Astrobites is seeking new graduate students to join the Astrobites collaboration.
Please share the information below with your graduate student colleagues. Applicants must be current graduate students. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2018. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions. Come join us!
Application Details
- Deadline: November 15, 2018
- Required information: A sample astrobite post and two short essays, which can be submitted at https://astrobites.org/apply-to-write-for-astrobites/
- All graduate students in astronomy and astrophysics may apply. We aim to cover a wide variety of research topics from a diverse set of perspectives. Individuals from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply. If you are passionate about sharing the latest research in astronomy and astrophysics and enjoy writing, we want to hear from you!
- Astrobites is a volunteer collaboration and does not offer compensation. The benefits of joining our team include public outreach (disseminating journal articles to a wider audience) and professional development (reading papers, writing, and editing).
- Applications are reviewed anonymously. Please do not include your name, affiliation, or other identifying information in your short essays or sample astrobite.
Sample Post Guidelines
Your astrobite should summarize a published astronomy or astrophysics journal article that is at least three months old and has not been featured on astrobites. Do not write about one of your own papers. Your post should discuss the motivation, methods, results, and conclusions of the paper. Title your sample astrobite as you would title a post on the site.
Write at a level appropriate for undergraduate physics or astronomy majors. Effective astrobites avoid jargon and thoroughly yet succinctly explain unfamiliar concepts. We encourage you to provide links to previous astrobites or other websites where appropriate. Your sample post should include at least one figure from the paper with an appropriate caption (not just the original caption). Astrobites are usually between 500-800 words in length, and your post should definitely not exceed 1000 words. We suggest you read a few published astrobites by different authors to get a sense how posts are written.
Author Responsibilities
Authors write one astrobite each month and edit another author’s astrobite once per month.
Writing an astrobite typically takes 3-6 hours for experienced authors, which includes selecting and carefully reading a paper. It takes somewhat longer for new authors. Editing another author’s astrobite usually takes less than 30 minutes. Some of us also spend time contributing to the glossary pages, arranging for guest posts, representing astrobites at conferences, and maintaining the website. These activities are optional, so new astrobiters can choose how much time they would like to devote to the collaboration. Authors typically write for two years, but this can be adjusted on an individual basis.
The Hiring Process
The hiring committee will review submissions based on the quality of their sample astrobites and their responses to the two short essay questions. The names and affiliations of the applicants will be concealed from the hiring committee until after the final list of candidates is selected to promote equity. Successful candidates will be notified approximately one month after the application deadline.
Regardless of whether an applicant is selected to write for astrobites, submitted sample astrobites may be posted on astrobites as guest posts (with the applicant’s permission). We will notify applicants before posting their submissions.
Upon submitting an application, applicants will receive a confirmation email and a link to a brief survey. This optional survey will ask questions concerning demographics, etc. – this information will not be associated with the application in any way. We ask that applicants please participate in the survey, so that we at astrobites can further understand our applicants’ backgrounds and promote diversity among the astrobites team in the future.
How to Apply
- Go to https://astrobites.org/apply-to-write-for-astrobites/ for the application.
- Questions? Contact us at [email protected]
