Free tools and resources from SciLine

From the SciLine toolkit: Evidence-based reporting tools and tips for 2025

As you’re covering issues raised by the transition to a new presidential administration, SciLine can help you ground your reporting in scientific evidence and deliver clarity for your audiences. We can provide expertise on breaking news stories in the moment and prepare you to rigorously report on topics that are likely to come up. Here’s how to take advantage of our free services:

• Expert Matching: Do you need to quickly put a politician’s claim in context or to find out the impacts of prior policies like those being proposed—before your deadline? Fill out our webform to request an expert who’s available to answer questions on your specific topic, whether that’s within social science, economics, or another scientific realm.
• Media Briefings: Register for one-hour, on-the-record media briefings to get a primer on science that can inform your coverage of policies proposed by the new administration. And peruse our backlog of recently recorded briefings covering topics that are newly making headlines. They’re designed to spark story ideas and build your knowledge on these topics so you can report deeply and accurately on issues in the news.
• Experts on Camera: Sign up for broadcast-quality video interview slots with a slate of TV-ready researchers whose expertise is relevant to the new administration’s proposals. And use our library of expert interviews to add quotes, tape, or context to your evolving coverage as plans emerge in Washington.
• Trainings: Register for our one-hour crash course on science essentials for journalists—and for our specialized courses on using statistics, editing science coverage, and diving deeper into science reporting—so you’re ready to find the best evidence on a question as news breaks.
• Advice for Reporters: Need some quick guidance on getting the gist from a study, or finding scientist sources with just the right expertise to answer your questions? Read these brief rundowns of our advice, which include useful resources, to build your skills so you can cover the new administration with crucial context.