Instructions and suggestions for your blog to CRL
We encourage anyone to submit articles to our blog and we often bring in guest authors. Here is a rough set of guidelines to consider:
- It must be connected to systems thinking (dsrp) or systems mapping (dsrp) or systems leadership (vmcl) where the dsrp or vmcl functions are explicitly pointed out so that people can learn how systems thinking actually applies. Here is a link to some resources on systems thinking (dsrp). Our blogs and entries are designed to help people understand and use (daily) systems thinking. This means we make the systems thinking explicit so people can see how it is applied.
- There are no particular guidelines in terms of length. But consider how long you want the "read" to be. Many readers will choose blogs that are short in length. As a rule of thumb: 800 words (inclusive of all titles, notes, and citations) is approximately a 3 minute read. Our blog calculates the read time and places it at the top of the entry.
- Your blog should be submitted in a Google Doc for easy conversion and use citations whenever necessary.
- Images should be embedded in the Google Doc in the text. Consider Figure numbers and descriptions for images if needed
- Citations should utilize the footnotes feature in Google Docs and be APA or PLOS
- Suggest metadata (a short sentence for web browsers)
- Suggest 3-5 keywords
- It should also be image heavy, as the human brain is highly visual. We frown upon articles that are only-linguistic. Try to use alternative media like videos and images as well as rich-metaphors (in text and in images) that aid the reader in understanding. Your writing should help people understand, not help them believe you are smart.
- It can be as technical and as specific as you like, as long as it reaches a general audience (so explain things that a general reader might not know; technical terms, jargon, or acronyms, etc.).
- We will provide editorial services once the article is completed and try to integrate it with other articles so that it is linked in a network of articles that cite each other.
- We need a headshot of you and a short bio (2-3 lines) as well as: website, twitter, linkedin, facebook if you want to provide it. See example here.