Los Angeles freelance science writer and editor
by Janice Nigro If you had asked me a month ago what I knew about bats, I would have said, “They are the only flying mammals on Earth.” That’s it. While the world has been spinning out of control in the last two months over the Covid-19 pandemic, I have spent a portion of my... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro Nature can still surprise us. One sperm, one egg and you are a whale shark, a red hairy shrimp, or a bat terrorizing humans by showering pandemic disease causing viruses down upon them. I’m as caught up as everyone else in the interruption of life, business and the stock market brought upon... Continue Reading →
Janice Nigro I just got done discussing how much I dislike New Year's resolutions, and now here I am writing about them. Because if you're like me, New Year’s resolutions set up a certain dilemma. Panic sets in already on New Year’s Eve when the pact with the new year might fall apart at the... Continue Reading →
Scientists don’t get into science to become writers. But the job demands it. We write, or we try to, because we need to communicate results. To survive. To move up in our career. To advance science. But that’s the problem. Scientists have to do it. And when you have to do something, it can become... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro The history behind "predatory journals" The novel noun "predatory journal," created in German-like fashion in a blog that no longer exists, refers to a specialized internet scam phishing for scientists. Organizers masquerade as online journals, tempting scientists to submit articles for publication in an open access format by promising rigorous review and accelerated publication.... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro My colleagues and I just submitted a scientific paper we have been working on for seven years. Seven years. It’s hard for me to admit that. Maybe I shouldn’t admit it. A lot can happen in seven years. Babies have been born, and people spread around the western world like they were... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro Like a lot of beginning business writers, I waver between those moments of feeling like an imposter and feeling professional. The only way to gain confidence is to go out and do the job. “Say yes” people tell me. Saying yes is the easy part. “Saying yes, 50% deposit thank you very... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro A great irony in science is how generic we scientists often write about it. We use clichéd lines. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show X…” Or “However, X still remains unknown.” Or my favorite, “Such and such cancer is the most aggressive tumor type in... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro Sometime immediately after the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, panic sets in. Suddenly, it's the new year, and just like that I am supposed to adopt some new behaviors that will make life better for me. Then I relax for a moment. I am a scientist. Our job is to... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro Before I started writing my blog, I thought writing and authors were limited to newspapers, magazines, or books. The reality is that writers are writing everywhere. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me before now. I have had experience writing and publishing before I ever thought to blog or to... Continue Reading →
Janice Nigro 