by Helen Gray

Created on: February 27, 2009

Scientific American is one of the better reads in the popular science niche. The magazine is marketed to the mainstream reader and covers an incredibly diverse range of topics. The magazine regularly features articles on the basic sciences, math, biology, chemistry and physics, as well as astrophysics, archaeology and palaeontology. The magazine also covers more topical subjects like health, biology and genetics, the environment, society and policy, energy and emerging technologies.

Scientific American is aimed at science buffs rather than professionals. The articles are accessible to anyone with even a basic understanding of high school science or a curious mind. The writers provide a good depth of information without forcing readers to struggle through detailed scientific jargon. Unlike some other popular science magazines Scientific American doesn't over simplify or use space filling "fluff" articles and large diagrams.

Each edition includes a number of feature articles, as well as regular sections. The short section "50, 100 and 150 years ago" is a fascinating retrospective on innovation and discovery from old editions. The "In Brief" section details recent headlines in science. Each edition also includes a topical editorial, letters to the editors, and non fiction book reviews.

The Scientific American website provides a wealth of information accessible even to non-subscribers. This makes a refreshing change to magazine websites that only provide teasers to articles. Readers can view new articles, and news throughout the month. The magazine has embraced digital media and the website features forums, blogs, videos, pod-casts, galleries and an "ask the expert" section. It even provides easy access to related information on highly topical subjects by combining articles, news and galleries in one easy to access area. Reader's can sign up for newsletters providing a daily or weekly digest of events in the science world, magazine alerts or alerts on a host of different topics. The website provides options for signing up for RSS feeds of all your favourite sections and tech savvy readers can even follow the action on Twitter. A jobs section even provides services for job seekers and employers. The website does have a strong bias toward the biological sciences. This is because the it also hosts content for Scientific American's sister magazine, "Scientific American Mind."

Scientific American is published monthly, with US subscriptions available for as little as $19.75. At $39.95 a year the digital subscription is slightly more expensive, but it does include access to 16 years of Scientific American archives. Some of the older editions have fantastic features that explain quite complicated technologies and scientific theories in a very simple manner - excellent material for school assignments.

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