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Summary
The Why
Files is a non-profit, web-based source of entertaining and informative
science information. Founded in 1995 by the National Institute for Science
Education and funded by the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison
since 1998, The Why Files has helped pioneer the art of reaching web audiences
with salient, accurate, and accessible science stories.
Each week the site
features clearly written, often humorous, and always fact-checked stories
explaining the science behind the news. News hooks are the headlines;
stories range from 800 to 3,500 words and are richly illustrated with
photographs, drawings, and tables. Each story includes links to relevant
web sites and a bibliography with further information.
While traditional
journalistic standards, snappy writing, and timely reporting have helped
The Why Files achieve international recognition, it is the non-parochial
approach to science writing that sets its apart from most university science
web sites and has helped to attract a diverse reader base. Instead of
focusing on Wisconsin stories, we consciously avoid them. Science goes
far beyond a single institution to form a foundation of modern society.
Our mission is to help people realize the critical nature of science;
such an understanding ultimately benefits our university as well.
Budget
$122,895
annually
Toolkits
- First published
in 1996 by the National Institute for Science Education and funded by
the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 1998.
- Weekly web-based
magazine featuring salient, accurate, and accessible stories focusing
on the science behind the news often with humor, but always expertly
fact checked.
- Particular effort
is made to avoid parochial UW-Madison stories, instead drawing on expertise
wherever its exists.
- Employs the equivalent
of three full-time employees including a science writer, editor, graphic
artist, and graduate assistant.
- Makes use of hypertext
to provide readers with easy access to our sources and to additional
related information.
Research
and Evaluation
Anecdotal
- The Why Files has
been favorably reviewed by numerous media including HotWired,
PC Magazine, Popular Science, Chicago Tribune,
Wall Street Journal, San Jose Mercury News, and others.
Is has also been the recipient of the UCDA (University and College Design
Association) Excellence Award (1996), the CASE (Council for the Advancement
and Support of Education) Gold Award (1997), and the 2001 American Association
for the Advancement of Science Journalism Award.
- Email notes from
readers show us that we are causing people to think and to critically
engage scientific material.
- We frequently hear
form teachers about how they have integrated The Why Files into their
core science curriculum.
- The Why Files has
been asked by several UW-Madison departments to assist in the development
of web-based science courses. These requests have resulted in a well-regarded
undergraduate geology course, as well as an introductory biology module
focusing on the history of the Irish potato famine.
Quantitative
- Making use of simple
software, we monitor user traffic on the site. Among other things this
allows us to track the number of unique users, where Why Files users
first access our site, hourly traffic, the number of pages served, the
software used to access Why Files, which pages users are accessing within
the site, and the IP addresses from which users access the site (wisc.edu,
aol.com, etc.)
- Between March 20
and April 3, 1997 we conducted a survey of repeat site users. The information
told us a great deal about the type of user who was using the site in
those early days. The survey was repeated in late 2001.
- Two user response
surveys have been conducted in order to learn more about precisely how
users navigate the site and, more importantly, how much learning actually
takes place while reading the site.
Contact
Terry Devitt,
Editor
Room 25 Bascom Hall
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: (608) 262-8282
Email: trdevitt@facstaff.wisc.edu
Web
Site
whyfiles.org
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Created: 5/18/2002
Last updated: 8/17/2002
Contact: inquiries@nist.gov
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