Crystals And Catalysts

In today's favourites I will be listing my favourite twitter accounts to follow. Some of them are bloggers and some just lovers of science.  1 Sci Art #sciart : there's an MSc for that! Finished a BioSciences degree? Check out Bio Photo & Imaging @UniofNottingham http://t.co/rqRjVhRtLK — SciArt (@Sci_Art) March 26, 2015 2- RealTimeChem Kids, this is why you titrate BuLi: sometimes the concentration is half what it says on the bottle! #RealTimeChem pic.twitter.com/CFeIcbpwOx — Matthew Katcher (@katmatcher) May 28, 2015 3- Chemjobber @UnstableIsotope It's the thrill of potential serious injury that makes them want to understand the universe better. — Chemjobber (@Chemjobber) May 27, 2015 4- ASAP Science We all have fantasies... Even sharks. (via @elclimo ) pic.twitter.com/Cbmp5GR0pW — AsapSCIENCE (@AsapSCIENCE) May 28, 2015 5- Psy Post Hallucinations and delusions more common than thought http://t.co/kXe5mGyt2S pic

Just as I love writing on my science blog, I also love reading other science blogs and seeing what science looks like through other peoples eyes.  Here's a small list of my favourite science blogs which I recommend you go and check out! Compound Interest The Chemical Blog Pictures from an Organic Chemistry Lab Just Like Cooking From the Lab bench IFL Science The Chronical Flask Chemistry Blog New Scientist Guardian Science SciCurious

Science Blogging Problems... There are two main problems that some science bloggers may come across: closed access articles a smaller audience The first and main problem I  have as a science blogger is closed-access articles. Usually I find a really good topic / idea for a blog post and I try and research suitable journals to support my article, but the one that would perfectly match my post is ...you guessed it... closed access! So I cant use that one and I'll have to go back and search for open access journals that fit the topic I wanted to discuss, or try and make do with all the information I can get out of the abstract. The other problem is reaching a smaller audience. Not everyone who reads, likes to read about science or health related posts most the time, at least that's my opinion. Mainly those who are fascinated by science and love to read about it will read science articles and science blogs. When I started science blogging I was convinced I would

What do you think about the future of science blogging? more people / scientists will start blogging science blogs will become like lab books / diaries  as science blogs become more popular, audience will grow & spread science education More people / scientists will start blogging In the near future science blogging will become more popular and science blogging will become popular between scientists. It could be a great way to communicate their research and write about other research.  Science blogs will become like lab books / diaries  Already, science bloggers utilise their platforms to blog lab work and lab photography. Science blogs could soon become a replacement for the standard lab book and all work will be documented on-line instead of on paper.         As science blogs become more popular, audience will grow & spread science  Currently the audience for science blogs consists of people who study / have studied science. In the futur

This weeks science news: how being creative may make you prone to certain psychological disorders; sleeping brain cells, and killer nanoparticles.

If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself. - Albert Einstein I love writing. And I have always loved journalism & science. If I didn't have a career in science, I would have definitely had a career in journalism. Science communication is the best mix between science and journalism. I aspire to be a good, professional science writer. A good science writer is able to write a post that caters to different tastes and they can also explain scientific concepts well via written communication to someone who lacks the understanding. I hope my posts convey this. However I do enjoy working in the laboratory, and I wish I had started my blog during my studies at university so I could have written and posted photos of my progress in the lab during my project. I love reading and seeing other scientists "lab diaries".

There are loads of tips on how to go about science blogging all over the internet. A simple Google search will lead you to so many different pages. After reading hundreds of pages about science writing & blogging (before I even started writing Crystals & Catalysts)  I have come up with a list that covers the top tips of science blogging: Number One: Don't Start  a blog until you have aimed and completed writing over 10 posts, and making sure that this is not just a phase and you will be able to keep on writing on your blog. Number Two: Read, Read and read again. Go through scientific journals, other science blogs and read as much as you can. The more you read the more you learn. Number Three: Choose your blog name carefully as it will become like your "brand name". You could choose to write under your name publicly or under a pseudonym.  Number Four: Pick a blog host for the blog you want to start ... Such as Wordpress / Blogger