The goal of this blog is to provide a platform for UBC students, trainees, and faculty in the neurosciences to engage in science communication and creative writing.
Interested in writing for The Brainiac? Excellent! We are excited to hear from you. Here is the kind of writing we are looking for:
1. Pieces about your personal research
2. Pieces about research you find interesting
3. Spotlighting a researcher that you find inspiring
4. Your perspective on life as a student, trainee, and/or scientist in the neurosciences
5. Reviews of cutting-edge research and/or techniques
6. Interesting stories about the history of neuroscience
7. Creative and/or humorous pieces
8. Anything that is tied (however loosely) to the brain
We are also open to other forms of communication, whether that be infographics or videos, or anything else that interests you.
In other words – we are open to a wide variety of styles, topics, and themes. The Brainiac exists to educate, entertain, and engage the neuroscience research community, so we are open to any submission as long as it is related in some way to the brain. This also includes piceces about the spinal cord and nervous system in general. If you’re unsure whether the topic you’d like to write about fits our guidelines, just send us an email and we’ll be happy to help!
This may encompass topics such as mental health, neurodegenerative diseases, behavioural neuroscience, psychology, technologies or techniques advancing our understanding of the brain, or a more personal piece sharing your experiences, challenges, and/or perspectives as a student or scientist.
Keep in mind that The Brainiac reaches a wide audience and not every reader will be an expert in the topic you choose to write about. To ensure that your piece can be understood by readers from a variety of research backgrounds, please aim to keep your writing as accessible as possible.
Your submission should be approximately 500-800 words in length. If there are any relevant pictures or figures that you would like to include in your blog post, please attach them to your submission email. Included in your submission should be your full name, any credentials or affiliations, and your program and/or lab to be posted alongside your blog entry.
If you don’t want to submit right away but would rather pitch us an idea, that’s great too! You can pitch an idea (or a few) to thebrainiac.blog@ubc.ca and one of our editors will get in touch with you. Just a few sentences about a topic(s) you’d like to write about and we will work through the process with you.
If you have any questions, please email thebrainiac.blog@ubc.ca
