IPS publishes a small number of submissions
from independent, enterprising writers.
If you have access to consequential, undisclosed,
valuable information, if you write in
an engaging and rigorous way, and if you
have a global focus, then you can be an
IPS contributor. We look forward to hearing
your ideas.
Before you sit down to write your article
- please read the following guidelines:
- Familiarise yourself with
the type of stories IPS publishes
(see http://www.ipsnews.net).
It is the best way to get a sense for
the kind of stories we seek.
- Don't send generic pitches.
We are not interested in titles such
as “Africa at the Crossroads”
or “The Future of the U.N.”
- Don't send us any article
or letter that opens with “Since
the end of the Second World War…”
- We like investigation.
Send us a fact-based, well-written,
revealing investigative story we haven't
seen in the mainstream press.
- Do send us stories that are
funny or risky. IPS readers
want to be surprised; they are looking
for outstanding information and scrupulous
analysis.
- Don't send us a 20,000-word
conference paper or book chapter.
IPS features and analyses tend to run
800 to 1,200 words long.
- Stay away from technical
or obscure language. IPS readers
are well-informed individuals from all
parts of the globe, but they are not
necessarily specialists in your field.
Assume that they do not have the patience
for wordy arguments, insider jargon,
narrow topics, or technical writing.
IPS believes in making big ideas accessible
to the widest possible audience. The
trick is to strike a balance: IPS stories
should be an indispensable reference
for debate among specialists, yet they
should also engage a general-interest
reader. Reportage should be complemented
by sharp, analytical thinking; analyses
should make use of original data, anecdotes,
even wit, to help draw readers in.
- Don't send us anything tendentious,
too local or “politically correct”.
IPS is an independent, global news agency
with a global readership. Stories that
assume, or pretend to please, a narrow
audience are probably not for us. We
publish stories that appeal to readers
from Dhaka to Cuzco and anywhere in
between. Stories that rely on local
references or characters are not suitable
for IPS.
- Do send us stories related
to: human rights, public health,
money laundering, development, global
economy, corruption and governance,
technology, the future of war, culture,
immigration, the environment, global
and regional trends, international finance
and business, multilateral institutions,
religion, terrorism, non-governmental
organisations.
- Please send us final drafts
of your work. We cannot spend
an enormous amount of time editing submissions.
Unfortunately, we are able to respond
only to those submissions that interest
us.
- Do provide original research
or reporting to support the story.
Please send all submissions as plain
text in the body of an email—no
attachments, please—to submissions@ipsnews.net
with the word “submission”
in the subject line. Include your name,
contact information and a brief bio. We
will contact you if we are interested
in your article. No follow-up calls, please.
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