Contribute

Are you a scientist or engineer? We’re always looking for new blogs to feature, so here’s how you can get involved…

1. Take a picture

It doesn’t have to be a work of art, but remember that the aim of the photo is to capture the reader’s attention. Find a compelling subject for your photo, whether it’s a particularly nice day, something interesting out in the field or a strange looking piece of equipment. If you mostly work in front of a computer, try to display something visually interesting on the screen (like the example here).

You can upload one photo which must be landscape and at least 1024 pixels wide.

2. Write about your research

Here are a few things to bear in mind to help make your writing accessible to a general reader:

Use short sentences – ideally under 25 words. This helps readers to understand a new topic, by splitting up new concepts into smaller chunks. Try using a word counter to check and see if you can split up longer sentences.

Avoid jargon that people outside of the scientific sphere might not understand. Think about whether you would use a word in a conversation and if not try to substitute it for a more commonly used word. It’s ok to use some specialist terms but make sure you explain what they mean using everyday language.

Be as descriptive as possible to help the reader paint a mental picture. Do your experiments involve extreme temperatures, travel to unusual places, or working at microscopic levels? There are some things that may seem mundane to you now but are actually amazing!

 

<<Write your post here>>

By uploading a photo to the View from the Lab you give us permission to use that photo on our blog and related publications, and to post it on social media sites such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

If you have any questions about writing an entry, or suggestions on how to improve the form/site then you can email: viewfromthelab@gmail.com.