Tips for how to write for general policy audiences.

1. Policy WritingDhruvaJaishankar
GermanMarshallFund

2. Writing has only one rule
The reader is always right.
• Writing is irrelevant if not read (and sometimes dangerous if
misread).
• New media and online sources means we are inundated with
content. Just because you are published does not mean what
you write will be read.
• Readers are lazy and fickle. (I know I am.)
• In an overcrowded marketplace, readers reward brevity,
credibility, creativity, and clarity.

3. An op-ed is an argument
• It should reflect an opinion. It is NOT a news summary.
• It should target a general audience. It is NOT a research paper
or report.
• Brevity: It should communicate one – and only one –
argument or thesis
• The argument must be credible, creative, and clear:
• Credibility – compile the relevant supporting evidence
• Creativity – draw original conclusions through analysis
• Clarity – effectively communicate your argument

4. Brevity: Shorter is better
• “More is not better if less is adequate”
• U.S. Declaration of Independence: 1323 words
• Atlantic Charter: 368 words
• Gettysburg Address: 271 words
• Suggested op-ed lengths for the New York Times is 750 words.
• Some newspapers have an upper limit of 700 or 750 words
• No op-ed should be over 800 words.

5. Credibility: Back it up
• What is the data that supports your argument?
• What are your sources? Are they reliable?
• Be sure to cite your sources or attribute your data.
• Yes, it is possible to plagiarize yourself.
• Quantitative data: databases, reported numbers, polls
• Qualitative: firsthand experience, historical or journalistic
narratives, official statements and quotes

6. Creativity: Be interesting
• Read more than you write. A lot more. Situate your position in
public discourse.
• Compile or uncover data that nobody else has.
• Share experiences that your readers might not have had.
• Conceive of novel ways of framing an issue, e.g. “Global Swing
States” or “responsible stakeholder”
• Identify little-known, but important, variables.
• Important: Go against conventional wisdom.
What would you rather read?
• “The earth is round, and I can prove it.”
• or “The earth is flat, and I can prove it.”

7. Clarity: Make it easy to read
• Avoid jargon. Think of what your typical reader already knows.
(Arab Spring vs. Three-party talks or People’s Bank of China)
• Explain unfamiliar acronyms. (EU, NATO vs. QE2, CENTCOM)
• Contextualize vague terms. (“Liberal,” “socialism”)
• Clichés are never, ever good writing.
• Titles can be clever, but should also be search engine
optimized.

8. Avoid fancy or vague language
“As for its successor, the ultramontane Sunni Hamas, and its even
more chiliastic Shia half-ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah, they do not
want any accommodation or compromise, and they do not pretend
to.”
“What will finally distinguish the new middle-class audience of the
nineteenth century from its radical antagonists and the mass
public’s fascination with commodities is the activated interpretive
mind in its power to reincarnate everyday life: to form a
‘philosophy’ of one’s encounter with the street and the city, with
fashion, with social class, with intellectual systems and the mind’s
own unpredictable acts.”

9. Beware of Fallacies
• Correlation is not causation ( “is caused by”  “is related to”)
• Probability is not inevitability (“will” “could” or “may”)
• If something is not false, it is not necessarily true
• A consequence does not prove a cause
• If everyone believes something, it is not necessarily true
• Unreliable sources do not falsify arguments
• Don’t assume inevitability in hindsight
• Repeating an argument does not make it any truer
Your argument should never, ever be absolute.
(See what I did there?)

10. Finally, check – and double-check,
(and triple-check…) – your piece
Simple mistakes damage your credibility as an expert
• Quotation marks should only be used for exact quotes.
• Introduce individuals with their full name and correct title
(President vs. Prime Minister).
• Double-check your sources. Use original sources if possible.
Remember: news reports are often wrong.
• Use commonly-accepted spellings of proper nouns (Morsi not
Mursi or Morsy, Osama not Usama).
• Be consistent (i.e. please don’t use “EU” and “E.U.” in the
same piece)

11. Possible Steps
• Read. Analyze. Gather evidence.
• Read more. Identify your original insight or contribution.
• Write. Summarize opposing arguments. State your thesis.
Consolidate evidence in separate paragraphs. Guide the
reader using transitions. Provide counterarguments and/or
recommendations. Tie it all together with a conclusion.
• Review. Write a hook and suggested title. Edit. Fact check.