Temblor Earth News
Temblor Earth News (TEN) publishes breaking earthquake news, in-depth analyses and expert reporting on the latest developments in natural hazards research. Our articles are written for the general public by scientists, science journalists and leading international researchers.
Writing for TEN
Interested in writing for Temblor? We engage a variety of outside authors to write for us.
TEN covers: Earthquakes and related hazards, including volcanoes, landslides, tsunamis and liquefaction, as well as the public interface with these hazards.
Please review the information below about what we are looking for and how to contact us to submit your pitch or to get on our rotation.
Types of articles we’re looking for:
· Scientific Reports — Original scientific research, rapidly published following a major earthquake. Scientific Reports are open access and written for a general audience.
· Expert Commentary — Articles written by scientists about notable studies or their own recently published research.
· Discoveries — Reporting about new studies.
· News — Breaking news about earthquakes and other natural hazard events.
· Opinion — Op-ed pieces.
· Essays — A place for people who have something to say about geohazards, who may not otherwise have a place to engage or reflect (no DOI/ISSN assigned).
Benefits of writing for Temblor:
Your story will have:
· A large audience (2,000-20,000 readers, with 3- to 4-minute read times).
· DOI and ISSN numbers, so articles are trackable literature that will contribute to one’s Google Scholar citations and h-index (with the exception of Essays).
· Comments/replies from the public and other scientists.
· Rapid publication (for natural hazards events, typically 1-2 days), with review by an editor and a scientist.
· Live (not automated) translation into other languages that may be relevant to the story.
You have the opportunity to:
· Show “broader impact” in NSF and other proposals by writing for the public.
· Write responsibly for the public, with citations.
· Publish quickly, so you can scoop other larger publications OR can publish a public-friendly piece at the same time as your journal article comes out.
· Comment on your and others’ pieces to promote scientific dialog.
Instructions for Scientists:
Practicing scientists and post-docs who are interested in communicating to the public about their work or other topics in their specialty area are encouraged to contact us. We welcome any of the following types of pieces: Opinion, News, Expert Commentary, Discoveries or Scientific Reports.
Writing for Temblor is an opportunity to communicate with the seismology community as well as the broader public. Each article is reviewed by an editor and a scientist at Temblor, prior to publication. Additionally, peer feedback is often received within the moderated comments section.
If you have a topic you’d like to write about, please contact us by email at news@temblor.net. Please include a brief description of the story you are interested in writing, links to any relevant papers and a link to your CV/website.
If you’d like to write for Temblor but don’t have a particular story you’d like to write, contact us at news@temblor.net to be put on our “list of experts” list and we’ll contact you when we have a story we’d like you to write.
Stories run from 500 to 2,000 words and include photos and graphics. DOIs are created automatically.
Instructions for Freelance Journalists:
We welcome specific pitches from freelance writers. You can email pitches to news@temblor.net for consideration at any point. Pitches should be focused on seismology or related hazards, including volcanoes, landslides, tsunamis and liquefaction, as well as the public interface with these hazards.
We also maintain a stable of freelancers who we contact when we have a story that we need covered. To be considered, send an email to news@temblor.net with links to your website and/or previous works.
Publication, online and/or in print, is subject to the discretion of the editorial staff and is not guaranteed. Writers will be paid per published article and will receive a byline and published clip.
Temblor Science Writing Externship Program
TEN offers an opportunity for select inexperienced writers to learn about the process of writing and editing a news story and to get professionally edited and published clips. Most of our externs have backgrounds studying science — particularly geoscience-related fields relevant to Temblor’s typical content — and are interested in potentially pursuing science writing as a career option or they’re looking for more experience learning how to write for the public. Temblor welcomes applicants of all backgrounds who are interested in sharing what’s new in earth science with a broad audience. We encourage those from underserved groups to apply. We typically work with two to five writers at a time and we regularly rotate in new writers as positions come open.
If you are selected as a TEN extern, we will assign you stories. Externs are also welcome/encouraged to pitch stories to us.
Our extern-written stories typically cover a recent, peer-reviewed scientific study or report, and include quotes about the study from multiple expert sources — obtained via first-person interviews. Externs may also cover a breaking news event, like a major earthquake. Those would require more secondhand reporting and some analysis via interviews.
Before the first assignment, we’ll provide guidance about the general style, tone and structure of the news stories we publish at TEN to help get you started. Then we’ll work with writers through the writing and editorial process. Writers are encouraged to ask questions, as this is a mentorship/training program.
Edited and finalized extern-written stories are posted on Temblor’s website as soon as possible. Publication, online and/or in print, is subject to the discretion of the editorial staff and is not guaranteed. Writers will be paid per published article and will receive a byline and published clip. Send a resume, writing samples (if any) and a short description of qualifications and interest to news@temblor.net to apply.