Understanding Editorial Guidelines
Editorial guidelines, also known as writer's guidelines, are the
rules set forth by publishers for contributing authors. In order
to have your article taken seriously you must review the
guidelines prior to submission. It is also recommended that you
review previous editions of the publication to get a better feel
for the types of articles favored by the editor(s).
Outlined below are the typical issues covered in editorial
guidelines along with their definitions and any additional
information you should know.
Length of article: The minimum and maximum word count of
articles considered for publication. Online articles are usually
expected to be 750 to 1,000 words while off-line publications
will often accept a longer article.
Topics: The subjects of articles accepted by the publication.
Never submit an off topic article as this is very annoying and
may result in further submissions from you being banned.
Illustrations/Photographs: Some publications require/accept
illustrations or photographs and will usually specify the size
and format required for acceptance.
Editorial style: Consistency and accuracy governs the use of a
style selected by the editorial department of a publication.
Many publications require the use of the Associated Press
Stylebook which covers spelling, capitalization, grammar,
punctuation and usage.
Author Photograph: Some publications require or accept a
photograph of the author usually included with the submission of
the article. Guidelines will often cover the size and format of
photographs.
Byline length: Also known as an author biography or resource
box. Some publications have certain requirements for length,
characters per line and what or how much contact information can
be included.
Payment: Your byline is often the only payment you will receive
for your article. However, some publications (particularly those
in print) pay for articles by the word or per article.
Rights: Governs whether or not the publication will accept
original or reprinted articles, how long they plan to use the
material and whether the article can be used elsewhere at the
same time.
Query requirement: A query is a letter written to the editor
that proposes an article topic and asks permission to submit.
Some publications require that you query the editor (by e-mail,
fax or mail) prior to forwarding your article.
Submission methods: Methods of submissions may include via fax,
e-mail or hard copy sent by courier or standard mail.
Editorial calendar: It is not unusual for a publication to
establish an editorial calendar for each year far in advance.
The calendar will cover topics, themes, article types and
required submission dates broken down by publication dates.
Format accepted: Each publication will accept articles in
certain formats such as Word, WordPerfect, text or Adobe Acrobat.
Audience: Demographics such as number of subscribers, gender,
educational level, age and income level.
Notification: When you will be contacted about your submission.
Many publishers choose to contact only if an article is chosen
for publication.
Acknowledgements: In some cases you will be required to sign
(either electronically or on paper) an acknowledgement that you
have read the guidelines.
It is very important to understand and follow the editorial
guidelines of your target publications in order to maximize your
chances of publication. Not all publications will include all of
the above items in their editorial guidelines. Contact the
editor if any of this information is not disclosed and you need
it to refine your submission.
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