The STScI news team encourages scientists who have used data from the Hubble or James Webb space telescopes, or who are affiliated with STScI, to get in touch with us if you think you have a newsworthy result. Our staff can help you prepare a press release package to distribute to media worldwide.

Scientific findings capture the public’s attention for a variety of reasons. For example, a result may be considered newsworthy if it does one or more of the following:

• Represents a major discovery of a new phenomenon or class of object.
• Decisively settles an area of controversy in astronomy.
• Presents a new mystery or unexpected new complexity to some known phenomenon.
• Represents a significant step forward in a specific research area.
• Sets a new astronomical record or involves a superlative (e.g. largest, oldest, youngest).
• Deals with rare or unique unpredicted, transient events.
• Provides new insight into a popular astronomical topic such as: exoplanets, black holes, solar system objects, distant galaxies, exotic astrophysics, astrobiology, and processes related to Earth’s formation and evolution.

If you have a result that you believe will be interesting to the public, we encourage you to notify us as soon as possible, ideally when a paper is submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. A press release package typically requires 4-6 weeks to complete, and should be published at the same time as the paper. Please submit your idea using this pre-populated email or by copying the list below and emailing us: scientistnews@stsci.edu

*The asterisks denote required information.

1. Specify a mission* (HST, JWST, and/or Other)
2. Lead author's name* (first and last) and affiliation
3. Email address*
4. Subject*
5. Brief description of result*
   Provide a few sentences explaining the paper's key findings in layman’s terms and why you believe those findings are newsworthy. Why does the discovery matter? What are the implications of the result? What about your finding would excite someone without a science background?
6. Please provide a link to your paper or attach a copy of your paper to the email.*
7. Journal submission history*
8. HST or JWST Proposal ID(s)

• Initial Evaluation

  The news team (which includes the news chief, media relations specialists, and scientists) will make a preliminary assessment of the newsworthiness of your result, considering both scientific relevance and potential public interest. We may request an exploratory interview to learn more about your findings before making a decision. If you haven’t heard from us one week after your submission, please follow up with us.

• Requirements

  A peer-reviewed research publication generally is a prerequisite for a news release. Exceptions can be made for presentations at professional science conferences, such as American Astronomical Society (AAS) meetings, and potentially discoveries announced in astronomical bulletins such as International Astronomical Union or GCN Circulars.

• Production Timeline

  After the initial interview to learn more about your work and obtain quotes, it typically takes 4-6 weeks to prepare a news release, accompanying visual assets (images, graphics, and/or videos), and request NASA’s review and approval of the entire package. It is important to contact our team well in advance of a publication or conference deadline.

• Keeping Your Research Confidential

  News releases frequently reach an audience of hundreds of millions of people. We strongly recommend that you refrain from posting preprints on public sites like arXiv.org until a news release is issued. Individual science journalists, who routinely scan sites like this for story ideas, do not have the same reach that our team does. Premature media pickup may preempt wider coverage of your research or lead to inaccurate or misleading coverage.

  Similarly, we advise not posting any advance details through social media. The STScI news team protects research results and coordinates with journals who have embargo policies (e.g., Nature and Science).

  Note that posting to arXiv.org doesn’t preclude us from issuing a press release, so you may still submit an unpublished preprint. Already published results will be declined due to production timelines and the NASA requirement that a press release be timed with paper publication.

• Single Point of Contact

  If your news submission is accepted, it is critical that you are available to participate in revisions of the news release and any of its supporting products. If you have completed research as a part of a team, we ask that you name a single point of contact to represent your group and ensure scientific accuracy and timely reviews.

• Review Process

  Release text and associated assets are first reviewed internally at STScI by the news chief and the scientist who advised the news selection process. Then the release package goes to you for review. Results from the Hubble and Webb telescopes then are sent to the relevant project scientist and communications specialist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, followed by a review at NASA headquarters. The revised release returns to you for a final check to ensure no inaccuracies were introduced during the review and editing process.

  We will also coordinate with the press office of your university or employer so that they may issue a joint release. Partner press offices are welcome to adapt our text as necessary for their local media markets.

• Release Distribution

  The release will be timed to coincide with paper publication or conference presentation. The full release text will post to science.nasa.gov, with a summary version posting to STScI.edu. (Non-mission releases from STScI researchers will post in full at STScI.edu.)