Yet fewer than 3 percent of journalists are trained to cover science, health, or the environment—and access to such training is both scarce and inequitable. The Open Notebook equips journalists with the skills, tools, and community support they need to produce evidence-based reporting that informs the public and empowers society. LEARN MORE >>

News and Announcements

Check Out Our New Book!

Our new book, The Best Science Stories and How They Work, published by the University of Chicago Press, is a “best of” anthology and science writing masterclass rolled into one. We feature eleven deeply reported, artfully crafted stories from the likes of Scientific American, Nature, The Atlantic, and The New York Times Magazine, alongside annotations by some of the most thoughtful and respected science journalists working today.

Got a Question? We Have a Help Desk

Our Local Science Reporting Help Desk is available to offer quick-turn advice for reporters on any beat.

Editing Forensics Workshop Aug. 21

Merch! We Have Merch!

Hats, mugs, water bottles, totes, t-shirts, hoodies … and of course, notebooks!

Prompting Sources to Open Up

This tip sheet will help you nudge interviews with sources below the surface.

TON’s Writers’ Guidelines

The norms our writers follow, including how much to change quotes and what to share with sources.

Latest Articles

News & Announcements

An Invitation to Scribble in the Margins of The Best Science Stories and How They Work

The Open Notebook's new book The Best Science Stories and How They Work: A Collection with Commentary officially launches on July 21, 2026. You're invited to scribble in the margins!

Siri Carpenter

Reported Features

Building Relationships While Editing Experts

Monya Baker

A Day in the Life

A Day in the Life of Myriam Vidal Valero

TON Editors

A Day in the Life

A Day in the Life of Chris Baraniuk

TON Editors

Reported Features

Landing Your First Assignment Without Any Clips

Hasmik Kirakosyan

Reported Features

Getting Yourself on the Scene: How to Fund and Plan Field-Reporting Trips

Skyler Ware

News & Announcements

Announcing the Retraction Watch Research Accountability Reporting Fellowship

TON Editors

Reported Features

Why Now? Find a Hook to Make Your Pitch Timely

Lucila Pinto

News & Announcements

Congratulations and Welcome to TON’s 2026 Early-Career Fellows

TON Editors

SEE MORE >> REPORTED FEATURES | INTERVIEWS | STORYGRAMS | A DAY IN THE LIFE

Join Us in Madison on August 21 for an Editing Worksop

Great writing depends on great editing—and great editing is a skill that can be learned.

In this highly interactive 6-hour in-person workshop in Madison, Wisconsin, participants will develop practical editing techniques that strengthen both their own writing and their ability to work effectively with others’ work.

Centering on The Open Notebook’s trusted technique, Editing Forensics™, the workshop will teach a systematic approach to unlocking and addressing the most common issues in story drafts.

"The Open Notebook is an incredibly generous project, a gift to the science writer community.... Everyone involved—the TON creators, the interviewers, the writers who reveal their methods—is helping teach the rest of us a master class in science writing."

Laura Helmuth Science journalist and past president of the National Association of Science Writers

"Writing is a lonely art. The vast majority of the process, from coming up with ideas to structuring a piece, is carried out in solitude. When you start out, you barely have a clue about what you’re doing, let alone what seasoned professionals get up to. Getting those pros to deconstruct their own methods for all to see is a massive boon to aspiring science writers."

Ed YongPulitzer Prize–winning journalist

"When I discovered The Open Notebook as a newbie engineer-turned-science-writer from India, struggling to understand the nuances of science writing, I was blown over by the wealth of resources that were free! Reading each of those carefully curated articles, written by writers from all over the world, has helped me become a better science journalist. If there is a way to democratize science writing, TON has shown us how to do it, and I hope it will continue to guide many like me."

Spoorthy RamanScience journalist

"The Open Notebook offers not only a wealth of resources, it provides community to science writers at every stage of their career. TON embodies generosity. By reading the site’s expert and timely articles, we can become better storytellers together."

