Translating Research for General Audiences

A multimillion-dollar study on childhood lead exposure or hurricane preparedness sits in a peer-reviewed journal where general audiences will never read it. The editorial work that translates the study into a press release, an op-ed, or a long-form feature is what determines whether it reaches the audience that funded it.

The challenge

Most research-into-content translation reads like the research, just shorter. The structure (background, methodology, findings, limitations) gets preserved, the technical vocabulary gets simplified slightly, and the result is still mostly unreadable to a general audience. The work that succeeds restructures the writing entirely — narrative-first, with the methodology threaded through.

What I deliver

• Press release writing for research announcements that respect reporters' time.
• Long-form feature writing on major research findings — for foundation publications, alumni magazines, or general-audience venues.
• Op-ed ghostwriting for principal investigators on research-driven policy positions.
• Annual reports that include research summaries general audiences can engage with.

Where the work connects to my career

At FIU's Robert Stempel College, I led the translation work for studies on childhood lead exposure, hurricane and disaster preparedness, public health research, and disaster simulations. The press release on the 2024 disaster simulation was picked up by CBS News Miami; coverage on the lead-exposure research ran in FIU News and beyond.

"Most research-into-content translation reads like the research, just shorter. The work that succeeds restructures the writing entirely."