in scientific communication, like those in scientific research, need to keep up with new developments. The never-ending graduate school of a science-communication career can aid in staying current with science, and further reading and listening can help fill the gaps. With regard to scientific communication, relevant organizations can help you keep up with trends, technologies, and issues; obtain practical advice; and establish or maintain a network of others doing similar work. Examples of such organizations include those mentioned in the preceding paragraph, as well as the European Association of Science Editors, the World Association of Medical Editors, the Association of Earth Science Editors, the Society of Environmental Journalists, the Association of Health Care Journalists, and the Society for Technical Communication, as well as associations in more general communication fields (for example, the Society of Professional Journalists, the International Association of Business Communicators, and ACES: The Society for Editing). Read the publications of such associations, attend their conferences if you can, and take advantage of their social media engagement. And as your career develops, consider helping with their educational activities as well. You may one day be helping others from science who are entering scientific-communication careers.