Los Angeles freelance science writer and editor
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 →
by Janice Nigro We wonder in grade school what the point of such exercises is. Writing up lab reports, writing up our interpretation of a story or a poem. But “purpose, methods, results” is ultimately the basis of everything we do. Although sometimes we only see the pattern when we look back. I am a... Continue Reading →
One of the things about learning a new language that I have experienced while living and traveling around the world is that no one gets good at it unless you use it. The same argument could be made for writing manuscripts and making presentations. I have been editing articles for native as well as non-native... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro I have never written a scientific review. Admitting that is like saying I never achieved expert status in anything as a scientist. It’s partly true. Many journals solicit review articles only from so-called experts in a field. I have simply never been asked. But my training was to focus on generating data... Continue Reading →
