As a scientist you know very well the essential aspects of your research. Based on these aspects, you prepared your press release, upcoming TV interview or press conference about your recent finding. This tip sheet is about what might still arise - to your (unpleasant) surprise - during the media event, and it gives some ideas for smart preparation for your interview.

A picture tells more than a thousand words. That’s especially true for animated pictures. This tip sheet covers the making and spreading of films and shows how films offer various opportunities to give the public a picture of your aims and work.

This tip sheet offers some details on the production of a film or video. How to choose the right partners, which decisions must be taken in advance? It gives an overview over film formats for different uses and names costs.

The key to a consistent and recognisable appearance of an organization is a corporate design. This tip sheet focuses on the necessary planning, gives practical tips and some background for all people working with a new corporate design.

• Tip_Sheet_Corporate Design - PDF (198.24 Kb)

If you are a scientist or a science communicator willing to communicate science to the public, look no further than your local community. Whether you work in a big city or a small town, there are plenty of opportunities for you to engage the local audience. This tip sheet offers some ideas on how to communicate science to your community.

Scientists, would you like to do a better job describing your research clearly and forcefully to colleagues in related disciplines or completely different disciplines? Would you like to be more successful at publishing in journals outside of your specialty, or at competing for multidisciplinary research funding? This tip sheet has useful strategies for reaching out to diverse audiences and communicating across disciplines.

Are you looking for new ways to engage your audience? Are you seeking new outlets to promote your events? Would you like to expand your professional network? Find out more about the opportunities created by the Web2.0 platforms.

Fundamental science has suffered several vocabulary crises when explaining to non-specialist audience phenomena that are beyond their direct experience. Metaphor remains a very reliable tool, a valuable ally that adds creativity. This text is about how to create metaphors, how to use them - and the danger in it.

Each day editors receive hundreds of press releases - and hundreds go straight in their bin. A well-written press release could, however, open doors for you. This tip sheet is about how to write a successful release so that your research has a better chance to be covered by the mass media.

Do you have a provocative idea you want to share with scientists and non-scientists? Do you have a scientific question or problem and you don’t know who can help you? Then go into the public domain by using Twitter, get inspired by the input of others, and benefit from the “knowledge of the network”. This tip sheet tells you how “open scientists” use Twitter.