Visual Abstract Tips
Podcast Tips

Media interviews & message preparation

  • Rutgers Communications & Marketing – Public and Media Relations – Best Rutgers-specific starting point for media support. R-Comm provides interview training, works directly with journalists, and helps Rutgers and Rutgers Health researchers promote their work. This would be the first place I’d direct someone who has an actual media request or wants Rutgers-specific coaching. 
  • APA: How to Work With the Media – One of the strongest practical “before your interview” resources. The handbook covers interview preparation, TV/radio/podcasts, difficult questions, social media, and troubleshooting. A particularly useful takeaway: identify 3–5 key messages before the interview, practice them aloud, state conclusions before supporting evidence, use plain language, and learn to “bridge” back to your main points when questions go off course. 
  • ABT Framework – And, But, Therefore – Best simple framework for turning a complicated scientific explanation into a story. Structure the message as: we know/have X, BUT there is a problem or gap, THEREFORE this research matters/this is what comes next. It can be applied to media interviews, talks, abstracts, grants, and presentations. 
  • COMPASS Message Box – Best worksheet for figuring out what you actually want an audience to remember.Investigators identify the audience first and then work through a structured message-development tool. It can be used before journalist interviews, presentations, grant pitches, or conversations with non-scientists. 
  • SciLine: Advice for Scientists – Best collection of quick, situation-specific media tips. Resources address TV interviews, questions reporters may ask, attribution rules, vetting news outlets, policy interviews, and misinformation—useful when someone needs a quick answer rather than a full course.

Hands-on media and science communication training

  • SciLine Media Training – Probably the strongest outside option for actual media-interview training. SciLine offers free training opportunities for individual scientists as well as customizable group programs. Group options include media-basics webinars, hands-on workshops, virtual or in-person training, and one-on-one consultations. 
  • SciLine: Engaging With the Media – Essential Skills for Successful Interviews – A very concrete one-hour training model. It focuses on deciding whether to accept an interview, preparing talking points, dealing with misinformation, responding to uncomfortable questions, and improving the likelihood that the resulting story accurately reflects the science. 
  • Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science – Best for interactive practice rather than passive instruction. Its live programs range from a one-hour introductory session to three-hour workshops and multi-session coaching. Training emphasizes audience connection, responsive listening, message development, narrative, and practicing explanations of research with feedback. 
  • AAAS Communication Toolkit – Useful general reference for clear, concise public communication. Provides guidance and tips researchers can use when translating science for non-specialist audiences.

Turning research into accessible/public-facing content

  • Elsevier Researcher Academy – Social Impact – Best for researchers who want to translate a publication beyond academia. The collection includes modules on societal impact, reaching wider audiences, patient/public involvement, and writing effective lay summaries. The full collection is 5+ hours, so I’d likely identify individual modules rather than tell researchers to complete everything. 
  • Elsevier: Social Media for Researchers – Quick introduction to promoting research through social platforms. It is only about 12 minutes, making it a realistic “quick resource” for investigators who want to understand how different social platforms can extend the reach of their work. 
  • Elsevier Author Tools & Resources – Good one-stop resource after publication. Particularly relevant pieces include lay summaries, graphical abstracts, article highlights, social media, and guidance on promoting published research for broader impact.

Getting connected to media and public-engagement opportunities

  • SciLine – Register as an Expert – Good option for scientists who actively want journalists to find them. U.S. and Canadian scientists can register for training and professional-development opportunities; PhD scientists can also enter SciLine’s expert database and potentially be contacted when journalists need expertise, for media briefings, or for on-camera opportunities. 
  • APA Media Referral Service – Especially useful for RARC psychologists who want to become media sources.APA maintains a database of psychologists that its Public Affairs staff use to connect journalists with experts on timely topics. Eligible APA members can apply to be included. 
  • MatchMaker.fm – Useful for researchers interested in podcast appearances. The platform connects podcast hosts with potential guests and experts. I’d consider this an optional outreach tool rather than a core RARC-recommended media resource because it is not science-specific. 
  • Helping Give Away Psychological Science (HGAPS) – Useful example of translating psychological science into accessible, evidence-based public resources. More of a public-engagement model than a media-training resource, but potentially valuable for investigators interested in making scientific information easier for non-specialists to find and use.

Articles and General Info: