Publish an Article

Logo - Social Work Month 2011You are an accomplished social work professional and your experiences and opinions are valuable.  This Social Work Month, consider writing an op-ed, a letter to the editor, a guest column or a blog post to address an issue of concern for you.  Have essential social services been cut in your state?  Would you like people to know more about a public policy that harms local families?  Would knowledge about the range of social work services in your community help more people find the assistance they need?

The more often social workers are seen as thoughtful commentators and experts online, in print, and in the broadcast media, the more likely public awareness of the profession’s diverse practice roles will also increase.

In the 21st century, a professional’s visibility online speaks volumes about their influence and reach.  In many fields, prospective employers check to see how much a person has published, commented about a topic, or been cited by others as part of the hiring process.  While this practice is most common in fields that require frequent writing and speaking, it’s also true that professions that have the most prolific authors and well-cited researchers enjoy high public esteem and are more visible in the media.   

A quick comparison of a few professions and their presence online is instructive: 

NASW wants to significantly increase this number of online social worker citations, but we need your help to do it.   Here’s how:

Write an Op-Ed
An “opposite editorial” is written to persuade an audience about a particular topic and is typically published in a newspaper in the opinion section. Op-Eds are usually about 750 words and are a great way to make the case for social work locally. The more tailored an op-ed is to the issues specific to your community the more likely it will be published.

Guide to Writing an Op-Ed for Social Work Month

Write a Letter to the Editor
A letter to the editor is a short written response to a current event or news article. Letters to the editor are typically around 250 words and are published in newspapers or magazines.  In addition, most publications now accept reader comments on their blogs and on specific article pages. All of these options are good ways to communicate social work positions with the public.

Sample Letter to the Editor

Write News or Journal Articles
Coverage begets coverage, so it’s no surprise that experts who have published books, written peer reviewed journal articles or commented on issues in the media, are the same  people who journalists seek for interviews.  These experts are a draw because they have a detailed and documented point of view and have already been endorsed by their peers and publishers.  Another option is to provide new content for the social work consumer website, www.HelpStartsHere.org and other such sites.

Write Blog Posts or News Columns
Write on your own blog or post comments on another person’s blog.  Blog tracking and evaluation site, Technorati.com says that there are more than 112 million live blogs. While very few blogs are specific to social work, there is a growing list of bloggers who regularly comment on the issues social workers care about most.  Bloggers are not necessarily professional writers or journalists, but they are often recognized experts in their chosen subject area and should be viewed as potential news sources.

Social Work Tools

Other Resources

Email: socialworkmonth@naswdc.org


http://www.socialworkers.org/pressroom/swMonth/2011/publishing.asp
10/8/2013
National Association of Social Workers, 750 First Street, NE • Suite 700, Washington, DC 20002-4241.
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