You will have a better chance
of getting published if you send
your op-ed to regional and local
papers, rather than the largest
national dailies. The New York
Times, The Washington Post, The
Wall Street Journal, and other
large papers get hundreds of
op-ed submissions each day, so it’s
much more difficult to get pub-
lished in one of them. This is not
to say you should not try these
larger papers, but you should first
assess the relevance of your op-ed
to their readership.
Most important, you must
learn the submission require-
ments each paper has for op-eds;
these are often on the papers’ web
sites, or you can call the paper for
that information. Op-eds usually
are in the neighborhood of 750
words, but can be more or less.
You can access the requirements
(length, submission format,
etc.) for the top 100 newspapers
at www.ihscampusnetwork.org/
publish_top100.shtml.
Points to Remember
Editors are looking for essays
that don’t beat around the bush;
they want a piece that not only is
opinionated, but also is strongly
and confidently written. Your
opinion, however, must be based
on facts, research, and/or first-
hand experience—not on theory.
Being a bit controversial may
also be helpful in getting your
piece selected. Here are some
key points to consider before you
begin to write:
One idea. The goal of a good
op-ed piece is to make a single
point and to do it well. Your the-
sis should be easily understood in
one sentence.
No jargon. The language
should be clear, powerful, and
direct. The jargon of your
specialty is second nature to
22 AmstAt News AUGUST 2009
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