Do you have story you think belongs on the Borealis Blog?
Science Borealis now accepts pitches and submissions for one-off posts.
While we accept unsolicited submissions, we strongly suggest you pitch your idea to us first to determine whether your proposed story is suitable for the Borealis Blog.
In either case, please get to know our blog and read the guidelines below before pitching or submitting your work. Keep in mind, our focus is science with a Canadian connection and science communications in Canada.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
We only publish one-off posts by guest writers. You may pitch or submit posts to us once per calendar quarter. We will publish one piece per guest blogger per calendar year.
PITCHES
Concise and to the point: Who you are; what story you plan to tell; why it’s important; and why are you the person to tell it. Please indicate if your piece is time sensitive.
Acceptance of a pitch does not guarantee the finished post will be accepted. It means we are interested in your idea, it fits our blog, and we think you can write the post as promised. Once we see your completed piece, we will determine whether or not to run it.
POSTS
Word Count: 500-1000
Audience: Broad, scientifically literate; explain jargon but not basics.
Style: Conversational in tone, not academic.
Images: All posts should be accompanied by 1- 4 images with captions and proper attribution. Please make sure you have permission to use any images you supply.
Fact Checking and References: We do not scrupulously fact-check blog posts, but our editors may ask you to provide source material if they have any questions. Do not add citations to your post. Please link out to relevant non-paywalled sources in the body of your text, especially when making scientific claims.
Editing: If we accept your post, our Blog Editors will review it and make suggested edits. You will have a chance to make the appropriate changes before your post goes up.
Posting: If your post is time sensitive, we will plan a posting date with you. If your post is of general interest, we reserve the right to hold it for up to 90 days to fill gaps in our Editorial Calendar.
Our interests:
- Thoughtful coverage of scientific discovery, news, topics, or people
- Your research in the context of public interest, behind the scenes in lab or field
- Reviews of Canadian science-related books, films, podcasts, other media
- Interviews with Canadian scientists, science communicators, authors
- Coverage of scientific conferences, events
- Essays, Op Eds, or How To’s on Science Communication
- Sciart – discussions about, reviews of, posts in graphic format
Not our interests:
- “Listicles” and clickbait stories
- Promotions of products, companies or services
- Stories with no Canadian connection
- Polemic op-eds
PAYMENT
We do not pay for blog posts. We do, however, promote our posts and bloggers via our social media channels. You retain rights to your post and may reprint it on your own or on another website with a link back to the original.
SUBMITTING
Please send your pitch in the body of your email or your post as a Word document with images embedded to: editors@scienceborealis.ca
