Welcome to Transcontinental Times, we are an independent & unbiased international media company based in Madrid, Spain. We offer you a platform driven by good old-fashioned reporting on global issues with an opportunity to redefine yourself, educate your readers, and provide relevant information on world and local events, people, and places.
Our contributors are expected to follow the format of Transcontinental Times. As per our guidelines, ideal article length is between 300 to 900 words. Effective subheadings, appropriate key phrases, and consistent formatting boost clarity and provide accessible structure.
We’d love to hear from you about any of the following topics (please remember that you must have permission from the copyright holder to use any third-party text, photos, videos or other content, and it source name should be mentioned or linked in the article.):
Current Submission Categories Include:
Special consideration will be given to articles that feature lesser known voices who are making a positive difference in their community. This will really separate us from other media sources that always turn to the known experts and often ignore the rural knowledge.
Successful Submissions Include (but are not limited to) Stories About:
Generally, we are looking for:
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Opinion piece, must be based on these parameters:
Accordingly to this we are going to to make a difference:
OPINION piece will be reviewed & publish within 5-7 days. In case of any queries only for Opinion section related, please reach out to : Editorial@transcontinentaltimes.com
If you want to write for us, check out below form and read the SUBMISSION GUIDELINES and SUBMISSION CHECKLIST.
Note: After sucssefull submission of below form, you will get message on the form stating… “Thank you for applying for membership to our site. Your account will be activated within 2 hours. Kindly try after sometime.” – Please look for that confirmation message to ensure your submission request for an access.
PLEASE REVIEW PUBLISHED ARTICLES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS.
1. Draft your article in Microsoft Word
2. Grammar/Mechanics Check: Upload article here: https:/app.grammarly.com/
3. Plagiarism Check: Upload your article here: https//www.duplichecker.com/
4. Adherence to Journalism Standards:
a. Many of you may have experience as bloggers; however, this is a news platform and thus you are writing as a journalist for this publication.
b. All submissions must be objective, fact-based, and written in 3rd person. (I, we, me…etc should NEVER be in your piece outside of a quote). If you interview someone, you say it like this:
i. “I should have won that election,” Mrs. Clinton told Transcontinental Times.
ii. Exception: 1st person travel pieces/opinion pieces (Discretion of Editor)
5. Upload “clean” copy into WordPress Dashboard through your login
6. Headline Format: All words are Capitalized
a. Example: Donald Trump Bans Windmills For Fear Of Cancer
b. Headlines are no more than 15 words. Keep it simple.
7. Location. Begin article like this: UNITED STATES. Brooklyn, New York: (COUNTRY. City, State:) This end with a colon(:).
8. Dates: When referring to a date, do so like this: 27 October 1995. If the date is in 2020, do not include the year.
9. Names: The first time you mention someone’s name, please use their full name. Thereafter, us only their last name, no title.
10. Any mention of a MINOR (a child under the age of 18) must protect their identity.
11. Capitalization: Only capitalize PROPER nouns. A proper noun is specific person, place, or thing. “Government”, “Country”, etc are not capitalized
12. Abbreviations: The first time you write an organization, spell it out Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and follow it with the abbreviation in parenthesis. Each time thereafter, use only the abbreviation. Do not assume that just because everyone in your country knows what the FBI is that everyone around the world does. Exceptions are international organizations (UN, UNICEF, etc)
13. Always spell out Transcontinental Times when you do an interview. (NOT TCT)
14. Subheadings for main ideas in articles longer than 300 words. Generally, every 300 words, you should create a new subheading: Use the “HEADINGS” tab and set to H4. All subheadings need to be Bold and written like this: Vaccines need public trust (Note that only the first word is capitalized). No end punctuation is needed for subheadings unless it´s a question (i.e. Who were the Chasquis?) Also, a subheading is NOT a complete sentence. Think of it like a subtitle within the article that summarizes the next couple paragraphs and/or ideas.
15. Scroll below the piece and complete the following fields.
a. ‘Meta description’ (in SEO panel after clicking on add snippet). This is a summary of your article in one sentence. This Must be at least ORANGE, but we prefer GREEN
b. You must fill out first keyphrase and achieve orange/medium/OK rank
c. Sources (If you used ANY outside source for your piece, add the name: BBC)
i. This is critical. If a source is used and citation is not included, ‘Transcontinental Times’ could be subject to legal action!
ii. Source URL: Copy and Paste the link to the source here
16. In the tool bar to the right, fill in the following:
a. Photo Image. Every article must have a photo image, (preferably an original one if possible). If you did not take the photo, you have 2 options:
i. Get express written permission from the owner (if it’s from FB or Twitter, ask the person who posted it)
ii. Use a FREE photo app (such as pixabay)
b. Please adjust photo to fit pixel requirements (1200×675)
c. Provide caption for the photo and photo credit
17. Don’t forget to add TAGS (We suggest 5-7 tags) and Category (max 3) for the article. Be sure to UNCLICK “uncategorized”
18. Preview. This is what the final piece will look like on the web. Read the piece carefully, and make any final edits before making it PENDING.
19. Rejected articles will be found in drafts. Writer has to read guidelines again and review them carefully. Once the writer feels confident it is ready, they have option to re-submit ONCE again. If it’s not published after a second submission, it will be removed from the dashboard. This is the method for tracking the status of the post.
