THE OPEN NOTEBOOK

The Open Notebook is dedicated to helping science journalists cultivate their skills. We do this through articles and other resources published at TheOpennNotebook.com, through workshops, and through our book published in February 2020, The Craft of Science Writing.

In our Story-Behind-the-Story Interviews, The Open Notebook asks science journalists to deconstruct their working process, from inception to completion.

Our Reported Features focus on specific elements of the craft of science journalism, from finding ideas to taking good notes to writing effective ledes—and much more.

In TON's Storygram series, a collaboration with the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing between 2016 and 2019, experienced journalists provide in-depth annotations of award-winning science stories (along with Q&A interviews with the authors). Our goal is to show what makes the best stories great.

Through our Diverse Voices project, a collaboration with the National Association of Science Writers' Diversity Committee, we aim to examine the experiences, expertise, and perspectives of science journalists from communities that are underrepresented in science journalism.

TON's A Day in the Life series asks science journalists to break down the habits and tricks and must-have tools that get them through the day.

The Open Notebook’s Ask TON advice column invites our audience to privately submit craft-related questions, which we then pose to experienced writers and editors, allowing journalists of all experience levels to tap into the expertise of their peers. 

Our Single Best video series provides quick nuggets of winning advice.

Part practical guidance, part writerly voyeurism, TON’s Natural Habitat audio slideshows visit science writers in their working spaces—from home offices to coffee shops to  hammocks—and invite them to share the accoutrements that help them do their best work.

Our Office Hours series invites journalism instructors to share the insights they've gleaned as teachers.

The TON Pitch Database is a searchable resource containing more than 200 successful news and feature queries to a wide range of publications. This unique tool gives science journalists the opportunity to study the first—and often the most difficult—step in producing outstanding science stories.

Our fellowship program for early-career science journalists is funded by a grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. This eight-month, paid fellowship provides an opportunity for early-career science journalists to develop their skills by conducting story-behind-the-story interviews and creating reported features for publication at The Open Notebook, working with a dedicated mentor.

TON en Español is our growing collection of popular TON articles translated into Spanish.

Our first book, The Craft of Science Writing, published in February 2020, offers an essential primer for science writers, students, and others who want to improve their ability to tell stories about science.

The Open Notebook has been publishing regularly since October 2010, and weekly since January 2013.

The co-founders of The Open Notebook are Siri Carpenter and Jeanne Erdmann, are experienced science journalists, each with more than 15 years' experience in the field. Carpenter, TON's editor-in-chief, is an award-winning freelance science journalist, contributing editor for Science News for Students, and former features editor at Discover magazine. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Science, Science News, Scientific American, Scientific American Mind, Spectrum, The Oprah Magazine, Prevention, and many other publications. Erdmann, TON's editor-at-large, is an award-winning health and science writer whose work has appeared in Discover, Women's Health, Aeon, Slate, The Washington Post, Nature Medicine, and Nature, among other publications.

TON's board includes 5 respected journalists whose work has been recognized with numerous awards.

Contributors to the site include dozens of highly regarded journalists and editors. Examples include Christie Aschwanden, Brooke Borel, Nadia Drake, Jeanne Erdmann, Laura Helmuth, Jude Isabella, Amanda Mascarelli, Michelle Nijhuis, Kendra Pierre-Louis, Tasneem Raja, Alexandra Witze, David Wolman, Ed Yong, Tom Yulsman, and Carl Zimmer, among many others.

The Open Notebook was launched in October, 2010. Since then, nearly three quarters of a million people from around the world have visited the site, and tens of thousands are regular users, returning dozens of times. The Open Notebook is widely regarded as the “textbook of science journalism."

Our goals are:

* To continue to expand and deepen the resources we offer to help journalists improve their skills.

* To support increased diversity and inclusion in science journalism.

* To curate our resources to aid journalism instructors in incorporating TON into course planning and to allow journalists at all levels of experience to use TON as a self-directed curriculum.