MONDAY
DEVELOPMENTS
Writer Guidelines
M
onday Developments Magazine provides in-depth news and
commentary on global trends that affect relief, refugee and de-
velopment work. It features the latest information on the work
of InterAction members around the world and keeps readers up-to-date
on legislative action in Congress that could impact U.S. foreign assistance
to poor countries. Monday Developments also describes new resources
for relief and development workers, professional growth opportunities,
upcoming events and international employment opportunities.
General Information: Monday Developments (MD) welcomes unsolicited
submissions on topics of interest to our readers. We will also respond to
queries on whether a given article or topic is of interest, and can give writ-
ers guidance on how to proceed. Unfortunately we cannot offer payment
for accepted articles. Authors are provided with a complementary copy
of the printed issue in which their article appears.
Core themes include: sustainable development, disaster relief, refugees,
environment, women, policy, communications, and news on our mem-
bers' activities. MD also aims to cover other key topics including: south-
ern NGOs, hunger, health, HIV/AIDS, education, grassroots constituency
building, human rights-based approaches to development, children/
youth, country-specific overviews, ethical standards, non-profit sector is-
sues and volunteering. MD includes news and commentary on rapidly
changing global events that affect international humanitarian work. The
primary audience is professional staff and board members of US-based
private voluntary organizations (PVOs) engaged in relief and develop-
ment. Government officials, members of Congress, multi-lateral agency
staff, southern NGO leaders, media, university professors and students,
and job-hunters also read MD.
Content and Style: Monday Developments articles are written in a clear,
accessible, journalistic style. Writers should strive to capture the most
interesting, relevant and current aspects of their story. First-time writers
should think about writing as they would to an intelligent friend who may
not be familiar with the subject, but is likely to care very much about it.
All articles should begin with a “catchy” lead paragraph that makes the
reader want to know more. This can be done in many ways: tell one indi-
vidual’s compelling personal story; use a provocative quote; summarize a
new trend; give a “real life” example of an abstract theory; or put a theme
into historical context. Whenever possible, use direct quotes from indi-
viduals whose opinions the reader will respect or who are of interest to
the reader. Incorporate the comments or viewpoints of southern NGOs
whenever possible.
Be sure to mention any planned follow-up to the story: future meet-
ings, upcoming reports, resolutions or recommendations. When pos-
sible, stories should end with the name and contact information (usually
email or phone) of a contact person for those wishing further informa-
tion. Please also provide relevant Internet URLs.
Articles will normally run with bylines - the writer’s name, organization-
al affiliation and email address should be included with the submission.
People are much more likely to read stories that have pictures. We en-
courage writers to submit photographs or other illustrations to go with
their story. Illustrations need to be of high quality and camera-ready. Pho-
tos should be high-resolution (300 dpi minimum and at least 3” x 5” size)
and must be submitted electronically.
While we understand that many contributors wish to promote their orga-
nization’s programs and initiatives, please bear in mind that your submission
The Latest Issues and Trends in International Development and Humanitarian Assistance
should read more like a news story, and less like a press release or promotion-
al piece. Please focus your stories on the compelling, overarching issue that
is being addressed, and incorporate your organization’s projects in a subtle
and informative manner.
Article submission does not guarantee inclusion in Monday Develop-
ments. We reserve the right to reject submission for any reason. It is at
the discretion of our editorial team as to which articles are published in
individual issues.
Some additional pointers:
• The article should focus on what is most exciting, innovative, unusual,
or controversial about the subject you are writing about. It should in-
clude quotes from people who participated in the project.
• The article should be succinct - do not quote numerous people saying
the same things.
• Avoid bureaucratic and official language, which is often found in gov-
ernment and UN documents, official summaries of conferences, etc.
Try to rephrase the main points in direct, newsy language.
• Try to include a variety of perspectives and a variety of people. For
example, be sure to include the voices of southern participants when
possible.
• On matters of journalistic style (e.g., whether a person's title is capital-
ized), please consult the Associated Press Style Manual, readily avail-
able in bookstores. MD will in almost all cases use AP style, which tends
to be less formal than, say, U.S. government style.
• Be careful about attribution. When using quotes that originally ap-
peared in some newspaper, TV news story, etc., give credit to that
source. Try to work attribution gracefully into the story [e.g. "... Nat-
sios told The New York Times Dec. 14.].When taking information from
Web sites or other Internet resources (emails, newsgroups), credit the
source. Avoid plagiarism - when in doubt, give attribution.
• Please include contact information or a Web site URL so readers can
get involved in the project or find out more about it.
• Abbreviations and acronyms - spell out the complete phrase or name
the first time it's used. Not everyone knows what MBFR stands for.
Length: Please be concise.
1-page article: 500-700 words
2-page article: 800-1000 words
Longer articles require approval from the managing editor.
How to submit:
Please send your submission to Chad Brobst, Manager Editor at
cbrobst@interaction.org. Articles should be sent as an MS Word or text
attachment, although plain text within the body of an email is accept-
able if necessary. We will normally edit for conciseness and style.
If you have any questions, please send and email to the address above or
call 202-552-6554.