Pitches wanted (science) | $5,000 for feature-length magazine articles

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: THE GOOD SCIENCE PROJECT

Deadline: 5 November 2023

Each year, the United States government spends billions of dollars to support scientific research. How that money is distributed has an enormous influence on how science in this country is practiced—and how science is practiced makes a difference in all of our lives.

The Good Science Project–Johns Hopkins MA in Science Writing Fellowship aims to improve science journalism and science itself by providing $5,000 reporting grants for feature-length magazine articles on the funding and practice of science in the United States. Grants will support articles that reveal flaws in current science policy, practice, or funding and identify ways these challenges might be overcome.

AREAS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST:

• Obstacles that prevent high-impact scientific ideas from receiving funding
• The role of government funding in incentivizing scientists to share data and arrive at accurate, reproducible findings
• The challenge of recruiting more talent to biomedical scientific research and the role of scientific funding in addressing this challenge
• The influence of bureaucratic requirements on the daily life of scientists
• Obstacles presented by groupthink and the difficulties of obtaining funding for research that challenges a dominant paradigm
• The attributes of high-quality research and how we might avoid wasting resources on low-quality research

VIEW EXAMPLES OF THE TYPE OF REPORTING WE HOPE TO SUPPORT:

• “The Maddening Saga of How an Alzheimer’s ‘Cabal’ Thwarted Progress Toward a Cure for Decades,” Sharon Begley, STAT
• “The NIH Has Poured $1 Billion Into Long Covid Research—With Little to Show for It,” Rachel Cohrs, STAT
• “Federal Agency Courted Alcohol Industry to Fund Study on Benefits of Moderate Drinking,” Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times
• “Why We Don’t Know What to Eat,” Catherine Boudreau and Helena Bottemiller Evich, Politico
• “The Panel Was Supposed to Improve Efficiency at the NIH. It Hasn’t Even Met for 7 Years,” Lev Facher, STAT
• “Do We Really Know What Makes Us Healthy?” Gary Taubes, The New York Times Magazine
• “Sacklers Gave Millions to Institution That Advises on Opioid Policy,” Christina Jewett, The New York Times
• “Why the Medical Research Grant System Could Be Costing Us Great Ideas,” Aaron E. Carroll, The New York Times
• “Congress Told HHS to Set Up a Health Data Network in 2006. The Agency Still Hasn’t,” Sam Whitehead, KFF Health News
• “A Revolution Is Coming to Medicine. Who Will It Leave Out?” James Tabery, The New York Times
• “Psychology’s Replication Crisis Is Running Out of Excuses,” Ed Yong, The Atlantic
• “The Divider,” Stephanie Lee, Chronicle of Higher Education • “Overkill,” Atul Gawande, The New Yorker

HOW TO APPLY

The deadline to submit an application is 11:59 p.m. ET on November 5, 2023.

To apply, please email goodscience@jh.edu with the following items attached as PDF documents:

• A well-researched story pitch of 1,000 words or less that includes a brief explanation of your qualifications to cover the story
• A resume that includes your name, email address, phone number, and mailing address
• Two samples of published work that demonstrate your ability to research and report a magazine feature article (Applicants who do not have two samples of published work may submit a letter explaining why they believe they are qualified to write the article.)

ADVISORY BOARD

Our advisory board of professional writers and scientists evaluates each application and determines the recipients of this fellowship grant. Meet Our Advisory Board

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Good Science Project–Johns Hopkins MA in Science Writing Fellowship will award four grants each year. Awardees will retain all rights to their work and are expected to pitch their stories to national media outlets for publication.

Grant funds will be distributed in two installments: $2,500 when the grant is awarded and $2,500 upon submission of a polished final draft. Awardees can use the funds to cover living expenses and reporting costs, including travel, and are not required to track or submit expenses.

Articles must be completed within six months of receiving a grant, regardless of publication status, and should be at least 3,000 words long. A member of the Johns Hopkins MA in Science Writing program will provide editorial and pitching guidance for awardees and will determine when a story is complete.

Full-time journalists may apply for grants but should explain how a grant will make it possible to cover a story that their publication would not otherwise cover. International applicants are welcome to apply, but proposed articles should address scientific funding in the United States.

The Good Science Project–Johns Hopkins MA in Science Writing Fellowship is funded by the Good Science Project and administered by the Johns Hopkins MA in Science Writing program. We are committed to supporting journalists of all nationalities, representing a diversity of backgrounds.

Questions? Contact goodscience@jh.edu

CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):

Questions/submissions: goodscience@jh.edu

Website: https://goodscienceproject.org/

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