- Introduction
- How Science Works
- Sources and Experts: Where to Find Them and How to Vet Them
- Making Sense of Science Stats
- Editing for Story
- Editing Controversial Science
- Holding Science to Account
- Covering Health Care
- Climate and the Environment
- Fact-Checking Science Journalism: How to Make Sure Your Stories Are True
-
Illustrating Complex Science Stories
- Introduction
- The Role of Visuals in Science Journalism
- The Process of Building Science-Centric Graphics
- Strategies for Using Visuals to Put Breaking Science in Context
- Special Considerations for Data Visualization
- Uncertainty and Misinformation
- Editorial Illustration, Photography, and Moving Images
- Additional Reading and Resources
- About the Author
- Social Media and Reader Engagement
- Popular Science
- Misinformation
- Op-Eds and Essays
- About This Handbook
Additional Reading and Resources
Books
- The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking, Brooke Borel, University of Chicago Press (2016).
Editors who want to set up a fact-checking process or department will find plenty of advice here.
Reports
- “Checking in on Fact Checking in Science Journalism,” Brooke Borel et al., Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT (2018).
This report gives a good sense of how and where fact-checking functions at publications that cover science, health, tech, or the environment — including general interest outlets.
Articles
- “The Pocket Guide to Bullshit Prevention,” Michelle Nijhuis, The Last Word on Nothing (April 29, 2014).
Any journalist or editor would do well to remember these steps, which are conveniently listed in a pocket-shaped chart to tuck in your back pocket.
- “Checkpoints,” John McPhee, The New Yorker (February 2009).
A classic read on fact-checking, which gives insight into not only the storied fact-check department at The New Yorker but also the lengths to which a checker may go to confirm an anecdote — and how things can occasionally go wrong.
Radio
- “In Praise of Radically Transparent Journalism,” WNYC’s On The Media (December 1, 2017).
An interview with Margaret Sullivan, of The Washington Post, in which she calls for more transparency in journalism.