Getting Started In SciComm: Insights From 10+ Professionals

Science communication, or SciComm, has received much recognition since the COVID-19 pandemic. With scientists and science communicators racing to reach more diverse audiences, the question about how to get started in science communication still has few answers.

Below, we highlight insights from 10 professionals in the field of science communication. Please note, these are included in no particular order but are all interesting ways in which you can break into the field of science communication.

Please feel free to add your story and read other stories of getting into science communication below:

okay y'all, I been thinking about this for a while..

How did you get started in #SciComm? Looking to write a blog post on it and would love to include some responses I get on here! I'd love to hear direct routes, indirect routes, and self-carved routes too! #SciComm

— SciComm.Club (@SciCommClub) August 13, 2021

If you are interested in being part of a weekly conversation focused on the art of science communication, definitely join in on the free discussions on #SciCommChat. This is a free Twitter chat available to all. Learn more about the chat and how to join here.

1. Journalism as a way into SciComm

A number of early career SciCommers started out in the field through journalism. This includes writing for student newspapers and magazines. Here are some responses we had that related science communication to science journalism.

When prompted, Em writes:

“[Short] story: UG in Cell Bio, loved the science but hated labs, started sci writing for a student mag and loved it, did an internship in science Ed writing, wasnt sure if that was my only love so did MSc Scicomm, worked in a sci centre, fell into schools work and it stuck!” – Originally tweeted by em does scicomm 🏳️‍🌈 (@notsoscify) on August 13, 2021.

Em has written a more in-depth blog post about her own experience entering the field of science communication available on her website.

Claire L Jarvis had a similar experience to Em:

Claire writes, “Very beginning: started writing science features for my uni student newspaper 🗞. Those worked as clips when I started pitching to paid opportunities.”

She adds, “You only need 3-5 clips to chase paid ops. Start by pitching stories in your wheelhouse (ie related to your clips), then you can get more creative once you have paid work to show off.” – Originally tweeted by Claire L Jarvis (@StAndrewsLynx) on August 13, 2021.

2. Attending a SciComm lecture

Lori Palen has had a comparatively different start to science communication. She started out taking a workshop on effective data visualization which opened up more doors.

Lori tweets, “In grad school, I took an @EdwardTufte workshop & learned about effective data visualization. A few years later, I created/maintained a research communication toolkit for my employer (large research firm). Finding/sharing those resources built my interest/skill in scicomm.”- Originally tweeted by Lori Palen (@LoriPalenPhD) on August 13, 2021.

Lori soon started exploring opportunities in her own company and, because she was unable to find exactly what she was looking for, she started her own research communication firm this year. Want to learn more? Check out her website here.

3. An internship in science education

Internships are a familiar way to get into any field, not just science communication. An internship in science communication provides early career scicommers hands-on experience in the field. Rashmi Sheoran started out in the field in this manner.

Rashmi writes, “I started with internships while in undergrad which were inclined towards informal astronomy education for school students and was a regular visitor of Planetarium where meetups with other astro enthusiasts occurred.”

She expands, “With experience in both, my passion grew enormously; I started making edu content on Insta (especially as I graduated & moved back home during pandemic). Now I make short/long videos, mini blogs, lives, etc for @astro_roxy while working in the digital edu industry as a #scicommer” – Originally tweeted by Rashmi Sheoran 🔭 (@astro_roxy) on August 14, 2021.

4. Curating content for a science page

This is a pretty unique way to go too, but I totally welcome people carving their way into the science communication space. Benjamin Salles shares his experience with us.

Benjamin writes, “[I] just started sharing stuff on Facebook a few times a week. Then a few times a day. Then scheduling several posts every day. A few years and 230k followers later it’s an obsession.” – Originally tweeted by Benjamin Salles (@benjaminsalles) on August 13, 2021.

What a super cool way to get into the world of science communication!

5. Creating content about science and research

Creating content – through blogs, podcasts, tiktok videos, etc. – is a great way to dip your toes into science communication. Creating content consistently will help you to hone your scicomm skills across different platforms. Again, many scicommers start in this manner.

Haley Wahl tweets, “I got started through @astrobites! I applied on whim because I loved writing and there I fell in love with the challenge of communicating difficult science concepts to a wide audience. It totally changed my career path! (Also working at a planetarium got me interested too!)” – Originally tweeted by Haley Wahl (@hwahl16) on August 13, 2021.

