FAQs are boring. They’re everywhere. We use Commonly Occurring Inquiries. It will be a thing.

If you are interested in actively contributing to our work by writing an article or another form of manuscript, you are about to earn our wholehearted gratitude. We are a small team with great many responsibilities and only so much time, so your initiative is deeply appreciated. More importantly, we enjoy seeing people who deem our cause worthy of their time and are just as interesting and inquisitive as we are.

 

What to write?

The main requirement when it comes to publishing a piece of writing on the blog is that your work is in line with the thematic orientation of the blog – we are talking psychology, so articles on black holes and geology are not exactly our thing. Of course, any article combining psychology with relevant areas, such as biology, chemistry, philosophy, literature, etc., is not only welcome, but is most definitely encouraged. We support any initiative that approaches human nature through the prism of another discipline.
If you are interested in writing something, but are unsure of what to write, perhaps scan scientific magazines like Scientific American, New Scientist, The Psychologist, etc. Recent developments in psychological science presented there could ignite your interest!
If you wish to contribute to the BB with some other form of writing, such as a review or a puzzle, etc., contact us directly. Let us know what you are thinking, and we will gladly discuss with you ways to make your idea reality.

 

How should my article be?

Aside from regulations related to content, we also have a couple more associated with the presentation of the writing (if you visited our “I am pretty good” page, you probably know these already):

  • Articles should not be longer than 800 words. We make a true effort to keep our content short and informative. People visiting the blog are probably interested in reading stuff that can give them something other than a headache, which is what a long article can do. We certainly understand if your topic is complex and requires more space, etc., and will take action to help you out. This includes making exemptions for articles that are not exceedingly longer, and helping with editing content, to make the article condense without loosing in substance and livelihood. It is of the essence, however, to try and keep things short and sweet – this will also help you with your labs.
  • Any argument must be backed by research, and sources should be explicitly stated. We pride ourselves in providing something better that other sites when it comes to reliability of content. Though we are just as interesting as journalists, we are not really journalists, we are scientific researchers with a focus on knowledge and its expression. As a result, we do not provide empty suggestions and hanging statements, and are quite strict about it. This however might sound harsher that it actually is – if you are writing something, it means you have the sources, making citation an easy task.We therefore respectfully ask you to help us in our effort to guarantee our information is valid, by taking 3 minutes to write the title, journal and pages from which you got your facts.

Though exemptions are possible following discussion, we generally abide to these rules because they make the experience of our readers better, and the job of the writers and editors easier.

 

Anything else to keep in mind?

On a final note, here are a couple of suggestions to give you an idea of what we are looking for. Remember, these are only suggestions(!) :

  • Go for interesting/controversial/unresolved topics. Psychology is full of those, and its good for people to become acquainted with them.
  • Explore how topics are applicable to everyday life. Try your best to balance out your content, so it serves its purpose in exploring a matter, while pointing out how the reader and the world itself might be affected or involved.
  • Try to take a stance. Try to lay out the facts, take a position and explain your rationale – this is also the best way to engage in a fruitful conversation.

That being said, under no condition are we to deny any writing on grounds of its content. This blog is yours inasmuch as it is ours, and it is the expression of your opinions and worries that we wish to empower.

 

I wrote the article. Now what?

If you have a completed piece of work, send it over asap. We will contact you directly as soon as possible to accept your submission, and provide you with further information. Normally, an editor will go over the article and either edit the work herself, or provide you with feedback which should not demand much of your time – you already gave up quite a bit to write it*! Following any editing work, it will be reviewed prior to publication, and officially uploaded on the next page update – note minor corrections following the review are possible.

Its pretty simple, and we guarantee that you will not be troubled any further after submitting your work, lest there be major issues with it. We do not want your time wasted, but invested, and will do our best for you to enjoy your initiative without much effort on your part.

*Note: Personally formatting an article following feedback involves time restrictions.

 

Are our COIs not enough? Contact us directly to find out more!