The Association of British Science Writers (ABSW) is the UK society for

science writers Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

, science journalists and science communicators. Founded in 1947, the ABSW exists to help those who write about science and technology, and to improve the standard of science journalism in the UK.

Mission and vision

Mission: ''ABSW champions independence and excellence in the reporting of science, medicine, engineering and technology.'' Vision: "For science and technology to truly benefit society they need to be clearly communicated but also held accountable. We need both explanatory and investigative journalists who are free to report clearly, accurately and to the highest professional standards: journalists who are independent, honest and unbiased, and who are not afraid to challenge the information they are given. The ABSW strives to help create a world where this is the norm, where media professionals are free to responsibly and critically report on any aspect of science, to do so openly and safely, and to be paid fairly for their work. We want to help build a society that encourages and values open, independent, objective and fair assessment of science and its role in society, and rewards diversity, originality and flair in reporting."

Membership

There are three grades of membership, not including Life Membership, an honorary grade awarded at the discretion of the committee.

Ordinary members

Open to people whose principal employment is science writing and/or broadcasting. Ordinary membership is not open to those chiefly occupied in public relations. Current annual subscription is £40.

Associate members

Open to those whose work advances the public awareness of science and technology, but who do not qualify as ordinary members. Associate members do not have voting rights. Current annual subscription is £36.

Student members

Open to anyone in full or part-time education directed towards advancing the public engagement in science and technology. Student members, who have no voting rights, are to progress to ordinary or associate membership if, on completion of their course, they embark on an appropriate career. Current annual subscription is £20.

Careers

The ABSW provides careers advice to aspiring science writers, in the form of a helpful, recently updated booklet
"Science Writing: the basics"
The ABSW also provides networking and skills events as well as a mentoring service for members.

Awards

The association administers the annual ABSW Science Writing Awards for Great Britain and Ireland. Sponsored by

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...

Innovation since 2011, the awards seek to set standards of excellence in science writing across many categories. The awards, £1,000 each, presented to the writers and broadcasters who have, in the opinion of an independent panel of judges, produced the best science journalism each year, that highlights important issues accurately and with bravery and flair. These awards, the world's oldest established awards for science writing, have now been running for 50 years.

Student bursaries

For some years, the ABSW managed a scheme of Bursaries, funded by the

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of one of the predecessors of Glaxo ...

, to identify and train the science communicators of the future. Every year, seven bursaries are available for full-time and two for part-time study.

Events and conferences

The association puts on regular events and training days for members. It also runs the biennia
UK Conference of Science Journalists
This alternates with a biennial Science Journalism Summer School for those wishing to enter the field.

Affiliations

The ABSW is a member of the

World Federation of Science Journalists In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

, as well as the UK's Creators' Rights Alliance.

Controversy

Sir

Colin Blakemore Sir Colin Blakemore, , Hon (1 June 1944 – 27 June 2022) was a British neurobiologist, specialising in vision and the development of the brain. He was Yeung Kin Man Professor of Neuroscience and senior fellow of the Hong Kong Institute for Ad ...

resigned as Honorary President of the ABSW in 2015 due to his frustration: '...by the decision of the Association of British Science Writers... to continue to give unconditional support to ournalistConnie St Louis, who first claimed ir_Tim_Hunt_.html"_;"title="Tim_Hunt.html"_;"title="ir_Tim_Hunt">ir_Tim_Hunt_">Tim_Hunt.html"_;"title="ir_Tim_Hunt">ir_Tim_Hunt_..had_made_sexist_remarks.'_

_References

__External_links_

Association_of_British_Science_Writers_(ABSW)
(official_site)
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References

External links

Association of British Science Writers (ABSW)
(official site)
UK Conference of Science Journalists
official site) {{Authority control Professional associations based in the United Kingdom">British Science Writers British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...