Policies for Authors

Articles are posted every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  We do our best to post three breezy articles and one serious article per week.  The Content Editor will assign authors their writing deadlines. Authors will receive both a submission deadline (when they need to submit the article by) and a scheduled publishing date (when they submits article with all edits, revisions, image source citing, and finishing touches included so the article is ready to be published).  Submission deadlines and post dates are indicated on the Google calendars.

Instructions for Authors

How to write

First, write the post in a Google Document – we use Google links exclusively in our editing process.  Use scientifically accurate language, but not jargon. If unsure if a word is considered jargon, reference Carl Zimmer’s The Index of Banned Words (The Continually Updated Edition).  More ways to get around jargon include: define complex terms in easy-to-understand language, use metaphors to simplify complex ideas, or use images to illustrate your point.

Citing Sources

All sources and reference material must be cited.  When referencing previously published or resource material, hyperlink to the original online source.  To hyperlink, highlight a keyword or keywords you want to add a reference to (i.e., the title of a journal article) and right click.  Select “Link” in Google Docs. A box will appear. Paste the URL to the referenced material in the address box. The references must be available to all readers so please avoid linking to sources that are restricted with a pay wall, such as certain scientific journals. Everything you cite should be free and available from a trustworthy source online.

Images

You must include at least 2 images with your article and ensure that they are non-copyrighted images.  To find non-copyrighted images on Google Images, filter images by “usage rights”. You can set this filter by selecting “Labeled for noncommercial reuse with modification”.  You can also use websites that offer free-to-use images, or you can ask permission from the source of the image.

Submit for editing

When ready to submit your article, go to the “Share” button in Google Documents in the top right corner of the screen.  A box should pop up that says, “Share with others”. Click on the “Get shareable link” button in the top right corner of that pop-up box.  Click on the first drop-down menu and select “Anyone with the link can edit”. Then click “Done”. Go to  www.thepipettepen.com and click on “Submit” at the top of the page.  Click on the “Online Submission Form” and fill in your information on the Google form.  Copy and paste the shareable link to your article into the appropriate box. Submit your article!