Need a story lead or a trusted expert to interview? AusSMC can help.
Get advanced access to all the science news that matters to Australians through our digital news platform Scimex. Covering over 3,000 stories every year on health, environment, science and technology, Scimex provides research under embargo and expert reactions to breaking news. Sign up to access Scimex if you don't want to miss a thing!
Our 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. There's no need to leave your desk, our Media Briefings are held online so they are accessible to journalists from anywhere in the world. Sign up via Scimex to access AusSMC Media Briefings.
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. Sign up via Scimex to access our Expert Reactions.
If you need an expert right now, we can help. You can either look for talent yourself by searching the 2000+ experts on our Find an Expert database on Scimex, or you can contact us and we will dig a little deeper into our additional database of other media-friendly scientists.
Register with Scimex to get full access to upcoming and breaking science news, Media Briefings, Expert Reactions and our Find an Expert database. You must be a journalist working for a recognised news outlet or a freelancer with a recent history of science news stories to register for embargoed access. You can see more details on who is eligible to register here
We can make it easier for you to report science by providing confidential one-on-one advice or in-newsroom training.
Some additional tips on reporting science can also be found here.
Contact us if you need a second opinion or to arrange a free session in your newsroom.
The AusSMC's Collaborative Journalism Program, funded by a META Public Interest Journalism grant from the Walkley Foundation, matches 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.
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.
"AusSMC is the leading and most trusted organisation for finding evidence-based scientific research relevant for mainstream Australia."
"Love Scimex/AusSMC! You're my first go-to for story ideas and experts for commentary, and your Expert Reaction emails are a great way for me to get across an issue without a lot of legwork on my end. Thank you for all the work you do!"
"The Science Media Centre is the brilliant and necessary intermediary that turns complex science into tasty tabloid morsels. Clever scientists can spend years of their lives working on amazing science breakthroughs that never get the notoriety they deserve because they are too complex for ordinary mortals to understand."
"The AusSMC makes finding the right expert so simple - their hard work makes my job easy!"
"The Australian Science Media Centre is a resource that I rely on. Each member of the team is knowledgeable, responsive and provides valuable assistance connecting journalists to the latest research and the relevant local experts. I can't endorse their service highly enough."
