Who decides what scientific research makes the news? Science writers, of course. Rachel Bernstein reviews a recent study on how well they're doing: "Editors from the New England Journal of Medicine found that reporters actually do a pretty good job covering the most important papers, at least when choosing among those published in their journal." But she adds that it may be time for writers to broaden their sources beyond high "impact factor" journals like NEJM.
September 20, 2013