Becoming an Oceanbites Contributor
We issue a call for authors in the spring of each year, though we also are happy to review applications on a rolling basis, so please email oceanbites if you’re interested in submitting an application.
Underrepresented minority, low income, first generation, and veteran students are encouraged to apply.
Oceanbites authors are current grad students, post docs, or other early career scientists who commit to writing a post once a month and editing a post by another author once a month. We like to highlight recent research based on a recent (3 months old or less) journal article related to ocean sciences, but we also accept summaries of older research under compelling circumstances.
Ideally, posts will be short (<800 words) and written with a non-expert audience in mind (no jargon, no assumed knowledge above what you’d learn in high school science classes), with the aim of engaging and educating undergraduates, high school students, and other interested non-experts.
You can apply by writing an initial post as a writing sample, along with a short explanation of your research interests and your interest in science communication. Please pick a recent article from a widely available journal. Please do not review your own paper or a review article. Check out the site to get an idea of the types of pieces we’re writing, and the general style we look for. Generally, we summarize relevant background, methods, and key findings from the article, and then explain why the research is important to the greater community. A committee of current contributors will read your sample post and if it seems like you’re a good fit, we’ll add you to the schedule of writer/editors and publish your first piece.
You can submit your sample post by emailing it to [email protected]. Submit the post by attaching it to your email as a Word .doc. Along with the post, include 100 words on your research interests and 200 words on why you’d like to write for oceanbites, as well as your current major and degree progress, if applicable.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Writing Guest Posts for oceanbites
oceanbites also accepts a few additional types of submissions in additional to our regular posts:
(1) Reviews of ocean-related popular science books and movies
(2) Editorials about the oceanographic research world, what it’s like to be a graduate student, the state of oceanographic research, etc.
(3) Articles explaining current issues and topics in marine science/oceanography
(4) Interviews with marine scientists about interesting research projects or field work
(5) “Field diaries” documenting your travels and field work
If you’re interested in contributing this type of post, contact us at [email protected] with a pitch (a short, compelling teaser that gives us the basic idea for the post) and we’ll let you know if it’s a good fit! We’re looking forward to hearing from you!