6 - Notes and Further Information

Notes for Editors

It may be necessary to explain certain things to make the full meaning of a release clear, or to give details such as the publication details of the paper on which the research is based, the time and venue of the conference at which the paper is being presented, and so on. This is useful information and should not be forgotten; it is part of making the journalist’s life easier – golden rule number 1.

Notes are also the place for information about the sponsors of the research, or a word or two about the institution at which the researchers work. Some of this information may be of interest to journalists, but more often it is a requirement of employers and sponsors that they receive mention. In other words, this is the place to satisfy those requirements; the place to put all that guff that spoiled the bad opening paragraph about the dinosaur that evolved from a parsnip (see Lesson 4).

If you are writing a release – either as a scientist or as a media relations officer – then you should resist any pressure to place inessential information anywhere but in the notes. If you are a media relations officer, it is your duty to explain to those who would have you do otherwise that they are wrong, and that their actions will prejudice the chances of getting any coverage for anything in the release, that you are in charge and that you will not comply with instructions that make you look foolish and unprofessional. If necessary, this might involve explaining to them that to give such advice is why they employ you, and that if they are not happy with it, they should instead recruit one of those typing monkeys that will one day accidentally compose all the sonnets of Shakespeare. On the way to that, they might just happen to knock out the odd good press release too.

Further information

At the very end of the release you must give contacts for the story. If you have a media relations officer, his or her coordinates (email and phone are the most important, preferably offering 24hr contact, should be there as first port of call. They (or you, if you are doing this yourself) should make sure that also included are your full name and title (but not postnominals) as you wish to be quoted. Your coordinates for the embargo period (if there is one) and especially the day before publication, should also be given. Again, phone and email are the most useful.

Many novice scientists mistakenly think that their whereabouts AFTER publication are what is required. This is only true in case of follow-up coverage. If a story is likely to go over big, as they say, there will probably be demands for appearances on TV and radio. You should always plan for these, just in case. In these circumstances, the media relations officer handling the release should have a note of the movements of all those scientists who are available to give comment.