About Scientific Biographies
The biographies in this collection present the human side of science. They are authoritative accounts of what lives in science have looked like. We are now adding new biographies to represent the true diversity of scientific practice. Our goal is to offer an accessible digital resource that supports the curricular needs of educators and the learning styles of students at all levels.
Contact Us
You can reach us by email at biographies@sciencehistory.org.
Mail to us at:
Science History Institute
315 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Cite As
Authorship of a scientific biographies should be attributed to the Science History Institute unless a specific author is indicated (this is rare).
The date is typically the date you accessed the biography. If the biography has a publication or revision date (this is also rare), you should include it as well.
Specific citation styles are given below. If you are a student and you are unsure about which citation style is appropriate for your work, we encourage you to reach out to your instructor or teacher.
APA
Author as Organization name or Last Name, First Name Middle Initial. (Date accessed as Year, Month Day). Title of biography. Scientific Biographies, Science History Institute. URL.
APA Examples
Science History Institute. (2024, April 11). Svante August Arrhenius. Scientific Biographies, Science History Institute. www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/svante-august-arrhenius.
Science History Institute. (2024, April 11). Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins. Scientific Biographies, Science History Institute. www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/james-watson-francis-crick-maurice-wilkins-and-rosalind-franklin.
MLA
Author as Organization Name or Last Name, First Name Middle Initial. “Title of Biography.” Scientific Biographies, Science History Institute, Date of creation/revision if available as Month Day, Year, URL. Accessed Month Day, Year.
MLA Examples
Science History Institute. “Svante August Arrhenius.” Scientific Biographies, Science History Institute, www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/svante-august-arrhenius. Accessed April 11, 2024.
Science History Institute. “Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins.” Scientific Biographies, Science History Institute, July 28, 2022, www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/james-watson-francis-crick-maurice-wilkins-and-rosalind-franklin. Accessed April 11, 2024.
MLA 9th Edition adds: “An access date for an online work should generally be provided if the work lacks a publication date or if you suspect that the work has been altered or removed.” (Section 5.1111, MLA 9th ed.).
Chicago
Author as Organization Name or Last Name, First Name Middle Initial. “Title of Scientific Biography.” Scientific Biographies, Science History Institute, date created/modified if available as Month Day, Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL.
Chicago Examples
Science History Institute. “Svante August Arrhenius.” Scientific Biographies, Science History Institute. Accessed April 11, 2024. www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/svante-august-arrhenius.
Science History Institute. “Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins.” Scientific Biographies, Science History Institute, July 28, 2022. Accessed April 11, 2024. www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/james-watson-francis-crick-maurice-wilkins-and-rosalind-franklin.
Pitch a Biography
Do you know of a scientist in need of a biography? Or perhaps you know of a surprising story about someone who is already well known, one that can help students understand how science works? If so, we would love to hear from you.
Your contribution will be read by a wide range of audiences, so the writing should avoid technical jargon and insider references. We encourage you to think of yourself as a storyteller: we are more interested in your take on the significance of a life than we are in recording every minute detail. That said, significance need not be limited to patents and prizes; it also involves stories of personal struggle, community service, research infrastructure, and family life (to name a few things).
All of the biographies in our collection have a short tag line and a brief introduction that encapsulates the significance or main idea of the life story. From there, you can structure your entry in any way that advances the story. Chronology is often a helpful tool for organizing biographies, but it is not the only option. Target length is about 1,000 words including citations for further reading.
You can submit your pitch using this form or by contacting us at biographies@sciencehistory.org. We will be in touch to discuss compensation if we decide to move forward on a proposed submission. Thank you for your interest in Scientific Biographies!
Write a Biography
We are currently seeking research and writing help on the following biographies. Please contact us at biographies@sciencehistory.org with a sample of prior work if you would like to take on one of these entries.
Alice Ball
Theo Colborn
Marie Farnsworth
Eizi Matuda
Jokichi Takamine
Thomas W. Talley
Bettye Washington Greene
Republish
Interested in republishing our scientific biographies? Look for the Republish button on available content. See our guidelines or contact us if you have questions.
Support
Help us tell stories about science’s importance by giving to the Science History Institute.
Featured image: Unidentified employees of the Institute for Scientific Information at work, 1980s.