Tips for Faculty Expert Biographies
We want to make it easy for news media to find you! Among all the experts out there, Ohio State has great research and faculty with unrivaled knowledge.
A faculty expert biography is referenced by the news media and media partners. It is not a resume or an academic dossier. It is brief and provides quick reference to news topics and your areas of expertise.
Before you send us your updates, consider these elements of a great biography. Here's an example of a faculty expert biography to see how all the parts work together for media appeal.
Be ready to list your title and degrees.
You’ll want a photo that you like and also shows you as approachable. Most LinkedIn photos are within 10 years so it’s alright that it may be a few years old.
Or have someone take a picture of you using a mobile phone. Think of this like taking a selfie, but from further back – getting you from your chest up. Stand in front of a solid background (not a white wall). A good place where lighting is usually best is outside against a building, as long as you are not standing up against it. It’s best to step away from any background – indoor or outdoor – by at least 6 feet.
- Tell us your latest research projects. What are the buzzwords or keywords we should know?
- Make sure these are relevant to what’s in the media. While you might use an academic news term, consider common names for it. For example, the academic term is "novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2" but most people just call it "COVID."
- Use Google to find other ways people search for your research topic. For example, a Google search for “disability discrimination” will also show what "people also ask." Are there other relevant layman's terms for your research? (example below)
- Find a permanent link to capture. Start storing the news where you’ve been featured here. Capture the headline.
- Take a screen shot of your link to save in case the news source eventually deletes the link. It’s not often, but pages do go away after time.
- Do you have a quotable snippet you like to share? Think of something you tell news media that looks great in print. It should be under 50 words so it’s fast to read. If you have longer stories or analogies, consider sending us an audio file.
- Some examples of quotable quotes:
- “The long-term effects of Caesarean births are just now being understood.”
- “Crypto-currency may sound sexy but investors need to understand their tolerance to risk.”
- We love to highlight the articles where you shine. We will want the name of the journal or publication, the date it was published, the title, the authors, and the link of where it will exist.
- You can also send us a link to your Google Scholar page. That’s a great reference for being search-friendly.