Communicating GW Research

Research Presentation Template

GW Communications and Marketing has created a slide deck template that provides a high-level overview of GW's research enterprise. It highlights our growth as a global research institution, some of our world-class research facilities located in the heart of Washington, D.C., the breadth and diversity of our research programs, our innovation impact, and how we facilitate and celebrate student research. The GW community is invited to download the slide deck and adapt it as appropriate for their needs.

Download the PowerPoint Template

Op-Eds and Writing for Non-Academic Audiences

Through your research and expertise, you have the potential to impact the conversation around important issues of the day. One effective way of doing that is through Op-Eds and other first-person commentaries that reach diverse audiences within and beyond the academic community. Sharing your knowledge through an Op-Ed is often a great way to both draw attention to your research and work while also informing on issues important to policymakers, industry leaders, other academic researchers and the broader public.

If you'd like to explore the idea of writing an Op-Ed, GW Communications and Marketing can work with you to think through your key messages, call to action, target audience(s) and possible outlets, as well as support you throughout the Op-Ed journey. To start the process, contact Kathleen Garrigan, GW's Director of Research Communications, at [email protected].

Research Illustrations

Images and graphics can enhance an audience’s understanding of information, attract attention on a page, and can serve as artwork for magazines, journals and news outlets. To assist researchers’ efforts to communicate their ideas visually, the Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) and Communications and Marketing work together to support the creation of illustrations based on specific criteria.

Criteria

• Requests must be submitted with sufficient lead time to create art. This is typically a minimum of 5 full weeks prior to deadline, i.e. submission of a manuscript to a journal (for consideration as cover art) or public release of information.
• Preference is given to submissions based on the following:
  • The manuscript will be submitted to a highly prestigious or widely read journal (e.g., Nature, Science, The Lancet, PNAS).
  • Mainstream media coverage is likely; i.e. the topic area or discovery is highly influential and/or of interest to a broad audience, and likely to have a large impact on the scientific community or on society.
  • Audiences would greatly benefit from visual representation or graphics that help tell the story.
  • The GW author has been invited by the journal to submit an illustration to be considered for the journal cover, with a high likelihood of acceptance.
  • The project is highly interdisciplinary.

Support

Depending on how well the request matches the program’s criteria, as well as the size and scope of the project, support from OVPR and GW Communications and Marketing may include:

• cost-sharing or full reimbursement of design fees;
• consultation with the principal investigator (PI) to help translate the message into a visual format and provide initial design direction;
• project management, including feedback on draft illustrations; and
• strategic referrals to other university resources (videography, photography, media relations, etc.)

Process

Applications are accepted and reviewed by OVPR and GW Communications and Marketing on a rolling basis. An initial meeting is generally scheduled to discuss the submission and to clarify project goals. Upon approval, the communications team will work closely with the researcher to develop an initial concept, facilitate the interaction with the graphic designer or artist, and coordinate any additional resources as necessary. Artwork will be finalized with approvals from the researcher and the communications team.

Submit a Request for Research Illustration Support