About TJ

Authors' Guide

How should I prepare my piece?
As you prepare, write and review your article, we would like you to consider it from the reader's point of view. This means checking your text carefully to ensure that:

  1. There are no misleading or contradictory arguments
  2. There are no missing elements, and
  3. There are no inappropriate/unauthorised uses of source material.

What am I responsible for?
It is the author's responsibility to check that all information, references and cross-references are correct. Please therefore check the accuracy of dates, statistics, information, references and quotations within the text.

What kind of writing style should I use?
The writing style will influence the reader's interest and the effectiveness of the information you provide. The underlying principle of the writing style is that the feature articles are practical in nature and are intended to be used. Your objective, therefore, is to ensure that all the information you provide is clear, concise, easy to use and that the reader feels involved in what you are saying. TJ's readers are intelligent people, interested in the topic and keen to try out new ideas. Therefore you should make sure that what you write is aimed at them, as users. There are a number of ways to ensure this directness.

  1. Address them directly - for example, you may find that the managers take up this idea very quickly.
  2. Don't patronise them. Avoid using words/phrases like 'simply', 'obviously' and 'as you should know'.
  3. Use active rather than passive verbal constructions - for example, use 'When you can see that participants are ready, ask them to record their decisions on their action plans', rather than, 'When participants are seen to be ready, they can be asked to record their decisions on their action plans'.

What kind of tone should I adopt?
The tone you adopt is very important and getting the balance right can be tricky. Aim for friendliness, informality and approachability. However, be aware that exaggerating these effects may end up being annoyingly 'matey' and minimising them can sound stilted. We do not expect you to change your normal writing style, but adopting a middle route will ensure that readers have confidence, and remain interested in, what you are writing.

What about grammar, language and content?
The overriding principle for the vocabulary, constructions and grammar is to keep everything short and simple. Here's a quick checklist.

  1. Ideas should be expressed in short, straightforward sentences.
  2. Paragraphs should relate, where possible, to single ideas.
  3. Do feel free to use subheads, signposts and lists to help break up your text. However, if inspiration fails you, we'll sort these things out in-house.
  4. Avoid alienating preconceptions - that is, suggestions of élitism, discrimination or generalisation.
  5. Check that any case studies, descriptions and so on reflect equal ability regardless of gender, race, culture or physical make-up.
  6. Use gender-neutral terms for job titles.
  7. Check that activities and exercises don't conform to stereotypes (for example, assuming that women like perfume, men like sport and so on).

How should I format my article?

  1. Please leave a line space between paragraphs, and please avoid indents, pre-programmed header levels, double columns of text and linked text (such as automatic footnote numbering). All of these have to be taken out prior to design to allow us to flow the text easily into our page layout templates.
  2. Please save your article in Word or RTF format and send via e-mail as an attachment. If your file originates on an Apple Mac please manually add .doc to the end of your filename.
  3. Please can you always keep a back-up version … just in case!

Can I help with visual impact?
As you are writing, please be mindful of anything you think would be easier to read, understand or take in if it were presented in a different format or in an improved layout - for example, as lists, tables, charts and figures. We can design tables or simple graphics to accompany your article if you provide us with a rough sketch or layout on paper or as a separate computer file.

Who should I send my article to?
Please submit your article by e-mail to elizabeth.eyre@trainingjournal.com