Title should be descriptive and broadly understandable (avoid simply re-using the title from your publication.) Capitalize the first letter of each significant word. For example: “Digging into the Roots of Phosphorus Availability”
Subtitle provides further information that encourages people to read more. Lowercase all but the first letter and end with a period. For example: “Tree presence affects how soils respond to temperature change in a coastal forest.”
Describe your scientific results for a non-expert, non-scientist audience. Please do not copy/paste your abstract for this section or the others below. Use short sentences and short words. Avoid technical terms if possible; if necessary, define them. Provide the context needed to give readers a very basic understanding of what you did. Readability for the overall highlight should be no higher than a 12th-grade level.
- Click here for a free online readability checker
- Click here to see good examples of BER highlights published on the DOE Office of Science website.
Describe the impact of your research to a non-expert, non-scientist audience. The impact of use-inspired science is typically a potential technological advance, while the impact of discovery research might be to open up new frontiers of science or resolve a long-standing question. Use short sentences and short words. Avoid technical terms if possible; if necessary, define them.
Provide a paragraph or two with additional details of your work. The summary section should still be accessible to the non-specialist but may be more technical if necessary. As a point of style, the institution where the work was performed is not usually mentioned here. However, if a DOE Office of Science user facility is involved, you can mention the user facility.
Provide an explanation of funding from all significant sources, including non-DOE sources if applicable.
Does the PI give permission for it to be used in the highlights database? Permission for other BER uses? Has the image been used in a journal article? Who owns the copyright?
Does the PI give permission for it to be used in the highlights database? Permission for other BER uses? Has the image been used in a journal article? Who owns the copyright?