GENERAL FOR AUTHORS.

1) Ensure to receive acknowledgment from the Editorial Team after making a submission.

2) Release UN Today from any liability or responsibility that the contents of the article may create.

3) Understand that the UN Today Editorial Board reserves the right to edit any content submitted for reasons of space and readability.

4) Focus on the audience: UN Staff, Diplomats, International Employees.

5) Pay attention to the image requirements: (a) Format: Horizontal. (b) Size: 2.000 X 1.500 pixels.

STYLE FOR AUTHORS.

1) Double page articles are normally 5.200 characters. Single page articles are approximately 4.000 characters. Illustrations and graphs may also be accommodated, and if there are many the word-count should be revised downwards to take account of the demands that these make on space.

2) Authors should pay particular attention to making submissions accessible to a wide audience. For example, only the most commonplace technical terms should be used without explanation, and authors should consider seriously whether lesser-known terms may be omitted altogether. Acronyms should also be clearly spelled out on their first use.

3) All articles should be introduced in such a way that readers can clearly see the usefulness and importance of the content. Authors are encouraged to use examples, metaphors, similes, questions, and so on.

4) Articles may be edited for readability and length and to make them more suitable for the intended audience and to fit in the space provided.

5) Clearly identify the focus of your article and why you are writing about this issue now. What is the “hook” for this article.

6) Verify all your information – names, dates, locations and legal references.

7) Avoid jargon and UN speak. This is not a technical publication and therefore avoid any technical language and acronyms that people outside your organization will not understand. If you use an acronym, spell it out.

8) Get to the point early in the article, so your audience understands what it is you are writing about.

9) Avoid long quotes – keep them short and ensure they add an interesting dimension to your text.

10) Avoid long lists of references.

11) Stick to the word count that you have been allocated, so that someone else does not have to cut it.

12) Do a spell check and ask someone else to read the text before you submit.

13) Please put subtitles to your text, in order to add more clarity by dividing it into sections under each subtitle.

PHOTOS

1) Authors are asked to supply or to make suggestions for suitable illustrations (up to 3); however, these will not be used unless copyright approval has been obtained. Please provide a caption line and photo credits for each illustration submitted for publication. It is the author’s responsibility to ensure that photos are copyright-free and of sufficient quality (please consult the guidelines on selecting photos for more information).

2) Photos must be horizontal, must have a size of 2.000 x 1.500 pixels.

3) Ensure your photos are relevant to the story and that you link the photo to your text. Provide full photo credits.

4) The Editorial Team reserves the right to select certain from the photos proposed, or to select another photo if none of them are appropriate. Prior to the submission of every article, this form must be signed by the contributor as a prerequisite for publication.

5) Try to use photos with the proportion (body vs space) as shown below.

VIDEO – HOW TO CHECK THE QUALITY OF YOUR PHOTO.
Write down your full name.
Position within the UN, other Agency, NGO, Company. For example: Director of Communications for UNECE. If you are not interviewing anyone, please right "None".
Avoid this field if the article is not an interview.
Avoid this field if the article is not an interview.
Avoid this field if the article is not an interview.
Be short and punchy. No more than 65 characters. For example: Would you want to work in the UN of the future?
Write down an introductory sentence about the article. You have a minimum of 100 characters and a maximum of 150 characters (with space). For example: "People working in the international organizations are often caught between two different worlds; a formal diplomatic one and a more informal collegial one."
Count the characters of the article. You can use this site www.wordcounter.net/
If your article is an interview, we want the reader to have an introduction before going into the questions and answers. This can be for example (1) why the Author thought it was important to interview this person, (2) an introduction about the context of the article, or (3) an opinion. You have up to 300 characters of writing space. If your article is not an interview, simply type "NA" in this field.
Copy and paste the entire content of the article. Check that the paragraphs are respected. Every time you change a topic or add a title, please add an * before and after. For example: *The new economy*. If you have been requested one page and a half, don't exceed 4.000 characters. If you have been requested two pages, don't exceed 5.200 characters. If you have been requested three pages, don't exceed 8.000 characters.
Paste a punchy sentence from the article. For example: "The inflation rate will raise by 20% this year, impacting employment seriously"
Paste another a punchy sentence from the article.
PLEASE - Before uploading a photo, take a look at the video and text description at the bottom. It is very important that you match the criteria in order to avoid that the photos are rejected. Photos must follow the following requirements: Horizontal. Size: 2.000 x 1.500 PIXELS (or more). If you don't have a photo, choose one from www.pixabay.com, or www.pexels.com, or www.unsplash.com
Add a text related to the photo (not mandatory). For example: President Paul Newman, during the Economic Forum of Davos, Switzerland, 2020.
Copyright: Include the owner of the photo. For example: John Lennon.
PLEASE - Before uploading a photo, take a look at the video and text description at the bottom. It is very important that you match the criteria in order to avoid that the photos are rejected. Photos must follow the following requirements: Horizontal. Size: 2.000 x 1.500 PIXELS (or more). If you don't have a photo, choose one from www.pixabay.com, or www.pexels.com, or www.unsplash.com
Add a text related to the photo (not mandatory). For example: President Paul Newman, during the Economic Forum of Davos, Switzerland, 2020. If you haven't submitted a 2nd photo, write "None"
Copyright: Include the owner of the photo. For example: John Lennon.
PLEASE - Before uploading a photo, take a look at the video and text description at the bottom. It is very important that you match the criteria in order to avoid that the photos are rejected. Photos must follow the following requirements: Horizontal. Size: 2.000 x 1.500 PIXELS (or more). If you don't have a photo, choose one from www.pixabay.com, or www.pexels.com, or www.unsplash.com
Add a text related to the photo (not mandatory). For example: President Paul Newman, during the Economic Forum of Davos, Switzerland, 2020. If you are not submitting a third photo, write "None".
Copyright: Include the owner of the photo. If you are not submitting a third photo, write "None".
This is only if the content has a major mistake in terms of text, or if the image needs to be changed.
This is only if the content has a major mistake in terms of text, or if the image needs to be changed.
Please include your full address only if you don't work at the Palais des Nations. If you're not interested just write N/A.
Please include a reference to who you are, i.e.: Paul Johnson is the Director of Communications at UNHCR, former Director of Project Management at WHO.
Please submit your full name as a signature.
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