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Why?

Making UNC research more accessible to UNC students. You are essentially a reporter; you are reporting on current research!

A good article will…

Highlight the PI
Highlight any lab members
Explain research in simple terms
Have future directions

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Finding a Topic

UNC Science and Math News

http://college.unc.edu/sciences/

Research at UNC

http://research.unc.edu/index.htm

Endeavors:

http://endeavors.unc.edu/

But we now have a list of professors who are willing to be interviewed!
Make sure to give us your email after the meeting.

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Browse faculty profiles on department websites

anthropology.unc.edu/
bio.unc.edu
sph.unc.edu/envr
psychology.unc.edu
…And more!

Go to group page, review research summaries and published papers

Please only write about a PI that has not been featured in the past 6 editions (Spring 2023 2022- Fall 2025)- Check this list of previous articles

Where to Start?

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Your article doesn’t have to be about “groundbreaking” research: write about what interests you

Science is really a process of inquiry in which "non-events" - negative findings, tedious replication work, all count. But the news cycle tends to obscure that. And it tends to exaggerate the importance of some findings, because they better fit the news definition, sometimes at the expense of real public understanding of research.
-Deborah Blum, The Guardian

Narrowing down a PI/topic

Our rule of thumb: Please do not interview a PI who has already been featured between Spring 2023 and Fall 2025

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CS - Blog Posts

Topics well-suited to the carolinascientific.org blog:

More experimental pieces
Niche special topics, like postdocs or grad student highlights
A useful backup if you fall behind on article deadlines

Articles can be turned into blog posts

Be creative!

Differences:

Length (usually 750-1000 words)
Faster turnaround time to publication + more time to write!
Topic Submission due February 9th

submit topic in Blog Topic Submission tab of MasterDoc

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Before emailing a professor, ensure that they haven’t been written about in the last three years – a comprehensive list is on the CS website under “Staff Resources”
Email the professor as soon as possible to set up an interview -- give them your available times and then let THEM choose!

Tell them why you’re interested in their research
Explain Carolina Scientific’s purpose

Contacting a Professor

Mission Statement: Founded in Spring of 2008, Carolina Scientific’s mission is to produce a publication each semester that focuses on the exciting innovations in science and current research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Carolina Scientific strives to provide a way for students to discover and express their knowledge of new scientific advances, encourage students to explore and report on the latest scientific research at UNC-CH, and educate readers while promoting interest in science and research.

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Dear Dr. XXX,

My name is _______, a (your year and major), and I am interested in interviewing you and writing about your research in UNC's premier research science journal Carolina Scientific. Our mission is to produce a publication each semester that focuses on the new and exciting research conducted here at UNC. As a Staff Writer for the magazine, I am highly interested in your research into _________ because __________. I believe your perspective would greatly enrich our magazine and provide our readers with valuable insights into _________. The interview would be conducted in a format that is convenient for you, whether it be on Zoom or in an in-person meeting. For more information about who we are as Carolina Scientific, please feel free to check out our website - carolinascientific.org. If you would like to be interviewed, my available times and dates are __________ or we can choose another time that would work better for you. Thank you for considering my request and I look forward to the possibility of collaborating with you this semester.

Kind regards,

XXX

Email Template

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Go in prepared and have questions ready!
Record interview on Zoom or voice recorder- before you do this, get permission to record them before you start!
QUOTES!
Ask them to explain their research in layman’s terms
Ask for full texts of papers
Ask for images and permission to use them (headshot!)

Interviewing Professors

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Make it Personal to the PI

What do you personally find most exciting or important about your work?
What specific directions do you think your research will go, and what obstacles do you foresee?
How did you become interested in this research to begin with?
What specific potential applications might this research hold?
What difficulties do you run across in your research?

Example questions (from Nature’s “What Makes a Good Science Writer”):

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Interview Template:

Find the interview template + prompts on the website under Staff Resources
Usually, your interview will focus on a particular paper/project(s)
All in all, let the PI tell you about their research!

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Two main sources:

Interview
Paper(s)

You should to use a combination of both

You can use more, but they should be relevant

Researching your topic

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How to Structure Your Article

Hook statement or lede (No rhetorical questions)
Intro: give a short summary of the research’s importance

Why do we care about this? Relevance?

Introduce the PI

Where did they get their doctorate? How does that influence them?
Important but should only be a couple of sentences!

Body: fill in the gaps with background info and specifics

What makes this research special? Be detailed, but understandable! This should be the bulk of the article (75-85%)

Conclusion: Broader impact, future directions, call to action statement

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Titles

Articles should have a catchy title
Examples:

A Retro Take on Vinyl: A New Technique in Synthesizing Polymers
Dark Matter: The Cellulite of the Universe
Sugar Sweetened Beverage Tax: No “Sweet Deal” Anymore

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Hook Sentence or “Lede”

“The Hawaiian Bobtail Squid isn’t afraid of the dark — but it still uses a nightlight.”
Kaine Korzekwa 2014, NASW.org

“Reading this article will transform your mind.”
Brook Teffera, Carolina Scientific Spring 2014

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Know Your Audience

Your tone should not be excessively formal or informal
Don’t exaggerate facts but still make it fun and interesting
No equations!
Avoid unnecessary or too scientific-y jargon!

Assume intro-level class knowledge: your audience is the UNC campus as a whole

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Be clear, concise, and complete

Write your article like a story, not like a textbook or a journal publication
Explain the research at a basic, understandable level
Too much detail will quickly lose the reader
2-3 quotations directly from the interview

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Other Helpful Tips

Before writing, it may be beneficial to create a general outline. Or use the template on the website!
The lede, conclusion, and headline are the hardest to write

Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite!
Try to keep the lede less than 35 words
Story may end on a quote, or an open ended statement (without being too cheesy or exaggerative)

This is your call to action statement!

No: They want to save the world!
Yes: This research aims to positively influence the world by…

Most articles have a quote by the third paragraph, but again this is your article!

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Images and Figures

Get permission for ALL pictures (many Internet pictures aren't free to take!)
Most Wikimedia images are okay, but look for Creative Commons license!
Ask professors for use of personal pictures (cite appropriately)
Upload to dropbox as separate files with your name and figure #.

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Flickr Creative Commons

Source

Choose “creative commons” under the license tab in your search
In your image sources, include author and attribution
Photo by Jim Maragos/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, CC-BY-SA 2.0

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Images

Must be high resolution (at least 300x300 px but preferably greater than 1000x1000 px)
Contact your Associate Editor if you have trouble finding images!

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Cite!

Cite the interview, publications, and any other sources

use superscripts in the article
ACS format: see citation guide

For photo captions:

“Figure/photo by …” if the professor made the figure or took the photo
“Figure/photo courtesy of …” if the professor gave you an image that they did not take

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Writing Updates

Due to constraints in funding and having a growing club, we have to cap our magazine writers

You are eligible to write for the physical magazine if:

You have written for us for at least 1 semester
You have copy-edited for at least 2 semesters

If you do not meet either of these requirements, then your first article will be a blog article. After you write a blog article for 1 semester, you will be eligible to write for the physical magazine.

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Next steps

Uploading your topic:

MasterDoc will be sent out again if you missed it
Articles: Topics due February 6th at Midnight
Blogs: Topics due February 9th at Midnight

First Drafts due February 27th by Midnight

THESE ARE HARD DEADLINES

Dropbox will be sent out via ListServ and will be located on the MasterDoc for you to upload your drafts
If you’d like the PI List, make sure to write down your email!
Associate Editors will reach out you by February 13th, please respond to them!!