I’m guided by investigative reporting skills used for journalism, research on science communication, and my experience as a scientist conducting health and science communication.
To begin a blog, I pick a topic from current news and ask myself, “What do I know about X? What don’t I know about X? Is my recall about X accurate? Where did I learn about X?”
Next, I develop a list of key terms to guide my search for current, credible, and reliable information on the topic. As needed, I will search the web, online university and community library websites, international publication databases, Amazon, and other sources.
I may also purchase new or used books or check out books from local libraries. I print selected pages and articles from websites, order articles and books through interlibrary loan services, and take notes as I review resources.
Sometimes, I ask librarians for help locating books and/or articles.
I may interview doctors, specialists, scientists, researchers, friends, relatives, and others who have experience with the topic.
I screen each information source for currency, relevance, timeliness, accuracy, credibility, and reliability. I routinely cross-check information from different sources.
Next, I think critically about the topic and select information to present in one or more blogs. As I do this, I’m thinking about you as readers, what I need to explain and elaborate upon, and what additional resources I can suggest for curious readers to investigate on their own.
I try to keep blogs short and focused on a few selected points as I try to translate the complexities of health and science.
To start, I generate an informal working outline or sketch a diagram to organize the content. Then, I usually write a quick draft.
As a journalist, I learned to write on manual typewriters, then switched to electric typewriters, and then switched to personal computers in the late 1980s. Now I use Dragon dictation software for writing rough drafts.
Whatever the technology, I draft, then rewrite (if needed), and revise until I’m satisfied with the content, organization, slant for readers, and style. If possible, I set drafts aside for an hour or two, or better yet, for longer.
Sometimes, I’ll run the Dragon “Read That” or Microsoft Word “Read Aloud” functions, which read the text aloud and edit passages as needed. I’ll then print a hard copy, edit it, and enter my changes into the computer. Then I run the Microsoft grammar and spelling checker and save the file. Next, I run Grammarly—another checking program. I’ll then rerun the Microsoft checker. I don’t blindly accept the changes these programs suggest.
Finally, I’ll ask colleagues to copyedit my draft and suggest changes in content, clarity and conciseness, style, grammar, and spelling.
Based on the suggestions provided, I make changes and rerun the checking programs.
Finally, I’ll post the blog.
My intention is to help readers navigate the complexities of the health and scientific challenges they face and work with their doctors and health care professionals.
–Don Z