20. Writers are given access to submit articles on a probationary basis. To maintain access to submission privileges, writers are required to submit “ready-to-publish” articles that have met ALL the guidelines. If 3 articles are rejected due to carelessness (not uploading an image, for example or not capitalizing headline properly), writers may lose submission privileges. If content is excellent, but the Editorial Board determines a writer needs more support with journalistic standards, an editor will be assigned prior to next submission.
21. ‘TRANSCONTINENTAL TIMES’ acknowledge that writers are offering their time and talent, and to encourage excellent journalism is implementing an OUTSTANDING JOURNALIST award each month. This award will be given to one writer (or possibly two) who has consistently demonstrated excellence in both content and style. Original, cutting-edge, and thought-provoking pieces are the gold standard. There is now a cash prize associated with this award.
***To be considered for Journalist of the Month, submissions must meet minimum guideline standards prior to submission and editing.***
Please do not reach out to our editorial team about a submission. Occasionally, an editor may reach out to you for clarification or feedback. Please understand that there are more than 60 writers on our current team and only 6 editors. We are all donating our time and talents. We respect your time and efforts, and we ask for your patience. Thank you for lending your voice to Transcontinental Times.
Please CHECK each item on the following list PRIOR to submitting. This checklist is for reference only.
Now that you have a sense of what topics to write about, here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when submitting your pieces. Remember, you must have permission from the copyright holder to use any third-party text, photos, videos or other content to avoid copyright issues:
Your story will be stronger if you back your points and opinions with relevant sources or examples. When referencing a study, please link to the study abstract or full text of the study — or an article summarizing the research from a reputable source like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, CNN, or Scientific American. For health stories, please link to hospital- or university-affiliated websites, National Institutes of Health sites, and studies or study abstracts, rather than online articles or other indirect sources. Please note that it’s always good to acknowledge the other side of ideas, such as any critics’ concerns about study findings or theories. That’s how you balance your story. Similarly, if you choose to quote someone else, or a book or film you feel is relevant, make sure to put the quote in quotation marks, and provide the source where you found it.
We prefer credible sources that are NOT other news outlets unless necessary. Otherwise, it could end up being redundant information.
If you are looking for an ad placement or looking to promote your brand on our site then please email us at Info@TranscontinentalTimes.Com
Do not publish any posts that promote or link to a product, service, or media offering (such as a network, show, podcast, etc.). Do not publish any posts that a third party pays you to write, or include any links to a product in your post. Accepting products or services (e.g., meals, gifts, flights or transportation) from people or companies in exchange for being mentioned in your post is against our policy. Undisclosed payments for media coverage violate not only Transcontinental Times standards, but also the journalism rules on deceptive advertising. If you are writing about a client or any party with whom you have a relationship, make sure to disclose that relationship. Remember, we are a journalism firm and not into Public Relations.
While Transcontinental Times has a broad umbrella of topics about which we’re excited to read your submissions (see list above), your writing must be relevant to those core topics. If it is not, we reserve the right to decline the submission. Additionally, we respectfully ask that you not use inappropriate, explicit, derogatory, or otherwise offensive language. We reserve the right to censor curse words and other similar language, and to decline pieces that violate these editorial guidelines.
Please note that we may remove content that doesn’t adhere to these guidelines.
Please also note: On occasion, our editors may update your headline or featured image to make your post as social and search (SEO)-friendly as possible.
We reserve the final right in publishing, in general, in the event we have submissions that are on relevant topics, but the writing itself is not up to par.
If during the course of an interview, the speaker uses an expletive, please treat it like this.
We welcome articles, essays, reviews, and interviews. The most frequent reason we reject material is because the length, style or subject matter is clearly inappropriate for us.
We are a completely voluntary venture and we are unable to pay our writers at this stage. (Hopefully, that will change soon)
We don’t accept previously published articles; please don’t send us something that you have already published on your personal blog.
We follow a strict policy against any kind of plagiarism and so please ensure that you don’t submit any kind that’s plagiarized (please look for details wrt the standard plagiarism guidelines)
Don’t forget, you must have permission to use any third-party text, photos, videos or other content, and all such items must be published in accordance with the Contributor Code of Ethics.
What happens after I’ve submitted my story for review?
After you submit your story, it will be added to our queue and reviewed by our editorial team.
How long will it take for my story to be published?
We try to publish stories as quickly as possible—our average turnaround is 72 hours (3 days).
If you have any stories, pitches, please email us at Newsdesk@transcontinentaltimes.com
You may send an email to our editorial board (Editorial@transcontinentaltimes.com) to inquire why your piece has not been published; however, the editorial team is under no obligation to provide a reason. Several factors go into this determination, and may not be a reflection of your abiities or talent. Oftentimes, it may be beacuse the content does not fit our mission or we are are looking to balance our publication’s categories at a particular time.
How long should my story be?
Stories that are between 300 and 600 words generally perform best.
Can I publish stories that I published somewhere else first?
No, articles should be original and not found elsewhere.
Why was my headline changed after I submitted?
On occasion, our editors may update your headline or featured image to make your post as social and search-friendly as possible.
What topics can I write about?
Topics to explore include (but are not limited to): Politics/Culture/Entertainment/Business/Tech/Lifestyle/Sports/COVID-19/Travel/Education/Enviornement/Health including success and failure, productivity, creativity, gratitude, self reflection, inspiration, parenting and co-parenting, interpersonal relationships (romantic, family, friends), quieting negative self-talk, and the power of giving back.
How often can I write?
As often as you like!
If you want to write for us, check out below form.