Similarly, Paul Ian Cross says, “After 15 years in clinical research I decided to follow my passion for writing, starting with SF ~5 yrs ago. Ended up working on COVID vaccine trials in 2020, & as I also wrote Kid Lit, it made sense to combine the 2! Now writing nonfiction & doing #SciComm on @tiktok_uk.”

Paul’s story also conveys to us that it is never too late to get started in the field of science communication. Find what you enjoy with SciComm, and continue to provide content!

6. Competitions and outreach

If you love a little bit of healthy competition, and are looking to get into science communication as a career, definitely consider participating in some competitions. It can really ramp up your career and also teach you invaluable lessons in the field.

Dr. Zaid Omar entered the field of science communication with a competition. He explains, “I was first introduced to the world of #scicomm by entering the @FameLab Malaysia competition in 2015. Since then I’ve come to appreciate the importance of scientists communicating our topics to the public, and have been active in many science outreach workshops and activities.” – Originally tweeted by Dr Zaid Omar (@zaidomar18) on August 14, 2021.

Similarly, Dra. Patricia Contreras Tejada introduces us to another competition that helped her start out in the area of science communication. Although Dra. Tejada also wrote for newspapers during her PhD program.

She writes, “During my PhD I began contributing to newspaper articles, I was runner-up at a video competition… and it got a little out of hand so as soon as I graduated I joined the Spanish national newspaper La Razón as a contributing writer for their science section, and I’m loving it!” – Originally tweeted by Dra. Patricia Contreras Tejada (@_PatriciaCT) on August 13, 2021.

7. Volunteering at a (science) museum

Volunteering at a science museum is the perfect way to get into communications, especially if you like speaking to diverse audiences that walk in through the museum doors.

Ryan Bozer (informally) found his place in the sun in this manner. He notes, “I had been doing #SciComm and #SciEd since I was 14 in museums as a volunteer. I was passionate about science and had time on my hands and my parents encouraged me to find an opportunity to follow this interest. That was my informal start.” – Originally tweeted by Ryan Bozer (@ryanbozer) on August 15, 2021.

8. Accidentally being routed to the wrong department at work

This is by far my favorite story into how someone got into science communication. And honestly, I thought it was worth a mention! You never know how you get introduced to the field, so really, do what you enjoy and the field may find you!

Erin McLean provides a quick explanation on Twitter. “I applied to the @NEAQ as an undergrad and my application to the animal husbandry dept accidentally got routed to the education dept instead…turned out I loved educating visitors more than caring for the fish!” – Originally tweeted by Erin McLean (@ErinLynScience) on August 17, 2021.

9. Studying SciComm at university

Many people interested in science communication consider studying it at university. International students often use it as a way to formally enter the field. Em provides a little insight into the MSc in Science Communication and Public Engagement that she studied at Edinburgh University.

Em writes in her blog, “One of the main reasons I liked the MSc I was on is that it had integrated work placements, so I could apply the theory and ideas I had learnt in classes immediately in a real work context…”

Although she had a solid bit of experience in SciComm, the course seems to be designed in a manner that helps students get the experience they require to succeed in the field.

10. A health scare

Finally, here’s my story into SciComm. Informally, I did a lot of SciComm at home, explaining different scientific concepts to my family! Formally though, my “career” in the space began after a breast cancer scare. I have previously written about my experience in a blog post linked here.

Although the health scare was not the only reason I got started in the field, it made me more vocal about the life sciences, health and disease. I had already studied biology at university, and then went ahead to study law – changing careers and then eventually changing back.

While working in the field of law, I had my cancer scare. During this time, I was also privy to health records of a number of claimants. Throughout my career in law, it became clear that there was a huge gap between what the doctors thought they were communicating to patients and what the patients actually took away when they left the doctor’s office.

This observation prompted me to switch gears (again). I carved my own career path since and am now a freelance science writer and communicator in the life science and health niche. I also co-host #SciCommChat on Twitter every week so science communicators can gather, share ideas, and discuss ways to improve their science communication skills.

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A final note: these are just some ways in which people have started out in science communication. This is in no way an exhaustive list! In fact, I encourage you to take creative liberties to carve out your own space in the area – whether that be writing songs, starting a YouTube channel, undertaking SciArt, or something else.

If you have a unique story on how you got started in SciComm, I’d love to hear it. Please feel free to include your story in a comment below!