Newsroom — Canon Collins Trust

Publish your Research

Share research, Engage with Policy Makers and Impact Society

In The Conversation

The Conversation has 1.6 million readers a month. If you’ve been wondering how to get your research into the public domain so people can understand how it affects them, consider publishing with The Conversation.

The Conversation’s editors will work collaboratively with you. You approve their edits, and nothing is published without your approval. Their creative commons model means that any article published on their site can be republished anywhere in the world as long as they don’t change the copy and they credit you as the academic. In this way, when you publish on The Conversation Africa site, your writing is shared far and wide.

To be published by The Conversation you must be currently employed as a researcher or academic with a university or research institution. PhD candidates under supervision by an academic can write for the Conversation as long as they have completed their fieldwork. Currently The Conversation does not publish articles from Masters students.

Contact Catherine if you qualify to publish and would like support in approaching The Conversation: catherine@canoncollins.org

Alternatively, go directly to The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/africa/pitches

All the pitches that are sent in on this link are looked at by a group of editors every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon.

In the Mail and Guardian

Send a 100-word (at most) outline of a proposed article, a 10-line (or shorter) summary of your experience and an example of your previous work (preferably, an internet link to the publication in which it appears).

Write “Feature Submission” in the subject line to editoronline@mg.co.za

Send an opinion piece to opinion@mg.co.za with “opinion piece” in the subject line.

Please always include a short biography with the article together with a photo.

Contact Catherine if you would like support in approaching Mail and Guardian: catherine@canoncollins.org

Below are a few guidelines for contributors:

1. The article must be exclusive to the Mail & Guardian.
2. Have hyperlinks — not footnotes — to relevant articles/research. (This allows readers to click on the links if they want to learn more about a particular aspect of the piece.)
3. Be between 800 and 1500 words.
4. Include a photo of the author/s.
5. Include a bio of about 30 words or less.
6. Include any social media handles (not mandatory)
7. Send the piece as an attachment (Word or Google Doc, preferably not a PDF).

It can take a few days for pieces to be read and considered. Mail and Guardian receive dozens of submissions daily and need to give each one the same attention, so please be patient. If the article is time sensitive (related to an upcoming event/special day etc), please indicate that in the subject field. If they decide to publish the piece, they will inform you.

In the Daily Maverick

Daily Maverick editorial policy for submissions

NB: Submissions which promote products and/or for-profit companies will not be considered for publication unless there are exceptional and compelling circumstances.

Note that our preferred length for Opeds/Opinionistas is between 700 and 1,400 words. In exceptional circumstances, we will consider longer submissions.

Submissions must be in Word Document or plain text format, and not PDFs. Photographs must be high-resolution jpegs.

Submit accurate personal details as to your identity (a short biography), contact details, as well as a high-resolution head and shoulders photograph of yourself (the writer).

Note that we use standard British English spellings and grammar, and NOT American English.

Wherever relevant (and feasible) include hyperlinks to supporting/background texts, references, organisations, court judgments etc. If you are not sure how to insert a hyperlink, paste the URL in brackets at the end of the relevant paragraph and we will insert the link.

Disclose any financial or personal relationships with entities cited in the article, or other conflicts of interests.

Disclose whether the piece in question has been published before, and where – note that as a rule, we do not publish opeds/opinionistas that have already been published in other media.

Disclose whether any artificial intelligence/large language model programs have been used in the writing of the article. Indicate exactly which sections of the article have been written using AI assists.

Acknowledge use of the work of others by:

(a) identifying the original source of an idea;

(b) using quotation marks where words have been directly lifted from another source;

(d) including hyperlinks to original articles quoted from in addition to using quotation marks and identifying the author.

Always include the first names of all persons cited or quoted in the article at first mention – this includes the first names of judges, academics, lawyers, etc.

Note that submissions which have as the subject any dispute, consumer complaint, legal action, disciplinary action etc in which the writer is the complainant/subject will not be considered for publication unless there are exceptional and compelling circumstances.

Abide by editors’ final decisions on headlines and editing.

Contact Catherine if you wish to publish: catherine@canoncollins.org

I want to tell my story

Life is political – and personal experience is sometimes the best way to influence political change. If you want to tell your story rather than share research or only share research, contact Catherine. Catherine will help you to develop the story and find the best place to publish: catherine@canoncollins.org

In the Media

Canon Collins Trust

Mail and Guardian

The Malawi we hoped for wasn’t delivered in 2020

Canon Collins Trust Scholar Tsogololathu Itaye discusses the challenges and unkept promises of a better Malawi three years after the historic 2020 elections. She highlights that despite high hopes, the nation grapples with corruption and economic instability.

Publish your Research

In the Media

Print, radio and television across southern Africa