Editorial Guidelines

Who We Are

Earth.Org is a not-for-profit environmental organisation engaging in climate communications. EO raises awareness about the catastrophically fast rate of biodiversity loss, and rapidly deteriorating conditions of natural ecosystems worldwide.

Earth.Org advocates for reform of political structures to embed long termism into government incentives for political leaders.

Leveraging the power of data, Earth.Org enhances scientific dissemination by breaking down the complex advancements in environmental sciences into accurate, synthesised and engaging content for educational, advocacy and policy purposes.

Initiatives undertaken by Earth.Org are informed by scientific data drawn from the most credible sources, including universities and accredited research institutions.

Share A Story Worth Telling

Contributors retain broad discretion over the topic selection, as long as there is alignment with Earth.Org’s mission to inform the public on key thought leadership topic areas, which include informative articles on what is going badly, as well as thought provoking articles on how things could be done, and are being done better in certain narrow ways. [scroll down for list of suggested topics]

Consult the articles already published on the website to avoid overlap with existing content. The same topics can be covered again, but a novel and fresh perspective are essential.

Ask the Editor editor[at]earth.org for guidance and for the latest target article list that we are looking to have taken up by writers.

Audience

Global – over 1m unique vistors per month
English-speaking, this includes a large audience in the USA, Canada, Australia and the UK but also India.
People concerned about the wellbeing of Planet Earth
Generalist & specialist public alike
Specialist contributors may in turn become themselves avid readers
Equal space to developing economies and mature markets

Style & Tone

Let your personality transpire. Write with confidence and no fear
Facts don’t speak for themselves. Marshal data into an engaging and gripping narrative that strengthens readers’ appetite for more similar content
Be clear and direct
Use one or more quotes per article
Avoid writing in first person
Avoid avalanches of detail that conceal rather than reveal
Don’t succumb to pessimism; be solution-oriented
Titles must be provocative but neither alarmist nor catastrophist
Avoid too conversational a tone
Break free of useless formality
When in doubt, opt for a dry and factual narrative
Allow arguments to flow logically
British spelling, please

Format

You can choose between 3 formats:

1. NEWS

A reader’s digest of important reports (IPCC, WWF-calibre etc…) or scientific discoveries published in leading environmental academic papers and think-tanks (Nature, specialised websites). Generally shorter (min 400 words, but no limits imposed), these are easier to write up.

Highlight one particular aspect of the report. Or provide a brief of the main take-aways. Either way, be succinct and to the point.

They can be short features about community work; profiles of researchers out to prove a particular theory; or a university lab that achieved a meaningful result.

Your findings don’t have to be earth-shattering: quirky and fascinating facts can shed light and ignite readers’ interest.

2. ANALYSIS

Challenge yourself into delivering a mature, and well-thought-out research piece. Length: 800+ words. Multiple sources are a must.

Your bravura resides in reducing complexity into an engaging and approachable piece. No topic is off-limits. Dive into the subject! You might want to:

a. Unpack the terminology & frame a contentious issue
b. Explore different ways experts / governments are dealing (or not) with it
c. Walk the reader through any policy implications
d. Societal impacts
e. What can we expect to happen next?
f. All of the above

3. INTERVIEWS

Do you have a sibling who is completing his PhD in environmental science? Is your neighbour a Nobel laureate eager to share his knowledge? Then go right ahead with this option. This format is more time-consuming and therefore optional. You can interview remotely via email.

Obviously, no transactions of any kind are allowed other than the exchange of publicly available information and the interviewee’s personal opinions on the subject matter.

Any Good Article Has…

TITLE & HEADING

Sharp & factual. Include at least one keyword such as name, country, or subject matter. This increases SEO visibility.

OPENING PARAGRAPH

Open powerfully! Stamp your feet. Provide a gripping anecdote to lure in the reader. Summarise the story in the first paragraph. Make your thesis stand out.
Build your article around one single idea or issue. Before unleashing your inner poet, be sure to have a clear idea of what the story is about. Always drum home the reason as to why anyone should care about what you are saying.
If it’s an interview, don’t forget to introduce your interviewee by subtly emphasising why they are worth listening to.

BODY

Allow each paragraph to strengthen your thesis, not distract from it. Every paragraph should have a clear purpose and strengthen your thesis. No beating around the bush please! Use subheadings if they help you weave the narrative better.
Embolden the reader to deepen his/her understanding of the subject by embedding links to relevant external websites (YouTube, TED Talks, newspaper articles… you name it).

CONCLUSION

Finish the article with a powerful sentence (what journalists call a kicker) and a logical conclusion. Leave readers in want of similar content. It’s good practice not to introduce new information in this section.
Don’t draw the reader into doomsday cul de sacs (“there is no hope!”). Adopt an uplifting tone where possible, or at least a factual one.
Careful with recommendations! Everyone wants to learn; nobody likes to be lectured.

Use Hyperlinks

If the subject has a website, make sure you include the link in your doc
Embed links within the text. You can also add references at the bottom

Sharing Format

Please type the article into a GoogleDoc and share the editing permissions
Alternatively, you can email the content in a Microsoft WordDoc format
Please use the “track changed” tool during the editing process

~ FORMATTING #}!

Unpack acronyms, no matter how obvious they may seem
Identify researchers by their institution (e.g.: “Prof. Jane Austin from the University of Santa Clara uncovered a new link…”)
Use a footnote to acknowledge other researchers if you see fit. Avoid burdening the main body with too many acknowledgements
Avoid double or triple spaces between words
Spell out numbers ‘one’ through ‘nine’, and use numeric symbols thereafter (i.e. “When he was eight years old” and “his team consisted of 11 people”)
Addressees and dates, however, are always numeric (i.e. “He was born in 1992 and lived on 110th street)
Use double quotation marks (“) for quotes, and single quotation marks (‘) for a quote within a quote
Place the full stop or comma inside of the quotation mark (i.e. He explains, “It wasn’t a decision we came to lightly.”)

When in doubt, follow the Guardian & Observer Style Guide

Images (Mandatory)

We love images on Earth.Org. We use them to break up text and to support data.

Make sure every suggested photo is high definition (+1000px)
Avoid overly-posed photos and stock images
Embed any pictures you want us to consider within the text on the GoogleDoc. If the pictures are too big for the WordDoc, please save them on your personal google drive and email the link to the Editor.
Include a caption

Don’t Forget To FACT-CHECK

Misinformation can kill our credibility and reputation. Double check everything is correctly spelt and factually accurate throughout your article. Tedious work, but it must be done!

Examples of things to fact-check:

Names, titles, dates, numbers, institutions
Make sure the URLs work
References

Editing

Our experienced Editors will provide you with constructive feedback. This is a terrific learning opportunity to improve your writing skills.
Probation will last until your 3rd article, after which the Editorial Team will formally welcome you as a full-time contributor (or not).
We will upload the final version of your articles onto our website and disseminate them via our multiple social media channels.

Deadlines

Let us know if you cannot meet the deadline! We’ll always try to accommodate you, so long as you give us enough of a heads up!