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Article Submissions Policy
Thank you for your interest
in writing an article for testimony. First,
we request that a query letter be submitted,
outlining the topic that you would like to
write about, including a brief summary and
the overall thesis of your submission.
In this query letter, it is important to
include a possible title of your article and
the approximate word count. Please note that
there is no guarantee of publication, but be
assured that all queries we receive are
reviewed on an individual basis. Unsolicited
manuscripts are generally not accepted or
returned. Also, please find attached some
guidelines on how the article should appear
when sent to us (if it is selected for
publication).
Upon our review of your query letter, you
will then receive a follow-up letter
informing you of our editorial decision
whether or not to further pursue an article.
If we decide that the topic should be
explored further, you will then be invited
to submit an entire article and given more
specific guidelines regarding word count,
writing style, etc.
Once we receive your full article, we may
ask for references from your church to
ensure that you are in good standing. Also,
we may be following up with you to clarify
certain details within the article.
An honorarium is given to all published
writers, along with a few copies of the
particular issue which includes your
article. Please note that if an article is
formally published in print or online,
testimony reserves the right to allow other
Christian online publications to post
stories to their websites upon request.
Thank you once again for your interest and
we look forward to receiving your query
letter.
DOWNLOAD MANUSCRIPT FORMAT
Additional Guidelines
In details of punctuation, capitalization,
and preferred usage the Canadian Press
Manuals, Caps and Spelling and
Style Book serve as the standard.
Should an article contain numerous or
lengthy quotations from a previously
published work, it is the responsibility of
the writer to insure that the piece is
accurately quoted and to secure the
necessary permissions. Please indicate when
a publisher has given specific directions
with regards to crediting a work.
No simultaneous submissions. We do accept
reprints from non-overlapping publications.
Footnotes and Attribution
List all sources, especially when citing
statistics or specific data naming the
publication, author, title, and date
published. Eg,
·
From a magazine:
Rick
Hiebert, "Tell Us About It," The
Pentecostal Testimony, Vol 77 No 5 (May,
1996), p. 4.
· From
a book:
Paul
Johnson, Modern Times, (New York:
Harper & Row, 1983), p. 427.
· From
the Scriptures:
"For
God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only Son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life"
(John 3:16 NIV).
Tips for Writers
We recommend you observe the "20 Rules for
Good Writing" published by the Writer's
Digest School.
1.
Prefer
the plain word to the fancy.
2.
Prefer
the familiar word to the unfamiliar.
3.
Prefer
the Saxon word to the Romance.
4.
Prefer
nouns and verbs to adjectives and adverbs.
5.
Prefer
picture nouns and action verbs.
6.
Never
use a long word when a short one will do.
7.
Master
the simple declarative sentence.
8.
Prefer
the simple sentence to the complicated.
9.
Vary
your sentence length.
10.
Put the
words you want to emphasize at the beginning
of your sentence.
11.
Use the
active voice.
12.
Put
statements in a positive form.
13.
Use
short paragraphs.
14.
Cut
needless words, sentences, and paragraphs.
15.
Use
plain conversational language. Write like
you talk.
16.
Avoid
imitation. Write in your natural style.
17.
Write
clearly.
18.
Avoid
gobbledygook and jargon.
19.
Write to
be understood, not to impress.
20.
Revise
and rewrite. Improvement is always possible.
Used by
permission of Writer's Digest School, 9933
Alliance Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242. |