Guidelines
3 tips for contributing to Rough Draft
We want to give you a lot of freedom when writing for Rough Draft. Hence, we’re open to contributions in different forms. Every three months, we tackle a new theme and send a call out for articles. If the topic aligns with your work or interests, we’d love to hear from you.
You can send us a personal story, a critical essay, the edited transcript of a conversation between people holding divergent views, an interview, an excerpt from a paper, a review of a book, movie, tv show, installation, digital art, etc.
If you want feedback on your idea before you send us the final version of your article, you can always email us a pitch or an abstract at least two weeks before the deadline.
If you’re article is selected, you’ll receive notes and edits from us, be given time to make the necessary changes and asked to post it on Medium. It’ll then be linked to the Rough Draft publication and voilà!
Below are a few additional details we’re looking for when selecting which pieces to run.
1. Articulate a clear thesis.
While Rough Draft is not an academic journal, it is important that within the first few lines, the readers have a clear understanding of what your piece will tackle and how it relates to the theme. This will also help you structure the rest of you article. Each argument you make, each anecdote you share should relate to that central idea.
2. Build a strong case.
Whether you’re writing about someone else’s work or your own, don’t just describe it, analyze it! What did it do well? What could it have done better? What is missing? What does it reveal about our societies?
Don’t just tell us your impressions, develop arguments supported by strong evidence. Provide examples, seek out the expertise of researchers, find additional data. Avoid generalizations, grand statements, clichés.
3. Share your sources.
No need for APA, MLA or Chicago-Style citations, but be sure to include references when relevant. This will make your work more credible and convincing. You could do this through direct quotes (Simon says: “jump”), as footnotes, as academic citations or as a list of further readings.
