Write for the Journal

What the Journal is

The Journal sits beside the forums but moves more slowly. A topic is a first reaction or a question. An essay is a worked-out thought, written so that a stranger can follow it.

Any member can write for the Journal. You do not need to be an academic. You need a clear idea, honest sources and the patience to revise.

What we publish

We publish essays that do one of these things well:

• Explain an idea, text or thinker, so that a newcomer can follow and a specialist would not object.
• Argue for a position fairly, with the strongest objection stated and answered.
• Compare how two traditions, schools or thinkers answered the same question.
• Connect philosophy to a life, a profession or a place: a hospital, a classroom, a courtroom, a family.
• Revisit a book: what it says, why it still matters, and where it may go wrong.

Essays from every tradition are welcome, and so are essays that read one tradition through another.

Ideas we would love to read

• An introduction to a thinker many readers have never met, such as Zera Yacob, al-Fārābī or Nishida Kitarō
• What Confucius and Aristotle each mean by virtue, and where they part ways
• A careful case for or against the thesis of one of our busiest Debates
• How a classic question, such as free will or the self, looks from Indian, Islamic and African philosophy
• What philosophy has helped you understand in your own work or life
• Indigenous and oral traditions of thought, written with care for their sources and communities

Length

The minimum is 300 words; the form will not send a shorter essay. Most published essays run between 800 and 1,500 words. Longer pieces are fine when the argument needs the room. If yours runs past 3,000 words, ask yourself whether it is really two essays.

Style

Write for an intelligent reader who is not a specialist. Remember that many of our readers use English as a second language.

• Plain words. Prefer short sentences and short paragraphs. Explain a technical term the first time you use it.
• One idea per paragraph. Use headings where they help a reader find their way.
• Fair to opponents. State the view you reject in a form its defenders would accept. Then answer it.
• Cited. Name the works you rely on: author, title, and chapter or section where it matters. A short list of further reading at the end is welcome.
• Accurate. Quote sparingly and exactly. Never invent a quotation, a date or a reference. If you are unsure of a date, leave it out.
• Consistent spelling. The Journal uses British spelling, such as colour, organise and sceptic. If you write in American spelling, that is fine; an editor may make it consistent before publishing.
• Your own voice. A personal voice is welcome. Jargon for its own sake is not.

AI and your essay

The argument must be yours. You may use AI tools for spelling, grammar or translation, if you say so in a short note at the end of the essay. Essays drafted or argued by AI will not be published.

How to submit

1. Sign in, or join if you are new, and go to Your page → Journal.
2. Choose + Write an essay.
3. Add a title, a summary of one or two sentences, and your text.
4. Choose a category. Add traditions, schools and thinkers if they apply.
5. Press Send to the editors.

You can also start from New topic, where one of the choices is Write a Journal essay.

You can save drafts and come back to them later; you can keep up to ten. Up to three of your essays can wait with the editors at one time.

How review works

Every essay is read by an editor before it appears. The editor checks that it is:

• clear enough for a newcomer to follow
• fair to the views it discusses
• accurate about texts, thinkers and dates
• within the House rules

Some essays are published as sent. Many come back with a few suggestions, and an editor may write to you in your inbox. Editors may make small corrections, such as spelling or labels, before publishing. Occasionally we decline an essay, and we aim to explain why. Review is a conversation, not a verdict, and you are welcome to reply to an editor's notes.

You are notified when your essay is published.

After publication

Your essay carries your name and links to your profile. Members can reply to it, like it and share it.

You can correct a published essay at any time from Your page → Journal; it is then marked "edited". You can also withdraw it, and it is taken off the site.

Your rights

You keep the copyright in your essay. By submitting it, you allow us to publish it on the site with your name. We may also show its title and summary elsewhere on the site.

Please send only work that is your own. Quotations from others should be short and credited. If your essay has appeared somewhere else, say where in a note, and make sure you have the right to republish it. We prefer work that is new.

Questions

Unsure whether your idea fits? Write to the editors through the Contact page, choosing Writing for the Journal, or email info@coordinatesofthought.com. A short outline is enough to start a conversation.