Conservation scientists and practitioners should write in popular media

Conservation scientists and practitioners already produce work that can matter beyond journal articles, technical reports, and conference talks. Public writing is one way to get more value and impact from work you have already done. Taking that small extra step helps your work reach people who make, influence, fund, or care about the natural world. 

This kind of writing doesn't involve "dumbing things down". Instead, it means making the work clear, useful, and compelling for people who may not share our training or acronyms.

A strong public piece usually has:

• A clear audience
• A timely or interesting angle
• Plain language, without jargon
• A story, example, person, or place
• Enough evidence to be credible, without trying to include everything

This kind of writing is professionally useful too. It shows initiative, judgment, follow-through, and the ability to translate complex ideas. For students and early-career professionals, it can stand out in job applications. For more established scientists and practitioners, it can support leadership, partnerships, fundraising, public trust, and policy influence.

Before you sit down to write, ask yourself key questions: What do I already have that could be useful to others? Who needs it? Why now? What could this piece help them understand, decide, fund, protect, or do differently? Then start small and welcome feedback from others.

Here are some examples of different ways to turn existing work, experience, or expertise into public-facing writing. Notice the different angles and outlets. 

• Chasing caribou across a changing Arctic ← first person story
• Environmental assessment policy must be based on science ← multi-person op-ed
• Our remote field work taught us how to band together as scientists ← multi-person story
• Five tips for scaling conservation initiatives ← multi-person research summary
• Conserving hope ← first person story

Useful resources:

• COMPASS Science Communication has many resources, including "Op-Ed Writing: It’s OK to Argue for something".
• AGU's toolkits help scientists identify different non-specialist audiences
• Stephen Heard’s blog and books remind us that clear writing is a core scientific skill
• Canadian Science Publishing guide to short, accessible research summaries
• For university-based researchers, a media or public relations office might give advice.

Places to pitch or publish:

Canadian options

• The Conversation Canada is for university-affiliated researchers writing evidence-based, timely pieces for general audiences, usually with editorial support. 
• IRPP Policy Options is good for topics with a public policy angle. Accepts English or French submissions.
• Environment-related journalism outlets: The Narwhal, Canada’s National Observer, The Tyee and others may accept timely conservation stories with strong public-interest angles.

International options

• Current Conservation: Multiple submission types, including stories, field notes, interviews, research summaries, photos, and writing specifically for kids. .
• Edge Effects: Especially for early-career authors. Multiple submission types. 

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Self-publishing and partner channels

• Organization, university, or partner blogs can be useful for project updates, field stories, explainers, interviews, and reflections. 
• Local nature organizations often welcome submissions for their website or newsletter.