The Parkland Institute

Parkland Post Writers' Guidelines

Our Deadlines

• Spring/Summer Issue April 1st
• Fall Issue August 1st
• Winter Issue December 1st

Short & Snappy

Ideally, stories should fit onto one page of the printed Post, and should be about 1,000 words long. If the stories are too long, it makes it impossible for the layout staff to make the page visually appealing. When the page is visually unappealing, people are less likely to read the story, especially when the subject matter is dense. When stories are too long, Post editors will either cut them, or whenever possible, arrange for writers themselves to cut them.

Shorter stories (500 words or less) are always welcome. News clippings, quotes, and reporting on interesting events and web-sites are valuable to our readers, and help the layout people fill up visual holes!

The Audience: Make it Readable!

It is important to remember that the Post is not just read by academics! Parkland members cover a wide range of occupations and backgrounds, and expect to receive a publication that is both interesting and accessible. Academic terminology, abbreviations, and literature references are all strongly discouraged. This may require academic writers to put their scholarly practices and academic defences on the backburner, and focus on how to best communicate the subject matter. Some guidelines:

• Use short, clear, familiar words
• Eliminate unnecessary words (overly descriptive adjectives and adverbs)
• Keep sentences short and simple. The average sentence should be between 10 and 15 words.
• Use the active voice.
• Feel free to use point form, especially when you are listing three or more items. This increases the amount of white space on the page, and reduces eye and brain strain.

It is also important to remember that the Post is a provincial organisation. Writers should attempt to be inclusive, and not assume that the reader knows the particularities of a local region or issue.

Article Structure

The first thing to remember when organising your ideas is to not use a traditional academic format. Your job is to entice the reader to get past the first paragraph and not to scare them off with a lengthy thesis statement or obscure reference.

Writers are encouraged to use the standard journalistic format of inverted pyramid. This means all the most interesting stuff (the who, what, where, when, why, how) can be found within the first two paragraphs. (This runs contrary to most academic writing styles which tend to build up toward the most important points.)

Of course articles can take other forms besides inverted pyramid. Other interesting, and creative format include:

Narratives in first person point of view. Testimonials can add a personal, human element to abstract issues like downsizing.

• Question and Answer Format. This is a good solution to break down technical issues and make them more readable.
• Point Form. Another great way to clearly and powerfully present complex information. Keep points brief, and don’t worry about using complete sentences.
• How-To Information. A way to answer the proverbial question: what can I do?
• Debates. Disagreement can be productive. Two writers widen to the public debate in the province by taking opposing directions on controversial issues.

Whatever structure is used, a strong lead sentence is critical. A quotation is a time-honoured device for beginning or ending an article. Try to find a quote that expands, reinforces, explains, or even contradicts the headline. Other good leads include startling facts, intriguing questions, common myths, interesting anecdotes, slice-of-life profiles, or interesting comparisons.

A catchy headline is also important. A quotation also often makes an interesting headline. Other ways to make headlines more interesting is to promise readers a benefit (e.g. Provide a remedy or solution to a problem), make an interesting announcement, use numbers (e.g. 8 reasons why banks are making more money), or writing a secondary headline (e.g. Fantasy Island: Puerto Ricans Rise up against economic globalisation).

Finding Hope

Readers often feel overwhelmed by the information presented in the Post. In general, writers should aim to empower, rather than depress! If possible, include a list of solutions to the problem presented, or references to further information, organisations, or actions the reader might want to explore after reading the article. It is also possible to write a positive article about a group, organisation, or individual who have made a difference in their community, or came up with a unique solution to a pressing problem. For examples of this type of journalism, check out Yes! A Journal of Positive Futures! (http://www.futurenet.org)

Specific Stylistic Questions

The Post follows the style recommendations of the Canadian Press Style Guide. This means that movie and book titles are italicized, not underlined. Decades are written as 1990s, or the 90s. Numbers are written out one through nine, in numeral format over the number 10, or in the format of 3 million / $3 million. Writers can refer to the Canadian Press Style Guide, or contact a Post Editor for further information.

Post Editors

The Post is managed by a revolving editorial collective. Decisions about whether to run controversial stories are made democratically by this collective. Story ideas, concerns about editorial decisions, and stylistic questions can be forwarded to the co-ordinating editor. Contact {encode=parkpost@ualberta.ca}, or leave a message at the Parkland Institute (492-8558).