Looking for science authors/writers/experts: debunk pseudoscience!

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I'm looking for a few enthusiastic folk with some writing talent to join Snail and me in a new venture: dbunked. dbunked will be a collation of pseudoscience and scientific myths debunked -- much like Snopes, but for the science world. We also hope to help improve the popular perception of science by sending letters to media agencies when they goof, and by publishing editorials and features that emphasize the importance of good scientific thinking.

 

If you're interested in helping, visit our signup page and follow the instructions. If you'd like to be a "resident expert" for dbunked, and you have impressive credentials, visit our expert signup page.

 

You don't have to be able to spend hours every day writing, either. even if you only have the time to help edit articles and provide feedback, we'd love to have you -- we need all the help we can get so we can get dbunked off the ground.

 

Thanks!

[Reaper]

I'll join you in this quest.

 

*arms quack-busting missiles *

 

Just tell me what I'm allowed to contribute,

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Send an email to the address listed in the links. We'll need your email address anyway, as we're coordinating everything through mailing lists. (Low-tech, but they're good for this purpose.)

 

Our focus will be:

• Pseudoscientific claims
  
• Common science myths
  
• Conspiracy theories involving science
  

but not

• Urban legends
  
• Any old conspiracy theory
  
• An explanation of a scientific discovery
  

 

More info here.

[Reaper]

I just sent the email,

 

Just let me know if I'm part of the club.

[timo]

I think that on the page http://www.dbunked.com/about/experts , when you write "Our experts are qualified and knowledgeable in their particular fields,..." it would be a good idea to actually list the field on the list of names. The specific field certainly is a much more important information than an academic title (e.g., when it comes to physics, I trust a 4th semester physics student much more than a Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult(9) med.).

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Yes, that's what I intend to do. The name there is one I made up - I'm waiting for experts to populate the list there.

 

Lockheed: received the email. You should get something back soon.

[insane_alien]

hmm, do you have to send in a copy of something you did previously or can you write something new for the application. i've never really wrote anything that could be considered an essay for something like this yet i would be interested in helping out, especially in the chemistry section.

 

if this is acceptable i will write an essay and submit it for review.

[John Cuthber]

OK, so say I email in and claim to be a physics professor. How do you check my credentials?

Actually I'm a professional chemist but I don't think my employer would be happy to be used as a reference for this sort of thing (which is essentially why I don't use my real name.)

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

If you say you're a professor at Fred Smith U, we go to their website and see if that professor exists. You'd preferably send from your institution e-mail.

 

insane_alien: the other option is to make your self-description as amusing and interesting as possible. It doesn't have to be a prior essay, just something that shows you can write.

[insane_alien]

i'm writing an example article on a few myths i've seen around. i'll submit it both as an application and a full article once i'm in. well, if i get in. i failed higher english on an essay

 

still doubt i'll need to do an indepth analysis of how a vase falling off a table was really an expression of the main characters lust for the person who shoved the vase off the table. i kinda missed that one. apparently it was obvious. i just thought she shoved a vase of the table.

 

Alrighty then, application is away. and now it's the time when i think, damn it, that looks crap now.

 

oh wait. the email thingy borked.

 

nevermind.

[Royston]

Try staff@dbunked, I just sent a test E-mail, seems ok.

 

Thanks for the article IA

 

Just to add, if anybody has any colleagues, fellow students, associates that feel this is a worthy cause, and you feel could make a worthwhile contribution, then please spread the word

[insane_alien]

yeah i figured out i had accidentaly misspelled the address

[Royston]

1 guess, to who has just been issued a permanent ban ? <sigh>

[insane_alien]

i see the DBunked forums suffer from atomikpsycho as well.

[John Cuthber]

Just a thought. If you are going to set yourselves up as the educated and informed voice of reason you might want to use capital letters.

[Royston]

Just a thought. If you are going to set yourselves up as the educated and informed voice of reason you might want to use capital letters.

 

Could you point out, where on the site we have not used capital letters, where they should of been used.

 

Or if you're referring to IA's posts above, they're just posts...not articles i.e they're not proof read.

[insane_alien]

just because i don't use proper grammar in posts on a forum doesn't mean i don't use proper grammar elsewhere. jeez. you think i'm stupid or what?

[Phi for All]

you think i'm stupid or what?

Oooh, short list. I'll get back to you.

[Innit]

just because i don't use proper grammar in posts on a forum doesn't mean i don't use proper grammar elsewhere. jeez. you think i'm stupid or what?

 

Lol, I hate it when people make these misconceptions about me by the way I write on the internet, even though most of the time I do use propper grammar and punctuation...

 

I would help out, but I have my own blog and forums to take care of

[Blade]

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe.

 

[insane_alien]

i swear that when i read stuff written like that i get temporary dyslexia. i had to use a spell checker to type this.

[Phi for All]

i swear that when i read stuff written like that i get temporary dyslexia. i had to use a spell checker to type this.

Me too, temporarily. I think it causes a mini-stroke, like strobing lights can trigger epileptic seizures.

 

Perhaps Blade is trying to kill us....

[ParanoiA]

Lol, I hate it when people make these misconceptions about me by the way I write on the internet, even though most of the time I do use propper grammar and punctuation...

 

 

But wouldn't that be like talking like a 8 year old and then getting irritated by people making "misconceptions" about you by the way you talk?

 

Reminds me of Chris Rock..."you may not be a whore, but you're wearing a whore's uniform".

 

Who's fault is that?

 

Me too' date=' temporarily. I think it causes a mini-stroke, like strobing lights can trigger epileptic seizures.

 

Perhaps Blade is trying to kill us....[/quote']

 

I still think it's cool that I can read that without slowing down really at all. Or maybe I'm just easily fascinated...

[Royston]

Anywhooo...I'm going to be contacting the few post grads, and phd students I know. I'm also going to politely ask my Uni if I can advertise the site in their monthly news letter. There's one other organization in the UK that is tackling bad science (AFAIK), and a journalist...needless to say I'll be contacting them in the near future, for support and advice et.c

 

So before this thread veers off track, it's very early stages, so we do need all the help we can get in getting this project off the ground. So any experts/writers et.c please follow the links in the OP.

[BenTheMan]

How detailed of a CV are you looking for?