Learn Liberty Blog Submissions Guide
We welcome any and all blog submissions that will aid the cause of liberty, or simply have something interesting to say in accordance with our values. Here are some things to keep in mind when submitting pieces for the attention of the editorial team in order to streamline the process and maximize the chance of having your writing featured on the Learn Liberty blog:
Formatting:
- Submissions should be in font size 11 for body text and size 14 for headings and subheadings.
- Font style should be reasonable, with Raleway, Arial, and Roboto being preferred.
- Headings should only be capsed on the first word and proper nouns; there should not be default capitalization on account of it being a heading.
- Line spacing should be 1.15, with list spacing being 0 to 10.
Submissions should be in an appropriate document such as Microsoft word or google docs. Submissions should not be in an email body text, a link to a third party, or a PDF document that we cannot edit.
Content:
- Submissions should have a clear narrative or purpose to the piece. With the amount of content present on the internet, ask yourself, “what am I trying to convey with this article, and why do people care?”
- Needless text can frustrate the reader and even cause them to stop reading and look at something else.
- If they are longer than about 600-700 words, or a piece covers multiple topics to convey the thrust of the piece, articles should be broken up by appropriate subheadings which contain specific discussion points. Mixing up different parts of the piece between different sections, aside from the introduction and conclusion, is confusing for a reader.
- Language should be clear and concise. Needlessly flowery and long sentences with grandiose verbiage can come across as pretentious and does not offer the reader anything of value.
- If you can say it in fewer words, do so.
- While the piece will be edited, please make sure articles have appropriate spelling and grammar checks.
- Where possible, use the active voice.
- Academic and news links (included as a hyperlink) should be present where factual or interesting claims are made; a couple per section should suffice.
- Minimize the use of quotes to make a point. Relying on others’ authority to make your claim diminishes the impact and credibility of your work, and comes across as lazy.
- As a general rule, articles should not be written in the style of a post on a personal blog or that of an academic essay. Instead, articles should be punchy and present a clear narrative on a relevant issue.
- While we welcome a range of topics, when covering issues that are specific to a particular country or region, it is important to frame this in a manner that will interest global audiences.
Examples of writing styles we like:
Unless specific for the format such as top-five lists and the like, submissions should be between 300-1000 words, with 300 being a good target for a short piece, 600-800 for a mid-length piece and around 1000 for a more in-depth piece. Exceptions will be made for highly contextual pieces that require extensive information.
Short: https://studentsforliberty.org/north-america/blog/why-free-speech-is-good-300-words/
Mid-length: https://studentsforliberty.org/north-america/blog/just-war-unjust-conscription/
Long:
https://studentsforliberty.org/north-america/blog/self-identified-libertarians-on-the-far-right/
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