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Scientists must step up and speak up. We cannot be silent when science is being eroded and the institutions that fund science are being dismantled, and emerging and early career researchers being terminated. Credit: BigstockURBANA, Illinois, US, Feb 20 (IPS) - Scientists like me across the U.S. are distressed following the many policy changes, funding elimination, and firings that have happened since President Trump took office. More than ever, scientists must unite in solidarity and share the negative impact these extreme measures will have on science, U.S. science funding agencies and people’s lives. Speaking up can take many forms, from posting your thoughts on social media to writing opinion pieces or op-eds.
For the latter, op-eds can be an effective way for scientists to communicate urgent messages of today, including talking about the importance of their fields and why federal agencies must keep functioning.
Scientists can write about the dangers of the presidential office interfering with important research grants and urge the government to reconsider the decision to terminate many early career scientists. By writing op-eds, scientists can also paint a picture for the public and government leaders about the dire consequences of dismantling USAID.
To many scientists who are used to academic writing, crafting an op-ed may seem like an insurmountable task. Ten years ago, when I became an Aspen Institute New Voices fellow, I felt that way.
To date, I have written over 150 op-ed pieces and covered multiple issues and topics that I was passionate about, including promoting diversity, the need for scientists to communicate, climate change and tackling food insecurity. My op-eds have led to outcomes like being invited to testify before a U.S. Congress Subcommittee Hearing.
This is my advice to scientists who want to capitalize on the power of op-eds to share how recent events are impacting them.
The first step is to determine the problem or issue to which you want to call attention. Other guiding prompts to help you focus on determining the problem is to ask a series of questions including why this topic is important, why is it timely now, what do you want the reader to do or learn (the call to action), and lastly, how will things change if you call to action happens.
Once you have clearly identified an issue, then it is important to organize your thoughts around the recognized structure of op-eds. This includes the lede/idea, main argument or thesis supported by evidence, “to be sure” statement and a conclusion paragraph, with a clearly articulated call to action.
The first element of an op-ed is the lede/idea, that is centered around a news hook, or personal anecdotes that tie on to something happening in the news. A news hook ties your argument to the current issues of the day while showing how timely your voice and argument is and why it matters now. Tying your op-ed around a news hook also lets editors know in your pitch what is new and timely about your piece before they decide to accept it.
Next after the lede or opening paragraph is your argument paragraph and main thesis. Op-eds are centered around an argument; thus, you must decide on this before you write the rest of your piece.
The core argument or main thesis should be short and articulated in a clear way that is convincing to your readers. As you work to create an argument, think about: what you want to share with the world, is it new, what is new about it? How is it different from other arguments that have been made before?
Next, you will need to build evidence to support your argument. For many op-eds, at least three main points of evidence will suffice. The pieces of evidence can include statistics, anecdotes and personal stories, quotes from experts, news stories, and data from published research studies or reports. Provide source links for your evidence.
The “to be sure” paragraph is an important part of an opinion piece. This is the section where you preempt people who may discount your argument by acknowledging their viewpoint and then bringing in more evidence to back your argument. Essentially, in this section, you can acknowledge other counter arguments while supporting your own argument.
The final concluding paragraph is the place where you summarize all the previous paragraphs with thought-provoking messages and punchlines. This is also where you can embed your call to action. What do you want your readers to do? What needs to happen?
Op-eds, unlike other academic writing, are short, therefore remember to adhere to the word limits of the outlet you are hoping to pitch to. For many outlets, the word limit ranges from 500 to 900 words.
Once you are done, re-read for clarity and then your piece is ready to pitch.
Of course, I acknowledge that scientists and other people being impacted may be scared to write, for fear of retribution or being fired. It is genuine fear because the internet never forgets. Before embarking on writing an Op-Ed, scientists should definitely weigh in on the positives and negatives and the short and long-term impacts that may come about with penning down a piece.
Scientists must step up and speak up. We cannot be silent when science is being eroded and the institutions that fund science are being dismantled, and emerging and early career researchers being terminated. Time is now.
Esther Ngumbi, PhD is Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, African American Studies Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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