From Lit Reviews to Op-eds: A Research Communication Assignment for PhD Students

The Spring 2025 semester is upon us and I've been reflecting on how we prepare graduate students for research communication and public engagement. Thinking back on my own PhD journey, it was filled with research summaries and literature reviews. So I thought, why not build an assignment that replicates the idea of an literature review - building an argument - that is practical and provides student with a real-world application.

Let's write an op-ed!

Op-ed writing is an art form, but it is a great practice in argument development/persuasion, succinctness, and writing for a general, public audience.

Here's an outline for a semester-long scaffolded assignment that can help grad students turn their literature reviews into compelling public arguments. In this assignment, students practice the art of crafting persuasive, evidence-based narratives that are jargon-free, citation-free, robust in argument, and relevant for the general reader. This assignment can easily go along side a semester-long literature review project.

The Op-ed Assignment:

Preparation/Assignment Introduction

I recommend supporting students by:

• Sharing and analyzing op-eds from academics
• Reviewing common op-ed structures and conventions
• Discussing what makes academic op-eds effective/ineffective
• Exploring how op-eds differ from blog posts/other public writing

Month 1: Audience & Impact Strategy

Have your students:

• Identify potential stakeholders and communities engaged in conversations related to their research agenda
• Map existing public discussions around the topic, taking note of arguments, points, and blindspots
• Select a target publication and analyze their style/approach by reading their op-eds, specifically ones written by PhDs
• Search past op-eds in target publication to ensure to see how the topic may have been covered in the past
• Discuss their thought process behind audience and publication selection and initial thoughts, and promote peer feedback

Month 2: Argument Development

Have your students:

• Develop central arguments/thesis for their op-ed and test it out with peer feedback
• Map out 2-3 key evidence points from literature and public arguments
• Connect to current conversations and contexts
• Identify 1-2 counterarguments to present
• Read more op-eds

Month 3: Story Structure

Have your students:

• Write a compelling hook/opening
• Build narrative flow that connects the key arguments and counterpoints to real-world contexts, something the reader can relate to
• Test out the narrative development with peer feedback
• Read more op-eds

Month 4: Writing & Revision

Have your students:

• Draft their op-ed with peer feedback
• Write in accessible, clear language that someone with an 8th grade reading level could understand
• Leave out the in-text citations, but develop a reference list of sources
• Refine for target publication guidelines

Final Deliverables:

• 750-1000 word op-ed (or publication guideline length)
• Reference list of academic and public sources used
• Reflection on translation process from academic to public writing

The beauty of this assignment is that students still do the deep literature analysis you need them to do, they build a logical argument with said literature, but in a bite-sized, repackaged manner that could be printed in an newspaper.

This assignment helps them develop skills to engage meaningfully in broader conversations about their research, consider the public POV, and write in a way they might not be accustomed to.

Please let me know if you adapt this assignment for your PhD course. I would love to learn how it worked out and how it could be improved.