Image: UNE’s global reach for the period 27 September to 27 October 2022.

UNE Communications will be hosting a one-hour workshop for academic and research staff on “How to write for The Conversation” in the Lewis Lecture theatre on Tuesday, 1 November at 11:30am. It’s the ideal opportunity to meet the presenter, Sunanda (Sunny) Creagh, in person and learn first hand what sort of ideas the editors are interested in. Staff working remotely can join the presentation on Zoom via this link. 

There are four 20-minute slots available after lunch to meet with Sunny face-to-face. Contact eboshoff@une.edu.au to book one of these slots. 

The Conversation (TC) is one of Australia’s largest, independent news and commentary outlets. It specialises in sourcing news from the academic and research community and delivering it directly to the public. Writing for TC is a proven and effective means to raise your academic profile as articles are free to read and freely shared under Creative Commons. For example a recent article on despotic noisy miners, written by Jade Fountain and Paul McDonald, had over 45k reads and 12 publishers.

Staff will receive information on:

• The benefits of writing for TC;
• Pro tips on when and how to pitch an idea to TC;
• How to tailor your writing to your audience; and
• Have opportunity to ask questions.

More on writing for The Conversation

The Conversation’s unique republication model and lack of paywalls, its large engaged audience, along with their intensive editorial model that provides academics with final say before publication, makes it an important and influential media platform for universities. Recent research found The Conversation amplifies quality research and plays a vital role in the impact and engagement landscape. The study showed academics and researchers secure the following benefits by publishing with The Conversation:

• Connects researchers directly with the public, practitioners and key decision-makers and extends influence beyond academia.
• Experienced editors help translate research so it engages and connects with a general audience.
• Allows academics to communicate current research on topical issues in a timely fashion.
• Adds value to research outputs by amplifying their impact on public debate.
• Fulfills an ethical imperative to disseminate evidence-based research.
• The open model promotes republication and increases reach and engagement.
• Provides pathway to other national and international mainstream media.
• Ties into the social media ecosystem where debates are happening.
• Altmetrics offer a new way of measuring impact and engagement with research.
• The writing skills academics gain translate to writing in other forums: journal articles are clearer and grant writing more compelling.
• Academics have final say before publication, unlike traditional media outlets where editors retain final control.