Tiên NguyễnJournalist and filmmaker

"I recommend The Open Notebook to every writer, not just science journalists. Their story dissections are amazing, their pitch database is a goldmine, and their profiles of other writers are the best way to score insider tips and/or feel less alone in the struggle."

Nicola Twilley Co-host of the Gastropod podcast, author of Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves, and frequent contributor to The New Yorker

"The Open Notebook is the home of science journalism. It’s not surprising that all science writers are devoted to the priceless resources it offers. TON’s legacy will be defined by how it has shaped the careers of journalists from across the world, including me."

Abdullahi TsanniFreelance science journalist

"I don't recall how I stumbled upon The Open Notebook, but I immediately bookmarked it because I thought the content was practical and highly applicable in the real world. This site is one of the reasons why the idea of making a living through freelance writing seemed plausible. The Master Classes, pitch database, international student community, and mentoring opportunities are invaluable to anyone willing to learn. This is one of those sites that should not be taken for granted."

Gowtham SKFreelance science writer

"The Open Notebook is the most essential resource for aspiring or growing science journalists."

Carolyn WilkeFreelance science journalist

"I consider myself lucky that The Open Notebook launched right as I started to pursue a career in science writing. Its pitch database, Storygrams, interviews and in-depth articles on the craft of science writing proved invaluable as I tried to break into the field, and I continue to rely on these resources for help and encouragement. Whenever anyone asks me for advice on science writing, I recommend they first check out The Open Notebook."

Sandeep RavindranFreelance science journalist

"What TON offers is incomparable to anything else you can find online. These amazing people are committed to training, mentoring, and guiding anyone who wants to pursue a career in journalism. And not just with an open mind, but with the goal of giving those who are underrepresented an unprecedented opportunity."

Hasmik KirakosyanFreelance science journalist

"For me, what really stands out about TON is its unwavering belief that everyone can be a better science writer, and a firm moral stance that “everyone” truly means everybody. In these turbulent times when it seems America couldn’t be further from evidence-based discourse, The Open Notebook is a city upon a hill, showing the world what science could achieve if we came together as a community: bringing clarity, wonder, and nuance to a world that sorely needs it."

Alex IpScience journalist and founder of The Xylom

Where to Get Started at The Open Notebook

We’ve published more than 600 articles on the craft of science journalism, and we also offer courses and other training opportunities, Spanish translations, DEI resources, a free global database of science writers, a large database of successful pitch letters, tip sheets, interactive tools, and more. Here are some starting points for digging in.

Learning Opportunities

SCIENCE JOURNALISM

Master Classes

Mentoring

Programs

Trainings

& Workshops

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources

We’ve published dozens of articles and resource guides that center diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in science journalism. Browse this page to find articles on topics such as covering Indigenous communities, reporting and writing with trans-inclusion in mind, navigating bias in newsrooms, finding diverse sources, tracking source diversity, freelancing on a student visa, and much, much more.

The Open Notebook‘s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is core to our mission, and that will never change. We continue to stand by the promise we have made to our community. READ MORE >>

The Craft of Science Writing

A second, expanded edition of our book The Craft of Science Writing is available from the University of Chicago Press!

Science writing has never been so critical to our world, and the demands on writers have never been greater. On any given day, a writer might need to explain the details of AI, analyze developments in climate change research, or serve as a watchdog helping to ensure the integrity of the scientific enterprise. At the same time, writers must spin tales that hook and keep readers, despite the endless other demands on their attention. How does one do it? The Craft of Science Writing is the authoritative guide.

Check Out the Science Writers Database!

Our free, public database of journalists, writers, editors, and other communicators who cover science, health, environment, and technology is designed to help people within our community expand and diversify their networks and find potential freelancers, collaborators, editors to pitch, conference panelists, award judges, new colleagues, voices to follow on social media, and more. View or join the database today!