How to spot predatory journals: 4 tips and 2 checklists
It’s important for journalists to be aware of predatory journals because such journals pose a threat to the integrity of science journalism.
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Hispanic-serving institutions: A primer with story ideas and guiding questions for journalists
A research-based explainer to help journalists cover Hispanic-serving institutions — the most common type of minority-serving institution — as U.S. colleges and universities face heightened scrutiny under President Trump.
Expert Commentary
State debt: How and why US states borrow money
Learn the types of public projects that states fund by issuing debt, how states take on debt and why journalists should cover state debt — plus, explore a state-by-state debt database.
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The Journalist’s Resource reader quiz: Aug. 19, 2025
How much have you learned about the topics we’ve covered recently? Take this week’s reader quiz and find out!
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Government health datasets were altered without documentation, Lancet study shows
Researchers examined more than 200 federal datasets and found that nearly half of them were altered between January and March. In most, the term “gender” was replaced with “sex.”
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The Journalist’s Resource reader quiz: Aug. 13, 2025
We’ve created a quiz featuring questions about some of the topics The Journalist’s Resource has covered in recent weeks. Give it a try and share it with your friends!
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The national debt: How and why the US government borrows money
The US government is paying $1 trillion a year in interest on its debt. With interest costs outpacing national defense spending, this piece will help journalists understand the public debt and explain it to audiences.
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Child deaths in hot cars: Data and research on pediatric vehicular heatstroke
We summarize key research on child deaths in parked vehicles, including how often caregivers face criminal prosecution and why otherwise attentive parents sometimes forget infants in hot cars.
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Covering health misinformation: What journalists need to rethink
Journalists and public health experts shared 12 strategies for building trust, using careful language and improving coverage of health misinformation during a workshop at the Association of Health Care Journalists’ annual conference.
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As Congress considers cuts to SNAP, we address 8 questions about this US federal nutrition program
Here’s important background info and research to bolster news coverage of potential reductions in federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
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