Thank you for your association with Nickeled & Dimed. Kindly see the pointers below for standardising your submissions according to the Nickeled & Dimed writing guidelines.
Content
- You can write about issues that are a part of relevant public discourse with the objective of providing a robust analysis. Be it in foreign policy, development or politics, we are looking for the articulation of opinions which diverge from perspectives provided by mainstream media.
- We also run a themed research article series from time to time, details of which are updated on the website.
- You are sure to receive a response from the team if your submission is found to be satisfactory and in sync with the objectives of Nickeled & Dimed.
Plagiarism
- We are looking for new ideas and perspectives, so please be original in content. Any plagiarised write-up or one with inappropriate referencing will be rejected. We will be running plagiarism checks to ensure this.
- Borrowed content should be referenced, ideally using hyperlinks to online sources, within the texts. For books, you may hyperlink the publishers website. For Op-eds, instead of referencing, you can use phrases like, “According to ABC’s report in 2011….”, “The XYZ Committee stated that…”. Please do not include any references in end notes. All of them must be hyperlinked within the text.
Format
- Write-ups should be about 1500-1800 words in length. We also accept Book Reviews of 700-1200 words. (Please adhere to the word limit)
- Maintain uniform font and size throughout the write-up. Font Style : Times New Roman; Font Size: 12 ; Justify the alignment of the text
- Please include a suggested title for your post. Narrative headlines tend to work better than catchy newspaper-type headline.
- It is recommended to add an article description. It could be regarding what unique insight you have to offer, or how your article is relevant. It could be two or three sentences (Not more than 60 words).
- The author should include a short bio (1-2 lines) about her/himself at the end of the write-up. For example, “XYZ is a Masters student at PQR School of Social Sciences”.
- The author can send a picture that would be used to feature their article. If you are unable to find one then the editorial team shall pick one for you.
- All submissions should be emailed with the subject as Article- Name_topic.
Style
- Articles should be written in a style that is less formal than a traditional academic paper style.
- Please avoid using academic jargon as the platform aims to reach non-academic readers as well as those of academia. If the use of certain terms is unavoidable, kindly reference them by hyperlinking to online sources.
- The shorter the sentences and paragraphs, the better. One paragraph should include one idea. Please keep your paragraphs restricted to six to seven sentences. This makes it easier to follow through the flow of the ideas.
Tips
- Be liberal in using sub-headings. It helps maintain the flow and the attention of the reader.
- Write with one clear goal/objective in mind.
- Critiques should be respectful, no foul words, slangs and short forms of any kind.
- Do not make haste to send in your first draft. Reread your write-up at least three times before submitting it. It eases the process of editing for all of us.
- All facts and figures should be referenced.
- Tables and graphs, if any, should be titled (above) and sourced (below)
Many people find it helpful to look at an example before they write their own article. Here is a link to a post on Nickeled & Dimed. (Sample Article)
Email your write ups (and queries, if any) at cnes.ju@gmail.com
NICKELED AND DIMED 