Preprints: Best practices for science journalists and communicators

Preprints: Best practices for science journalists and communicators

Preprints certainly aren't new. These papers, which scientists publish to servers like arxiv.org before peer review, have been around for 25+ years. But in the past few years, more preprint servers, including ones for biology and chemistry, have come online. And still more — engineering, earth sciences, and the like — are on the horizon.

What's an editor, journalist, or PIO to do? Sure, preprints enable the communication of cool, new science more quickly than ever before. But that science hasn't yet been peer reviewed, and it's also likely under review with a journal that may or may not want the authors sharing details about their work.

During this session, panelists and moderators will discuss best practices for covering and promoting preprints, drawing on lessons learned from older preprint servers like arxiv. Then attendees will break up into smaller tables to share thoughts and experiences. Notes from those discussions will be gathered into a shareable document of best practices around preprints.

Social media hashtag: #NASWpreprints

Files for this session:
NASW preprints session 2018.pdf
Time:
Saturday, October 13th, 2:00 pm to 3:15 pm
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Location:
Marvin Center, Continental Ballroom
Speaker(s):
Sharon Begley
  Senior science writer, STAT, Boston, Mass.
Meagan Phelan
  Executive director, Science Press Package, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C.
Jessica Polka
  Director, ASAPBio, Cambridge, Mass.
Mohi Kumar
  Interim senior news editor, EOS
Moderator(s):
Tom Ulrich
  Associate director for science communications, the Broad Institute, Cambridge, Mass.
Lauren K. Wolf
  Executive editor, science, Chemical & Engineering News, Washington, D.C.
Organizer(s):
Tom Ulrich
  Associate director for science communications, the Broad Institute, Cambridge, Mass.
Lauren K. Wolf
  Executive editor, science, Chemical & Engineering News, Washington, D.C.

Meeting schedule

Friday, Oct. 12

12:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Check-in
Marvin Center, Great Hall (street level)

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

$ Getting Real: Science Writing in AR and VR
Marvin Center, Room 307
W SciWriUnited: A regional SciWri groups congress
Marvin Center, Continental Ballroom

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

3:30 pm to 4:15 pm

F Butterfly CRISPR workshop at the GW Department of Biological Sciences
Science and Engineering Hall, 8th floor; check in at the SEH lobby infodesk at 3:15.
F Tour of the Harlan Greenhouse at the GW Department of Biological Sciences
Science and Engineering Hall, 8th floor; check in at the SEH infodesk at 3:15.

4:30 pm to 5:15 pm

F Butterfly CRISPR workshop at the GW Department of Biological Sciences
Science and Engineering Hall, 8th floor; check in at the SEH lobby infodesk at 4:15.
F Tour of the Harlan Greenhouse at the GW Department of Biological Sciences
Science and Engineering Hall, 8th floor; check in at the SEH lobby infodesk at 4:15.

5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

F Welcome reception
Science and Engineering Hall

8:00 pm to 11:00 pm

Diversity mixer
Stoney’s on L, 2101 L St. NW #103
Saturday, Oct. 13

7:30 am to 8:15 am

NASW membership meeting + light breakfast
Marvin Center, Grand Ballroom

8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Check-in
Marvin Center, Great Hall (street level)

8:30 am to 9:45 am

10:15 am to 11:45 am

W Congratulations, you're a manager! Now what?
Marvin Center, Grand Ballroom

11:45 am to 2:00 pm

W Lunch break
Visit your choice of multiple local establishments for good eats + good company

12:00 pm to 1:30 pm

12:45 pm to 1:45 pm

W #SciWriMentoring
Marvin Center, Continental Ballroom

2:00 pm to 3:15 pm

3:15 pm to 3:45 pm

W Afternoon Break
Marvin Center: Grand and Continental Ballrooms

3:45 pm to 5:00 pm

W So you think you want to edit?
Marvin Center, Continental Ballroom

5:15 pm to 6:30 pm

7:00 pm to 10:00 pm

F ScienceWriters Annual Awards Night
Washington Marriott Georgetown
Sunday, Oct. 14

7:45 am to 8:45 am

F Continental breakfast
Marvin Center Grand Ballroom and Continental Ballroom

7:45 am to 7:00 pm

F Exhibit Hall open
Marvin Center Grand Ballroom and Continental Ballroom

8:00 am to 11:00 am

F Check-in
Marvin Center Third Floor

8:45 am to 10:00 am

10:05 am to 11:05 am

11:05 am to 11:30 am

F Coffee break
Marvin Center Grand Ballroom and Continental Ballroom

11:30 am to 12:30 pm

12:30 pm to 2:30 pm

2:30 pm to 3:30 pm

3:30 pm to 4:00 pm

F Coffee break
Marvin Center Grand Ballroom and Continental Ballroom

4:00 pm to 5:00 pm

5:00 pm to 7:00 pm

F ScienceWriters reception
Marvin Center Grand Ballroom and Continental Ballroom
Monday, Oct. 15

7:45 am to 8:30 am

F Continental breakfast
Marvin Center Grand Ballroom and Continental Ballroom

7:45 am to 5:00 pm

F Exhibit Hall open
Marvin Center Grand Ballroom and Continental Ballroom

8:30 am to 9:30 am

9:00 am to 10:40 am

F Tour of GW Nanofabrication and Imaging Center with emphasis on biomedical microscopy
Science and Engineering Hall, check in at lobby infodesk

9:35 am to 10:35 am

10:35 am to 10:50 am

F Coffee break
Marvin Center Grand Ballroom and Continental Ballroom

10:50 am to 11:50 am

11:50 am to 1:00 pm

Lunch break
Visit your choice of multiple local establishments for good eats + good company

12:00 pm to 12:45 pm

F Lunchtime yoga
GW Milken Institute School of Public Health

12:15 pm to 2:00 pm

F Tour of GW Nanofabrication and Imaging Center with emphasis on nanofabrication techniques
Science and Engineering Hall, check in at lobby infodesk

1:00 pm to 2:00 pm

2:00 pm to 3:00 pm

3:00 pm to 3:15 pm

F Coffee break
Marvin Center Grand Ballroom and Continental Ballroom

3:00 pm to 4:45 pm

F Tour of GW Nanofabrication and Imaging Center with emphasis on biomedical microscopy
Science and Engineering Hall, check in at lobby infodesk

3:15 pm to 4:05 pm

F Climate science on trial
Lisner Auditorium

4:05 pm to 4:55 pm

Tuesday, Oct. 16

8:00 am to 12:30 pm

F USP field trip: The science of quality standards
Rockville, MD. Van will depart from/return to the Washington Marriott GeorgetownD

8:00 am to 5:00 pm

$ National Association of Science Writers Information Access Summit
Marvin Center (800 21st Street NW) Room 309

8:30 am to 12:30 pm

F MedImmune field trip: Beyond biotech
Gaithersburg, MD. Bus will depart from/return to the Washington Marriott Georgetown.

9:00 am to 12:00 pm

F Georgetown University Medical Center field trip: Just because we can, should we?
Washington, DC. Bus will depart from/return to the Washington Marriott Georgetown.
F University of Maryland: Next-generation engineering
College Park, MD. Bus will depart from/return to the Washington Marriott Georgetown.
F University of Maryland: Quantum computing
College Park, MD. Bus will depart from/return to the Washington Marriott Georgetown.
F University of Maryland: Virtual and augmented reality
College Park, Md. Bus will depart/return to the Washington Marriott Georgetown.

9:00 am to 4:00 pm

F National Institute of Standards and Technology field trip: Not your standard tour
Gaithersburg, MD. Bus will depart from/return to the Washington Marriott Georgetown.

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