SciDev.Net

http://SciDev.Net—the Science and Development Network, widely known by its Web address—is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing reliable and authoritative information about science and technology specifically for the developing world.

Through its Web site, http://SciDev.Net gives policymakers, researchers, the media, and civil society information about and a platform to discuss how science and technology can reduce poverty, improve health, and raise standards of living around the world.

http://SciDev.Net also builds developing countries' capacity for communicating science and technology through encouraging regional networks of committed individuals and organizations and by providing practical guidance and specialist workshops.

http://SciDev.Net is committed to editorial independence, free access, constructive dialogue on science and technology–related issues, and the efficient use of other information sources.

http://SciDev.Net's news coverage is at the heart of its Web site, and articles are added daily. A global network of freelance contributors, working with a team of editors and subeditors, ensures timely and accurate coverage of breaking science news.

The Web site also publishes longer news features, examining the ideas, people, and projects that define the international scientific agenda, together with opinions and editorials intended to inform and spark debate. There is also free access to selected papers and articles published in the prominent journals Nature and Science and other leading scientific journals, as well as summaries of items from other reputable sources.

http://SciDev.Net provides overviews of specific topics, bringing together news updates and analysis on key issues, in-depth information, and further resources through its “topic gateways.” Each gateway is divided into subtopics to help users find the information they want quickly and easily. Both topic and subtopic gateways include relevant news and opinion articles, annotated links to policy briefs and other relevant organizations, and summaries of key documents available through the World Wide Web. The topic areas include agriculture and environment, climate change and energy, health, new technologies, science and innovation policy, and science communication.

http://SciDev.Net also provides “regional gateways,” bringing together news, feature, and opinion articles, as well as links and notices relevant to China, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, South-East Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.

Visitors to http://SciDev.Net can register for a free weekly e-mail in Chinese, English, French, or Spanish. These contain summaries of all the material added to the Web site over the past week, along with notices about jobs, research grants, and events.

All http://SciDev.Net Web site material is free to reproduce under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license. Under the terms of this license anyone is permitted to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work, and make derivative works, providing the original author and http://SciDev.Net are credited. The organization actively encourages reproduction through all possible outlets and is always keen to provide assistance with this.

http://SciDev.Net views the effective communication of information about science and technology as an essential component of social and economic development. The organization strives to improve science communication by holding capacity-building workshops in developing countries for scientists and journalists, as well as providing online guides containing practical advice on how to engage in various activities related directly or indirectly to the communication of science. These include topics such as reporting from science conferences, reporting science news for television, how to set up a science blog, and communicating statistics and risk.

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