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Topic: Finding sources
Source database

Field Sources: An Environmental Source Desk

"Environmental stories are undercovered in part because the experts are hard to find. Naturalists, science communicators, curriculum designers, field educators, and community-based practitioners are doing work that is directly relevant to the stories journalists are pursuing — but they don’t appear in the usual source databases, and they usually don’t have communication specialists on staff. Field Sources is a personally-curated roster of environmental and sustainability practitioners who have agreed to be available to journalists on deadline." The service is for:
  • Journalists: You’re working on a story that touches environmental education, sustainability practice, informal learning, or community-based science. You need a credible, responsive source — and you need them quickly. Field Sources is free for journalists. You bring the angle. I do the matching.
  • Practitioners: You have expertise that journalists need but can’t find. You’re willing to be interviewed, you can speak to a deadline, and you want your work to reach a wider audience. Inclusion in Field Sources is by invitation and application — not open enrollment.
Video

Lights Out: Protecting Birds From Light Pollution

SciLine

"Every year, billions of birds fly across the U.S., but city lights are getting in the way. Artificial light is disorienting migrating birds, sending them off course and into deadly collisions with buildings. How many birds are affected by light pollution near you? How can communities protect thousands of birds from light pollution? Astronomer and light pollution expert Dr. James Lowenthal (Smith College) explains how artificial light threatens migrating birds, disrupts wildlife, and what simple steps your communities can take to fix it. TV bundle includes:
  • Soundbite (SOT)
  • VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)
  • Raw, full-length interview video & log with timecodes (upon request via form below)
"These resources are free to use. No attribution to SciLine is required."
Resource Database / Guide

Finding & Interviewing Sources

"Every journalist has their own approach to finding and interviewing sources. But the best reporters share some common tactics to vet potential sources, get a rambling source back on track mid-interview, find anecdotes that sing, and more. Below is a roundup of articles from our archives with tips on how to build a roster of sources, prepare for your interviews, navigate difficult conversations, and more.
  • Building a Roster of Go-To Sources
  • Stepping Out: Finding Local Voices for Science Stories
  • When and How to Include Young People as Sources
  • How to Find Scientist Sources and Plan Interviews
  • Who is an Expert? Broadening the Definition Strengthens Journalism
  • The Art of Crafting Effective Interview Questions
  • How to Steer an Interview So You Get What You Need
  • Crafting Clear and Conversational Q&As
  • Outside In: Covering Communities as An Outsider"
Video

Compelling Climate Visuals and Where to Find Them

"Join Covering Climate Now and Climate Visuals for a special webinar about how to visualize climate change with videos and stills, for print and TV. Learn more about visual databases where you can source imagery, with Alastair Johnstone-Hack of Climate Visuals and Hilary Ogali of Wikimedia. Hear from photographer Justin Cook about his process for reporting and creating climate visuals, with a focus on solutions. Come with questions!"
Resource Database / Guide

Rare Disease Reporting Guide

National Press Foundation (NPF)

"Rare disease researchers, patients and caregivers alike often welcome news media coverage to bring awareness to conditions that, despite the term 'rare,' collectively impact more than 300 million people worldwide. However, journalists should take special considerations in both the newsgathering and reporting process to treat subjects ethically and best serve audiences. "
Awards

50X50: Science Across America

"50X50: Science Across America is a new YouTube series by the Independent Media Initiative (IMI) to uncover the most compelling science in America. We’re partnering with 50 creators and 50 scientists across each of the 50 states to publish 50 videos in celebration of American science. From physics to chemistry, agriculture to biomedicine, geology to astronomy, 50X50 Science explores science as it exists everywhere. Each creator will profile a researcher in their native state to create a panorama of American science, and share it on their own YouTube channel for a platform-wide takeover spanning 50 days. ... Videos will roll out region-by-region across the United States starting in September and ending in November, 2026. The 50 creators will be selected by early April 2026. ... 50x50, together with production partner HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, has access to many of the country’s most exceptional scientists. If you're in search of a story, we can help matchmake."
Resource Database / Guide

SEEDS: Stories of Ethics, Engagement and Dialogue in Science

"ComSciCon is embarking on a project funded by the Kavli Foundation and the Rita Allen Foundation to create a resource for early-career scientists who want to make sure their work has impact beyond the ivory tower. The SEEDS project is collecting stories about researchers who engage with the ethical and societal implications of their research — something that few academic institutions explicitly support. In creating a repository of those researchers’ stories, the SEEDS team will share valuable insights into how scientists can start to do boundary-spanning work, so as to inspire more scientists to make the leap. Starting in January 2026, the SEEDS project will host a series of webinars so the public can hear from scientists who are doing publicly engaged work. The project will culminate in a publication full of the stories of scientists who engage with ethics and their advice to help others do the same."
Resource Database / Guide

GIJN Resource Center’s Top Guides for 2025

Global Investigative Journalism Network

"This year, GIJN’s Resource Center team produced a wide variety of guides on everything from investigating climate change to reporting on AI, from digging into Chinese companies to probing evidence of war crimes, and from covering food insecurity to looking at land conflict."
Article

Looming Cutoff of SNAP Funds, New Restrictions: A Story for Every Community

"Monthly grocery assistance money that more than 22 million households near or below the poverty line receive from the federal government won’t arrive on Nov. 1, per administration guidance on October 24. It’s a story with broad implications that’s coming to every local newsroom in the country this week. Social scientists who’ve studied the economic and health impacts of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and broader social safety net programs can offer evidence and expertise in this moment to help reporters provide important context and dispel misinformation and disinformation about it."
Article

