WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Reportage
• Legal analysis of judgement and court orders
• Pieces on political and current events from a legal or rights-based perspective
• Analysis of contemporary legal or policy issues
• Movie/TV Show/book reviews – ideally related to legal or rights-based issues
• Poetry, art and visual work

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS

1. There is no deadline – you can send pitches/articles/poems throughout the year. However, pieces related to current affairs and unfolding events should be sent within a reasonable time frame to ensure that they are not rendered infructuous due to the passage of time.
2. Send only original, unpublished works. Please do not send pieces that you have previously published or have submitted for publishing elsewhere.
3. Make sure that the submission does not contain any incorrect information. Double check, and provide sources for, all facts and data you cite.
4. Share a one-line bio of yourself at the end of your article, and mention your Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram handles in it if you so desire (kindly refer to existing articles on the website).
5. All submissions are to be sent in Word format only. Please do not submit in PDF format.
6. The Leaflet has a zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism. If your submission is found to be plagiarized, you will be permanently barred from publishing with us.
7. All entries must be accompanied by an undertaking that the piece has not been submitted to any other journal, magazine, newspaper or digital platform for publication in any other form.
8. Please attach a high-resolution photograph of the author.
9. Due to the large volume of submissions we receive, we will contact you only if we can accept your piece. If you do not hear from us within six business days, please feel free to submit your article to other publications.
10. Last but not the least, the editor’s word is final.

GUIDELINES ON STYLE FOR AUTHORS

Word Count:

• Reportage: Recommended word limit of 600 – 1200 words.
• Short Analysis: Recommended word limit of 1000 – 1500 words.
• Long-form/Explainers: Recommended word limit of 1500 – 2500 words.

Headlines/titles:

• Headlines and titles must be crisp. They have to be tightly written, and not just any sentence. They must capsulise what the story/article is about.

Introductions

•  If you are writing a feature, it is good to do a very short intro about the story before you do the actual intro. This can carry your byline. The intro must be in italics, and your name, in capitals, must be in bold and not italicised.
• All references must be hyperlinked in the body of the text. In case no online source is available, in-text citations may be used.

Language:

• The Leaflet uses only British spelling and grammar. However, if American spellings are used in a document that you are quoting from, do not change it.
• Non-English terms: Give the term in italics on the first appearance and provide its approximate English translation in parentheses (if the explanation is short) or in an endnote (if it is long). The term will be used as is without the translation for all subsequent usage.
• Avoid using archaic, colonial, sexist, or prejudicial language. Check the internet for better, correct words.
• Avoid technical jargon and legalese that common readers may not understand. Use simpler terms wherever possible to help the reader understand better.

Quotes:

• Do not use two quotes of two people saying almost the same thing in the story. Each one must make a different point. If the quote is too long, consider paraphrasing it.
• If the quote is grammatically wrong, do not use it as it is in the name of accuracy. Instead, put it down in indirect speech.

Dates:

• The Leaflet follows the month in word, date and then the year. For example January 26, 2020. If it is the same year, then we say January 26th this year.
• The Leaflet reserves the right to edit the articles submitted to it to meet the requirements of our writing style and quality standards.