Info for Journalists

Need a story lead or a trusted expert to interview? The AusSMC can help.

How we can help you

You must be a journalist working for a recognised news outlet or a freelancer with a recent history of science news to register for embargoed access on Scimex. You can see more details on who is eligible to register here.

Media briefings

Our online media briefings let you get the story straight from the experts. You can ask questions to help you get your head around a breaking news story or an ongoing issue, and speak directly to the scientists behind new research and reports. Sign up via Scimex to access info on media briefings.

Expert Reactions

When a story breaks or new research raises eyebrows, we provide you with quotes and contacts from vetted experts through our Expert Reaction service. You can use these as a direct source of quotes, as a way of finding talent, or to get a feel for how the scientific community is responding to an issue.

Find an expert

If you need an expert right now, Scimex has over 2,500 experts with a public profile on our Find an Expert database.

Find an Expert on Scimex

Media enquiries

If you can't find the right expert on Scimex, we can help. Contact us and we will dig a little deeper into our additional database of media-friendly scientists.

Get the latest science news

Get advanced access to all the science news that matters through our digital news platform Scimex. Covering over 3,000 stories every year on health, environment, technology and more, Scimex provides research under embargo and Expert Reactions to breaking news.

Need more help?

We can make it easier for you to report science by providing confidential one-on-one advice.

Some additional tips on reporting science can also be found here.

Newsroom training

A lot of things that cross a journalist’s desk look like science or new data, but can you tell the genuinely exciting new stuff from a regurgitated story? And even if it is real research, not all science is created equal, so how do you sort the wheat from the chaff?

These entertaining and practical 90-minute workshops are available for newsrooms online or in person and can include the basics of how the embargo system works, how to judge the credibility of research and how to spot and manage media releases that are over-hyping science news.

Other recent initiatives

Collaborative Journalism Program

Over recent years, this program has matched newsrooms with a range of experts from around the country who have deep expertise in the topic being explored. If you and your newsroom are struggling to get your head around an ongoing issue, this program may be able to help. The program was awarded the Australian Science Communicators Inspiring Project in Science Communication Award in 2024. Contact us for more information.

Working with the Pacific

Thanks to support from the International Science Council’s Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific, The AusSMC has been able to continue expanding our work into the Pacific. We now have a continuing stream of science stories relevant to the Pacific on Scimex as well as Pacific experts and journalists registered with the platform. We are also working to develop and deliver a programme of workshops and resources specifically for Pacific Island scholars and journalists to increase science media capability in the region.