Our services

Download our brochure: SMCC_Brochure

All of our services can be accessed for free any time: the number to call is (647) 221-5908. Below is a description of some of the services we provide:

Heads Up

Registered journalists receive a weekly “heads-up” (biweekly during the summer months) email noting upcoming papers, events, or other media-worthy events in the world of science.

Expert Database

The SMCC maintains a database of key Canadian researchers on almost any scientific topic, selected for their depth of knowledge and proven ability to communicate. Simply call or e-mail in your request to be connected with the appropriate expert.

Rapid Response

When major science stories are breaking, the SMCC connects with the appropriate Canadian experts from our database and provides evidence-based background and quotes via e-mail and online. This material is free for journalists to use in their stories.

Media briefings on demand

In anticipation of upcoming scientific stories, the SMCC arranges media briefings with top experts. These webinars are accessible to anyone with an internet connection and a phone, and are archived online for future use. An SMCC moderator fields questions and keeps briefings on topic and concise. Members of the media can write questions in real-time that will be moderated by the SMCC and referred to the appropriate expert. Quotes will be free to use, and the whole presentation will be available for download the same day.

Backgrounders

Reporting on science is as much about coverage of complex, continuing themes as it is about rapid response to breaking news. The SMCC provides media with briefings and background material to help decipher issues with differing scientific points of view, such as climate change and the interpretation of pharmaceutical trials.

Science 101 for Journalists

An introductory workshop on handling numbers and statistics is the first training priority. Subsequent workshops will deal with interpreting complex scientific data and competing interpretations. Other relevant courses will follow in response to demand.