Write for Activism, Influence and Change

We want this blog to be about the how of change (what are the influencing strategies and tactics most likely to work, and why) rather than the what (what is wrong with the world, what are our preferred policies to fix it). Many authors instinctively tend towards the latter, so before submitting please step back a little and think about the how (aka the plumbing, the theory of change). Also have a look at the the Activism, Influence and Change Programme’s (AICP) website to get a feel for what we’re interested in. Then, when you’re ready to put pen to paper, digest our style guidelines below:

Length and format

• In order to increase readability and accessibility, we aim for our articles to be between 800 and 1,200 words.
• We are also happy to post longer pieces of over 2,000 words, if appropriate for the topic. If you are interested in this, please discuss this with the blog team before submitting.
• Please send us your draft article in Word format, with your name at the top.

Audience, writing style and language

• Our main aim is to reach a wide audience, encompassing non-specialists, academics, policymakers and seasoned activists. With this in mind, your submission should be written with a relatively wide audience in mind.
• Our most widely read blogs are written in a more natural style, so we recommend that you avoid overusing acronyms and academic terms, such as Latin words, or specific terminology that may not be well known outside disciplinary circles. Also avoid saying things like “In this paper I will…”, or “This paper aims to…”, and go straight into your discussion of the topic.
• Use short paragraphs made up of four or five sentences
• As with journalistic pieces ‘lead with the best.’ Don’t save your main argument or analysis for the end of the post. Instead, put it in one or a few lead-in sentences that are in bold and italics at the top of your post.
• Write your article as a standalone piece, even if it summarises material in a longer paper or journal article. Try to present all of your argument and evidence within the text and avoid relying too heavily on information contained in external sources.

Referencing

• We use links rather than citations for references. Links should direct readers to more detailed reports or other pieces of research, news items or other blog posts. Open access sources are preferable compared to those behind paywalls.
• Please insert a hyperlink at the relevant point of your argument that you’d like to reference (e.g. using ctrl-K in Word) or simply place the URL in parentheses where you would like it to be placed and we will link it ourselves.
• If linking to research or analysis, remember that many sources are behind a paywall and not all readers will have access to them.

Titles and Images

• We use narrative titles, i.e a single sentence that sums up the main argument of the article. The more descriptive and catchy the title, the more likely the article is to be read.
• Try to avoid questions on general topics (e.g. Inequality in the Rust Belt) and aim for titles that hook readers in.
• We will find images for your blog header.
• However, if you want us to use specific images in any part of your blog, you must own the image or send us attribution information that we can post to prove the image is copyright free.
• Pexels is a good place to look for free images that can be easily attributed – https://www.pexels.com/

Biography and contributor photo

• We’re proud of our contributors, so we like to give them full attribution. Please add a three to four line biographical note at the bottom of your post, with your organisational or academic position, activist or research interests, and details of your two most recent publications (if you have them).
• Please also send us a small colour photo headshot. Our preference is for a more formal portrait style, rather than a photo taken from an event.

Our editing process

• In most cases submitted articles will be reviewed speedily by Duncan or Tom, who will edit the piece to enhance readability to the blog’s wider audience. Once these edits are complete, we will send you the final version of the article, and give you an opportunity to make final edits.
• All articles should be evidence-based. With this in mind, editors may double-check the factual accuracy of certain points, or ask you for links to supporting information.
• We will try our best to copy-edit when English is not the author(s) first language, but please understand that our capacity is limited.

Podcasts/Videos

• We intend to produce podcasts and videos, so if this is something of interest, please do send us your pitch.

All submissions should be emailed to us on d.j.green@lse.ac.uk (Duncan) and/or t.kirk@lse.ac.uk (Tom)