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.