Hello,
I am working on a few op-eds and one journal article. Is it just me or I feel like I'm just saying the same thing three-four times, with a different structure? Is it normal to get the feeling that I am "recycling" basically the same underlying argument?
Is it the argument or are you stuck in a rut with words? Those are different issues, of course. But if you are writing a journal article (research article) and an opinion piece on the same topic, it isn't unusual to have overlap.
Presumably you are not Cass Sunstein or this worry would not have occurred to you.
https://newrepublic.com/article/154236/sameness-cass-sunstein
A lot of academics make a career of repeating the same idea for decades. And those that move on to different ideas run the risk of getting labelled as inconsistent or flighty. But in other cases they are praised for their breadth.
I'd say do what works for you.
An article and Op-ed may cover similar topics, but it is a very different audience so this is required and expected. Regarding multiple op-eds, this also seems fine since multiple places want to publish your opinion but it needs to be different enough to publish.
So, I think this is normal and really a good sign that people are interested in what you are doing.