A press release is vital for sharing discoveries and current scientific progress with the general public. It also often forms the basis of short science news articles by expert journalists, which are published in dedicated science media publications.
A Research Findings Press Release is an official communication that is issued by a researcher, institution, or organization to announce new results or discoveries from a study, research project, or experiment.
Research Findings Press Release Template to Overcome Communication Challenges
Researchers and scientists are skilled in articulating complex ideas and writing various kinds of scientific texts. However, expressing their findings in a way that engages the general public and resonates with journalists can be tricky.
Using a template to write your press release can be a good approach to making an impact beyond the scientific community and conveying your findings in a concise and clear format. This template is developed to bridge the communication gap and help you draft a media-friendly press release that journalists and the public will find engaging.
We invite you to make use of the research findings template at WordLayouts, which would provide you with a standardized format for announcing your findings. This template is designed to help you convey complex ideas clearly and attract media attention to your work.
Some key aspects of this press release template that will make your research more accessible are below:
Standard format for media readability
The template is structured in the standard format of a press release, which the journalists expect to receive. It ensures that your findings are clearly and concisely communicated. The template guides you in breaking down the complex ideas into simple and easy-to-understand terms without overwhelming the reader.
Engaging headline and introduction
The press release should provide journalists with a hook to keep them wanting to read further. With this template, you can create a headline that is to the point and will indicate that your research is newsworthy. While writing your headline, think about the impact your research will have on the general public.
Consider this headline below as an example:
“Researchers Uncover Key Insights Into Climate Change That Could Transform Environmental Policy”
Addressing the 5 Ws
Any press release must answer the 5 Ws of journalistic writing. In this template, you can identify Who (researchers, organization, etc.), What (guidance about describing your findings), Where (mention the research institution, conference, or geographic focus of the study), When (date of the research publication and important timelines), and Why (impact of the findings and their real-world implications) in the lead paragraph.
Bring authenticity with a quote section
Adding a quote by the principal researcher or a team member adds a human touch to the press release and allows you to personally communicate with the public about the implications of your research findings. The template provides a dedicated section where you can add a quote by a contributor to the study and highlight the significance of the research for society and the public at large.
Clear call-to-action for enhanced engagement
The clear CTA encourages journalists, academics, and industry professionals to delve deeper into the findings by directing them to resources for accessing full research publications or relevant websites. Including a clear CTA will also open up opportunities for media engagement to reach out to the scientists who are behind the research.
Organization profile for credibility
The boilerplate section of a standard press release features information about the organization that issues the press release. It focuses on giving a background about the organization, its mission, and its values. In this template, you can present your organization’s focus, goals, and past accomplishments to understand the context of your research results. Moreover, this information helps to build credibility by mentioning the institution’s years of experience or previous influential studies.
With all these elements present in this press release template, you can amplify your research’s exposure by drafting a press release that will help you share your scientific findings with the media houses and the general public easily.
Things to Consider When Writing a Research Finding Press Release
Anyone who works in the field of science will need to share their findings by writing a press release at some point. Announcing your research and explaining its newsworthiness to media outlets can be challenging, as it requires expressing your findings in a language and format that would be easy to understand for the journalists and the public at large.
We present below some tips and best practices that you can adopt when you draft a press release to help create a press-worthy piece of writing:
- Make sure that your press release follows the guidelines of the Associated Press. All acronyms should be clearly defined.
- Use Arial 12, bold, for the title and Arial 10, normal, for the body to ensure consistency across the release.
- Do not use any industry-specific jargon in the title and the lead paragraph.
- Keep it newsworthy by linking it to any recent event or ongoing debates.
- Include a brief explanation of the methodology, sample size, duration, or innovative techniques to establish scientific rigor.
- Highlight any key figures or data that are easily shareable so that readers can understand the significance of your study.
- If the press release is about publication in a scientific journal, then briefly describe its importance in the field (e.g., “published in Nature, a leading journal in environmental sciences”). You can mention key details, like the impact factor of the journal for instance.
Embargo Press Release
Sometimes a research finding or publication can be under embargo, especially if the findings are related to something that can have public health or safety implications. An embargo is a request made by the researchers or organization that the news not be disseminated until a certain date. This gives the media outlets and journalists time to fully understand the research before sharing it with the public.
If your scientific findings need to be under embargo, you must communicate that in your press release.
A standard embargo statement would look like this and be placed before the lead paragraph.
NOT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EMBARGO Until [date] at [time & time zone].
EMBARGOED: Release no earlier than [date] at [time & time zone].
Scientific discoveries are more than breakthroughs made in a lab. These findings have profound impacts on human progress and provide solutions to global challenges. Share your research findings with this press release template today to amplify the impact of your discoveries to a larger audience.
Use this template to increase the visibility of your findings with a well-crafted press release today!
