What We’re Looking For
We welcome authors to contribute blog posts that are thoughtful, relatively neutral, provide fresh insights, and give practical advice relevant to our audience. Posts should be engaging, informative, and aligned with the scope of this blog.
Submission Process & Timeline
To submit, please email your article as a Google Document to Christine Parisek (cws.ucd@gmail.com). All submissions are reviewed for clarity, relevance, and quality. We handle initial reviews in cycles, which can take 7-21 days depending on the timing of your submission. If accepted, blogs will go through our editorial process. Once the piece is finalized, we will notify you of an expected publishing date.
If you have a specific timing request for your post, such as to pair the post with the date of an exhibit or manuscript publication, please reach out early so we can do our best to accommodate it. Blogs are scheduled during the week to publish on Sundays, so we ask authors to plan for final materials to be ready in advance of their publishing date.
Formatting Guidelines
- Title and byline: Include a descriptive title and a “By [Authors’ Name(s)]” under the title.
- Length: Aim for 800–1,200 words.
- Figures: Include 1–4 high-resolution photos or graphs to enhance your post and a short caption for each figure (with image credits). Figures should be inserted within the document near where you’d like them to appear in the published post. Additionally, to ensure high-quality figures in the published version of the post, we ask that you also email the original files directly to Christine Parisek (cws.ucd@gmail.com).
- About the author: Provide a short bio (1–3 sentences) introducing yourself to our readers. Include your name (linked to a professional webpage that will remain active; e.g., professional website, Google Scholar, LinkedIn), your current position, and your professional expertise.
- Further reading/viewing: Relevant citations to outside content mentioned in the blog post, in addition to any further reading or online videos that readers can dive deeper and explore for additional context. Please format this section consistently. Including a URL, or hyperlinking the title, here is helpful for readers. Additionally, we encourage that any citations or context in-text be hyperlinked, too.
Get Started
Have an idea but not sure if it fits? Feel free to reach out to the California WaterBlog Managing Editor, Christine Parisek (cws.ucd@gmail.com), to discuss your pitch.
Resources
- The Scientists for Public Engagement and Knowledge (SPEAK) series. SPEAK is the Center for Watershed Sciences’ communications and outreach program that connects the public with trusted science. SPEAK helps scientists make their research accessible, engaging, and influential.
- Bowman, C. Writing op-ed style blogs. Powerpoint. Video. SPEAK series. Center for Watershed Sciences.
- Doubleday, Z. The other side of scientific writing. Powerpoint. Video. Youtube Video. SPEAK series. Center for Watershed Sciences.
- Additional materials are available on the SPEAK webpage.
- UC Davis Office of Research. Communication Resources.