How to Submit an Article to The Pearson News
Communications and Community Development
Share the great things your community is doing! Thinking of submitting something for inclusion in the Pearson News? We encourage you to do so. We hope that you will find the information included below helpful.
Yes, we accept submissions written in English or French! Oui, nous aimerions recevoir des contributions écrites en français !
Submitting an Article to the Pearson News.
- Please send your story of 300 words or more to the Department of Communications and Community Development at communications@lbpsb.qc.ca
- Provide your story in a Microsoft Word file, in the body of an email, or as a shared Google Doc. Please do not send PDFs!
- Include all photos as separate attachments in JPEG format.
- Please provide captions for each of your photos (who appears in the photo, what event it is, etc.)
- Include your name; which school, centre, or department you are
from; your title or what grade you teach; and, if possible, the name of the photographer who took any included photos.
The following are a few guidelines which may or may not help you write your article. They are not compulsory.
When writing your article, you may find it helpful to consider some of the following simple stylistic tips on print journalism. You can find more here.
Quotes
“I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation,” George Bernard Shaw once said. Likewise, quotes add spice to a story. Ask people’s opinions about the subject of your article and quote them!
5 Ws
You may have heard of the five W’s before – remember them when writing your article! Readers want to know what happened, who it happened to, where, when and why. Additionally, remember that HOW something happened is important, too!
Inverted Pyramid
The most important information comes first in the “inverted pyramid” style of writing. Ideally, the first paragraph should give a reader a good overview of the story. Additional detail and information can be included later.
This style of writing is widely used by print journalists, for two reasons. First, it works to “hook” a reader, telling them why they should care enough to read your article. Second, it allows an editor to shorten your article without losing the meaning of the piece. If the article doesn’t make sense if you end it after any paragraph, try re-arranging it.
Keep it Concise
Avoid flowery language. Get to the point. If you can say it in three words instead of five, do.
Photos
Photos add a great deal to a story, so including at least one photo is recommended.
When including a photograph, remember to include the name of the photographer whenever possible.
Captions are important as they tell a reader what they’re looking at. Name the people in your photo. Provide a suggested caption for each photo.
Please DO NOT include photographs that may be copyright material, including any photographs downloaded from the internet that do not explicitly say that they are free to use. Please DO NOT provide photographs of minor persons whose parents have not signed the consent form.
Headlines
Feel free to provide a suggested headline. However, please be aware that it may be changed to fit the space available.
The Editor
Edits are often made to submitted articles. This is not done to “censor”
your article, nor is it meant to criticize your writing style. Editing can be
done for a number of reasons, including to increase clarity, to shorten or lengthen the article to fit a space or to include additional information.
Additionally, please don’t be offended if we choose not to run your story. While we make every effort to include all of the pieces submitted, occasionally we may not be able to include your work due to space limitations (in which case we may or may not run it in the next issue) or because it is unsuitable for this publication. It is not because we don’t “like” your story, nor is it because we are “against” the topic of
your article.
AP Style
The Pearson News makes no attempt to conform to the Associated Press Style Guide, but you may find it interesting to consult some of its basic tenets, which you can find here.
Sign Your Name
The Pearson News publishes articles with a byline which includes the author’s name, position and school or centre whenever possible!
