Editor's guidelines Here are our tips on how to pitch a strong idea and write a successful Guardian blog
Would you like to write a blog for us? Here's how it works.
You need to pitch an idea first and if we think it's right for Blogging Students, we'll tell you to go ahead and write it. There's an editing process - which may involve rewrites. And then it gets published, you get a writer's profile page on the Guardian, we promote it through social media - and you've given your online profile a huge boost.
How to begin? Before you settle on a topic to pitch to us, it's
probably a good idea to read some of the blogs that have done well on Blogging Students.
You'll also notice that these blogs are not like people's personal blogs. They are each focused on a specific area of student life. Some concern themselves with academic issues – revision, plagiarism – some with health issues – drugs, depression, illness – some with political issues – austerity protests, tuition fees – some with lifestyle – clubbing, accommodation, music. But each has a case to make and a clear focus for discussion.
Choose your topic and send us a pitch
Try to find a subject that has not been written about – or have something really fresh and surprising to say about an old theme.
The best topics tend to be small and specific rather than huge and wide-ranging. For example, don't pitch "The state of higher education", do pitch "Most of my course is being taught by other students".
It's not enough simply to have a topic, you need to have a point to make about that topic, so explain what your argument will be. Tell us who you plan to quote in your piece - it's good to have a variety of voices with different points of view. What news reports, statistics, surveys or blogs are you going to link to to give your piece some context?
If we like your idea – and if no one else has pitched the same thing – then we'll discuss your pitch with you, make further suggestions as to how you can develop it, and ask you to go ahead and put your piece together.
Once you've decided what you're keen to blog about, pitch your idea to Blogging.Students@theguardian.com.
• Adopt a conversational, chatty style. Avoid cliches, jargon, academic language and acronyms.
• Put some serious work into your intro – is it intriguing, engaging and different?
• Always use specific examples, perhaps based on personal experience. Don't generalise or waffle on about challenges and passion.
• Use common nouns as much as you can: "boots" and "apples" are much more evocative words than "footwear" and "produce".
• Try to find recent research or media coverage about your topic, and link to it in your blog.
• Check your facts. Every article on the Guardian site has to be factually accurate. There's no point in having a guess at, say, the number of students who drop out in first year. You need to have an up-to-date statistic, and a link, to show where you found it.
• You can't break the law. You can't make unsubstantiated libellous claims against people. You can't change a quote to make it say what you want it to say. And if someone has said something they may later deny having said, it's good if you have it on tape, or written down in your notebook word for word. Don't throw your records away.
• Avoid standing on a soap-box and banging on about something. Quoting a variety of people will help to bring other voices into your piece.
• Read what you've written aloud when you're finished. Is that how you talk?
• The reader should emerge clear about what you're saying, what other people have said on the subject, and what they are being asked to comment on.
• If you're the sort of person who wants to know what our style is on the spelling of a particular word, or how we punctuate quotations, the Guardian Style Guide is available online.
Everything that is written for the news media is edited, sometimes quite heavily, to make the writing punchier, to cut repetition, and to accord with the Guardian Style Guide and the tone of the website.
We will ask you for a headshot and a one-sentence bio for your contributor page. This can contain link to your own blog or twitter feed.
• You have to be a current student for us to consider your blog - you might be in sixth form, or studying at an FE college, doing an apprenticeship or attending university, either as an undergraduate or as a postgraduate student. There is no age restriction. And you can be studying anywhere in the world.
We've uncovered some brilliant writing talent since we launched this blog in 2012. We're keen to hear from every kind of student – from science to law, business to art, journalism to medicine – about the issues that affect their lives.
So if you've got something to get off your chest, write to: Blogging.Students@theguardian.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
Would you like to write a blog for us? Here's how it works.
You need to pitch an idea first and if we think it's right for Blogging Students, we'll tell you to go ahead and write it. There's an editing process - which may involve rewrites. And then it gets published, you get a writer's profile page on the Guardian, we promote it through social media - and you've given your online profile a huge boost.
How to begin? Before you settle on a topic to pitch to us, it's
probably a good idea to read some of the blogs that have done well on Blogging Students.You'll also notice that these blogs are not like people's personal blogs. They are each focused on a specific area of student life. Some concern themselves with academic issues – revision, plagiarism – some with health issues – drugs, depression, illness – some with political issues – austerity protests, tuition fees – some with lifestyle – clubbing, accommodation, music. But each has a case to make and a clear focus for discussion.
Choose your topic and send us a pitch
Try to find a subject that has not been written about – or have something really fresh and surprising to say about an old theme.
The best topics tend to be small and specific rather than huge and wide-ranging. For example, don't pitch "The state of higher education", do pitch "Most of my course is being taught by other students".
It's not enough simply to have a topic, you need to have a point to make about that topic, so explain what your argument will be. Tell us who you plan to quote in your piece - it's good to have a variety of voices with different points of view. What news reports, statistics, surveys or blogs are you going to link to to give your piece some context?
If we like your idea – and if no one else has pitched the same thing – then we'll discuss your pitch with you, make further suggestions as to how you can develop it, and ask you to go ahead and put your piece together.
Once you've decided what you're keen to blog about, pitch your idea to Blogging.Students@theguardian.com.
How to write for Blogging Students
• Your blog needs to be around 600 words long.• Adopt a conversational, chatty style. Avoid cliches, jargon, academic language and acronyms.
• Put some serious work into your intro – is it intriguing, engaging and different?
• Always use specific examples, perhaps based on personal experience. Don't generalise or waffle on about challenges and passion.
• Use common nouns as much as you can: "boots" and "apples" are much more evocative words than "footwear" and "produce".
• Try to find recent research or media coverage about your topic, and link to it in your blog.
• Check your facts. Every article on the Guardian site has to be factually accurate. There's no point in having a guess at, say, the number of students who drop out in first year. You need to have an up-to-date statistic, and a link, to show where you found it.
• You can't break the law. You can't make unsubstantiated libellous claims against people. You can't change a quote to make it say what you want it to say. And if someone has said something they may later deny having said, it's good if you have it on tape, or written down in your notebook word for word. Don't throw your records away.
• Avoid standing on a soap-box and banging on about something. Quoting a variety of people will help to bring other voices into your piece.
• Read what you've written aloud when you're finished. Is that how you talk?
• The reader should emerge clear about what you're saying, what other people have said on the subject, and what they are being asked to comment on.
• If you're the sort of person who wants to know what our style is on the spelling of a particular word, or how we punctuate quotations, the Guardian Style Guide is available online.
What happens next
Once we've decided your blog is suitable for publication, we will edit it. Don't be taken aback by the fact that the final version of your piece may be a bit different from what you submitted.Everything that is written for the news media is edited, sometimes quite heavily, to make the writing punchier, to cut repetition, and to accord with the Guardian Style Guide and the tone of the website.
We will ask you for a headshot and a one-sentence bio for your contributor page. This can contain link to your own blog or twitter feed.
Who is eligible to blog?
• You need to be a member of Guardian Students to be eligible to blog. To become a member, go to this sign up page and fill in the form. We'll be happy to welcome you into the fold, and your membership will also bring you a weekly newsletter and a free ebook.• You have to be a current student for us to consider your blog - you might be in sixth form, or studying at an FE college, doing an apprenticeship or attending university, either as an undergraduate or as a postgraduate student. There is no age restriction. And you can be studying anywhere in the world.
We've uncovered some brilliant writing talent since we launched this blog in 2012. We're keen to hear from every kind of student – from science to law, business to art, journalism to medicine – about the issues that affect their lives.
So if you've got something to get off your chest, write to: Blogging.Students@theguardian.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.
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