Federal Research Updates: Visit the OSP Federal Research Updates webpage for the latest guidance.
Communicating GW Research & Scholarship
Communicating broadly about your research and original scholarship boosts the impact and reach of your work while also enhancing the reputation of your school and the university. Promoting your research makes it easier for others to find and cite your work, to reach potential funders or collaborators, and to inform the public debate.
GW’s Office of Communications and Marketing helps GW scholars share their discoveries and work with various audiences through news coverage, university web stories, videos, Op-Eds, graphics or illustration support, engagement with policymakers, events, and more.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to promoting your research. Depending on your news or needs, we will assess it together and determine how best to support you. The main recommendation is to reach out early. Strategic communications planning is most effective with advanced notice.
Below are some resources and tips to help you get started.
Promoting Your Research in the Media
When appropriate, GW Media Relations and Research Communications can work with you to share your scholarship and expertise with the world through media engagement. Support may include press material development and distribution, media training and interview preparation, interview scheduling or logistical support.
The team evaluates requests for media promotion of research papers, projects and other scholarly activities and provides recommendations on a promotional strategy based on certain criteria. We may also send your request to the communications lead at your school or unit for promotion on the website or to GW Today editors for consideration as a university story.
Promoting your Peer-Reviewed Paper
Communicating your discoveries and novel findings through the media is a great way to elevate the visibility of your work with diverse audiences. One of the best opportunities for this is when you are publishing a paper in a peer-reviewed journal.
GW Media Relations and Research Communications use certain criteria to evaluate requests for media relations support in promoting research papers, such as:
- Is the research discovery or finding newsworthy, timely or on a hot topic?
- Would a non-expert (e.g. a policymaker, industry leader, member of the general public) find the results relevant or interesting?
- Are the findings surprising or novel?
- Is the paper being published in a well-respected, high-impact journal?
- Has the paper already been published, either in a journal or as a preprint?
- Are there compelling pictures or video that would be of interest to reporters?
The earlier we know about an upcoming paper, the better – ideally 3-4 weeks (or more!) before publication. For papers with newsworthy findings, the earlier notice gives us time to meet with you to learn about the paper findings, draft a press release, build a targeted list of reporters and outlets to whom we can pitch the paper under embargo, and, if appropriate, coordinate and/or confirm a publication date with the journal.
Have a paper you feel could be of interest to broader audiences? Tell us about it!
Submit a Request for Media Relations Support
Media Training and Interview Preparation
GW Media Relations offers a monthly virtual media training session open to all GW faculty and staff, as well as one-on-one training and interview preparation. In addition, the team is always looking to build out its bench of GW experts who are able to respond to media inquiries on certain topics.
To learn more about GW Media Relations, visit mediarelations.gwu.edu. To talk with a media relations specialist, contact gwmedia
gwu [dot] edu (gwmedia[at]gwu[dot]edu).
Writing an Op-Ed
As an expert in your field, you have the potential to shape the conversation around important issues of the day. One effective way of doing this is through Op-Eds and other first-person commentaries that reach diverse audiences within and beyond the academic community. Sharing your unique insights and thought leadership through an Op-Ed is often a great way to both draw attention to your research and work while also helping policymakers, industry leaders, scholars and the broader public more deeply understand a particular issue.
GW’s Office of Communications and Marketing can support you in your Op-Ed journey, from understanding what makes a good Op-Ed to helping you think through your key message(s), target audience(s) and which outlets to target for placement.
To begin, contact the Director of Research Communications Kathleen Garrigan at kgarrigangwu [dot] edu (kgarrigan[at]gwu[dot]edu) and/or reach out to GW Media Relations at gwmediagwu [dot] edu (gwmedia[at]gwu[dot]edu).
Research Illustrations
Images and graphics can enhance audience understanding, attract attention, and can serve as artwork for conference presentations, journal publications, media outreach, and funding proposals. Scholars interested in developing research graphics or illustrations should begin by contacting their school or unit communications lead. The communications lead can help assess the project's scope and coordinate with the research communications and graphic design teams. Depending on the complexity of the visualization, the communications team may be able to support the request internally or provide a referral to a vetted external scientific illustrator or design professional.
Presentation Templates
GW Communications and Marketing has provided a library of branded templates, including self-serve files for PowerPoint presentations.