Forensic psychologist Jillian Peterson, PhD, an associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, cleared her schedule to write an op-ed last year immediately following the May 14, 2022 mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, because she was frustrated by the media coverage. The news focused on the racial hate and conspiracy theories expressed in the perpetrator’s manifesto. As a researcher studying violence prevention, she had a vastly different perspective. She pulled together a compelling piece grounded in research on how mass shooters often experience early childhood trauma and express suicidal ideation before they resort to violence. She sent it to an editor she knows at The Washington Post.
“I wanted the public to know that for many of these mass shooters, self-loathing comes before outward blame and hate,” said Peterson, principal investigator for The Violence Projectopens in new window, a National Institutes of Health-funded study of the psychosocial histories of public mass shooters. “If we focus only on the hate, then we miss out on a lot of early prevention opportunities.”
Writing op-eds is an important part of Peterson’s work. She published that piece and 40 others throughout her research career along with Violence Project cofounder sociologist James Densley, PhD, professor of criminal justice at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota. “It’s an effective way to get research into the hands of people who don’t usually consume journal articles,” said Peterson. Op-eds, a term describing the traditional placement of these pieces opposite the editorial page in newspapers, are also a vehicle to publicize research and data that is often held hostage by the peer-review process, she said. Editors usually want to see a finished piece—which is roughly 750 words—rather than a pitch, and they want it to be exclusive to the publication.
Research shows that carving out time to write op-eds is a wise investment for any scholar because they have lasting effects on readers’ views. In a Yale University study, more than 3,500 participants from varying political affiliations were randomly assigned to read op-eds advocating libertarian views about issues such as climate change and spending on infrastructure. Participants took a public opinion survey immediately after reading the pieces, and again 10 and 30 days later. The researchers discovered that Democrats, Republicans, and independents were equally persuaded by the op-eds at each time interval (Coppock, A., et al., Quarterly Journal of Political Science, Vol. 13, No. 1, 2018opens in new window).
And given the breadth of psychological research and the persistent news cycle, there is no shortage of opportunities for psychologists to share timely research with the public in such targeted ways. Eric Ferreri, a communications expert at Duke University who helps researchers write op-eds, says he is seeing an increase in the number of academics who are writing opinion pieces, and he suspects this may be because younger generations are highly conversant with news, social media, and the speed at which information is exchanged. “You have a chance to influence the public debate by getting your expertise out there,” he said.
For Peterson and others who write op-eds frequently, the increased visibility through op-eds has led to opportunities to share their work in communities, participate on expert panels, and appear on the national news. Peterson has received invitations from school administrators, medical organizations, and legislators to talk about how her findings could inform violence prevention efforts. Her goal is to add data to policy conversations that could lead to suicide prevention training in schools, laws that could temporarily separate an at-risk individual from firearms, and other strategies to prevent mass shootings. “Op-eds provide a way for psychologists to truly impact our policy conversations and move them beyond anecdotes and fear-based narratives,” said Peterson.
Find a news hook
Jen Balderama, an op-ed editor at The Washington Post who reviews dozens of submissions every week, said a piece is most likely to be considered when it is connected to a news event. A pediatrician, for example, sent her an op-ed about a school district that had voted to allow spanking in schoolsopens in new window. The writer described studies showing that this form of punishment did not improve behavior—and in fact increased risk of negative outcomes such as aggression, mental health problems, and low self-esteem.
“While it may seem like common sense not to spank, this piece stood out because the physician provided evidence backing that up,” she said. “We value columns from experts who can weigh in when politicians and other officials are telling a different story.”
Amid a massive increase in antitransgender legislation, Christy Olezeski, PhD, director of the Yale Pediatric Gender Program and an associate professor at the Yale School of Medicine, saw an opportunity to write an op-ed with two colleagues at Yale—a law professor and an adolescent medicine physician. “When we read through the bills, we found that the opinions were not based on scientific information,” she said. “They were clearly biased.” In an opinion column in the Los Angeles Timesopens in new window, the trio described research evidence supporting the benefits of gender-affirming care.
Although Olezeski plans to continue to write op-eds, sharing an opinion with a broad audience also has costs. The piece elicited both positive and negative reactions from readers. “Some individuals sought me out on social media and wrote things that were hateful in nature,” she said. “It is unfortunate when people react in hurtful and threatening ways, but this work is important, and we need psychologists to be advocates.”