Interrogating Data: A Science Writer’s Guide to Data Journalism

"In its simplest definition, data journalism is the practice of using numbers and trends to tell a story. It requires a variety of skills: research to find the correct dataset, analysis to determine what kind of story this dataset may tell, and presentation to share that story with readers. And these skills are within reach for many science writers, even without any programming background: Simply ask questions, and you will find the central tenet of a story."
Resource Database / Guide

Tip Sheet: How To Cover Ongoing Chaos in Science Funding

CASW Connector

On October 9, 2025, CASW Connector hosted a Chat discussing how journalists can approach the firehose of science funding freezes, cuts and reinstatements during the Trump administration. Panelists and participants swapped tips on the best tools to follow the whiplash-inducing changes and how to tame the flood of information into stories that won’t immediately become outdated. The Chat was facilitated by CASW program director Amber Dance and featured panelists:
  • Katherine Wu, staff writer at The Atlantic
  • Stephanie Lee, senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • Scott Delaney, research scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-founder of the Grant Witness database
At the link, you’ll find a recording of the Chat, takeaways and tips from the presenters, and additional resources shared by attendees.
Article

Where To Find Accurate Vaccine Information Amidst the CDC’s Ongoing Collapse

"With the CDC no longer a trustworthy source, use these resources to find reliable, accurate, evidence-based information about vaccines."    
Resource Database / Guide

Reporting on Atmospheric Rivers

The Uproot Resource Library includes this guide to Atmospheric Rivers, or ARs,  providing facts, reporting examples, terms, research areas, potential sources and more.
Article

Weaving Indigenous Science Into Reported Stories

"Indigenous science — which can be briefly defined as knowledge gathered systematically by Indigenous peoples and shared across generations — is deeply interwoven with ecology, astronomy, and medicine, among other fields often deemed 'Western' science. Yet journalists, alongside mainstream scientists, have not historically recognized the value and importance of Indigenous expertise. Including Indigenous sources who are experts in both Western and Indigenous science (sometimes called “two-eyed seeing”) can help synthesize those perspectives in your piece."
Source database

SCIP Climate/Environmental Source Book

"The team behind the SciComm Identities Project (SCIP) has created a source book for journalists covering climate and environmental topics to provide a more representative range of experts who are also trained science communicators. The guide features two dozen SCIP fellows: scholars and professors whose work is related to climate change across a wide range of disciplines. In the source book, fellows are listed according to cross-cutting topics to easily identify their primary areas of expertise. Each fellow’s section includes their title and institution, a short bio that lists their research and areas of expertise, and their contact information. Where applicable, it also links to their social media and personal websites. You can also search the document by clicking on more than 50 topic areas, which range from agriculture to wildfires, and identify experts by their geographical area."
Resource Database / Guide

Resources To Help You Cover Data Centers in Your Community

SciLine

"As data centers are being built in more and more U.S. localities to meet demand for generative AI, they are consuming massive amounts of energy, increasing electricity costs for consumers, and driving debates about land use. A range of data sources and types of expertise can deepen your coverage of these centers and how they will impact your community." Originally published August 19, 2025. Updated February 25, 2026.
Article

Hidden in Plain Sight: Using Public Documents To Report on Elusive Stories

"Public documents can provide troves of key information for your reporting — especially useful when sources are unavailable or unwilling to talk."
Blog

ScienceBlog.com

"ScienceBlog.com is a leading platform for science enthusiasts and experts to share their knowledge and insights with a dedicated audience." The website hosts multiple blogs on topics including:
  • Brain & Behavior
  • Earth, Energy & Environment
  • Health
  • Life & Non-Humans
  • Physics & Mathematics
  • Space
  • Technology
Resource Database / Guide

GIJN Reporting Guide for Landfill Methane Emissions and Solutions

"This GIJN guide will describe what resources are available and what questions to ask about methane emissions from landfills and how to reduce them. Examples of great investigations on the issue can be found at the end of this guide." Topics include:
  • How landfills contribute to climate change
  • Finding out about methane emissions
  • What to ask about solutions
Newsletter

SciLine Newsletter: Matter of Fact

"Every Wednesday [beginning Aug. 13, 2025], Matter of Fact brings you localizable story ideas, data, advice, and resources to help you cover current news using scientific evidence and expertise."
Article

When Scientist Sources Are Reluctant To Speak With Reporters

"As many U.S. scientists face research funding cuts and tightening press policies from their institutions, stakes can be high for those considering going on the record. SciLine has compiled some steps to take when a scientist declines an interview, including other avenues for finding an expert source and alternative ways to source evidence."
Article

10 Tips for Using Scientific Papers as a Source

"For any journalist looking to cover science, communicating the findings of researchers and academics clearly and accurately is essential. Learning to leverage sources such as scientific articles, commonly called papers—the primary way scientists share their studies and advances with the global community—is of great help. Four science journalism experts from the region shared with LatAm Journalism Review (LJR) valuable recommendations for any reporter seeking to credibly translate specialized knowledge into accessible and relevant content for the general public."
Resource Database / Guide

As the US Government Removes Health Websites and Data, Here’s a List of Non-Government Data Alternatives and Archives

"We have curated a list of non-government websites with health databases. We'll continue to update this list."
Article

9 local story ideas from the 2024 Lancet Countdown report on climate change and health

"Health threats from climate change are reaching record-breaking levels, affecting people in every country, according to the eighth annual Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report, which provides an up-to-date assessment of the links between health and climate change." This explainer from The Journalist's Resource highlights major findings from the report and offers nine story ideas for local journalists based on its research.
Resource Database / Guide

Resources to help journalists cover the 2024 US election

The Journalist's Resource

"All year, journalists all over the United States have been hard at work covering the 2024 election. The Journalist’s Resource team has been hard at work, too, creating resources to help you cover the news in the lead-up to Election Day and beyond. Here’s a collection of the election-related tip sheets, research roundups and explainers we’ve published this year so far."