Before the Abstract, bringing you the real-life stories from researchers on the front lines of discovery. Springer Nature Storytellers and the Before the Abstract website are both part of an endeavour by Springer Nature to highlight the importance and utility of storytelling in science. As the need to communicate research beyond the confines of scholarly circles grows, Springer Nature is offering authors and potential authors the opportunity to talk about their real-life experiences as researchers, in their own words. We feature these personal stories through a mix of podcasts recorded at live events and written submissions, as well as a section featuring discussions on storytelling in scientific communications and tips on how to craft a narrative.