Get to the point
Op-ed writing often feels counterintuitive for academics accustomed to describing previous literature, methodology, and results in a paper. “I generally coach faculty to do the opposite of what they do for journal writing,” said Ferreri. “Get to the point immediately, use a limited amount of space, and avoid filling up the piece with too much data.” Although there is sometimes a steep learning curve, Ferreri said he has worked with dozens of faculty members, and many have become skilled opinion writers who contribute regularly to renowned publications.
Among academics, one of the most common mistakes is using the first several paragraphs to lead up to the message, said David Nussbaum, PhD, an adjunct associate professor of behavioral science at University of Chicago Booth School of Business who writes op-eds for The New York Times. After his success with The New York Times, colleagues started sending him op-ed pitches and drafts. He enjoyed connecting scientists with the media, which prompted him to launch Psychgeist Mediaopens in new window, a nonprofit that helps researchers share their work with the public.
“Researchers can forget that the reader does not have an abstract giving them a framework to understand what to expect,” said Nussbaum. The first paragraph should draw in the reader with an anecdote or interesting fact, and the second paragraph typically includes “bold pronouncements that academics may not be comfortable making given that the evidence hasn’t been presented yet,” he said. “Think of this paragraph as an abstract, a promise of what’s to come.”
Amanda Calhoun, MD, MPH, a resident in the adult/child psychiatry program at the Yale School of Medicine, grabbed readers’ attention in an op-ed in Timeopens in new window with a recent study finding: Adults with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and other mental illnesses are at higher risk of contracting Covid-19. She boldly stated the opinion she planned to support: “Based on my brother’s experience, I know the reason why: ableism” (discrimination against people with disabilities). She explained how her brother required sedation or a physical hold to tolerate a needle prick, but vaccine clinics and his primary-care provider would not accommodate this request from her parents. She included examples of data highlighting the lack of research and preventive care for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Calhoun learned how to write strong opinion columns through a yearlong fellowship program with The OpEd Projectopens in new window, a nonprofit organization that connects underrepresented experts with journalists, commentary writers, and activists who serve as writing coaches. These mentors helped her learn how to leverage everyday experiences to influence a broader audience. “Now I pay attention to interactions that are unsettling or amazing, or policies that made me angry, or positive changes that I want to see replicated,” she said. To capture these observations before they fade from memory, she spends 5–10 minutes free writing several times a week. “Once you start doing that, you will realize there are many things you could write about,” Calhoun said.
A call to action
Op-ed editors are also looking for writing that offers next steps for readers or a rousing call to action, said Calhoun. In a commentary published in Psychiatric Timesopens in new window in October 2021, Calhoun challenged researchers to explore the connection between Black youth suicide and racism, and she invited clinicians to consider whether they are silencing or minimizing Black children’s experiences of racism.
The column caught the attention of CBS News, which featured Calhoun in a segment about the increasing suicide rates of Black youth during the pandemic. While on the air, Calhoun described how Black children and adolescents in her practice were asking how to navigate the racism they experience in schools. She was also invited to speak on an expert panel called by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in response to the rising rates of Black youth suicide.
“The op-eds have broadened my ability to meet people who are interested in revamping the medical system to make it more equitable,” said Calhoun, who met researchers, community leaders, psychiatrists, social workers, and psychologists during the event. “Connecting with Black experts was therapeutic because I am usually one of the few health care providers standing up against the anti-Black racism that my patients experience.”
Timeless appeal
While editors are usually looking for a news hook to increase the relevance of an op-ed or commentary, some topics resonate so deeply that they speak to readers any time, said Balderama. This was the case in an opinion in The Washington Postopens in new window about parents who tell their children to stop staring at people who are different from them. The piece was written by Yale University psychologist Christina Cipriano, PhD, who is the mother of a boy with a rare genetic disorder. In the piece, she explained that children are naturally curious and learning about the world when they stare. She encouraged parents to leverage the behavior to engage people with disabilities.
“It was such a tender but forceful piece about the harm that can come from telling children not to stare,” Balderama said, adding that the piece was published last March, and the writer is still receiving responses from readers. “The piece had extremely useful takeaways that people could use in their lives.”
