aptLearn Tech Editorial Guidelines
What Types of Authors Are We Looking For?
aptLearn is looking to feature well-informed authors. You do not need to be an expert on your topic; however, you must be capable of thoroughly researching it and writing an article as if you were.
We’re not asking you to fake your expertise: we’re asking you to do your research before you write your article. We’re looking for well-written, informative content.
Authors should have an authoritative voice so the audience can trust them on the subject. However, the tone should be friendly. We want you to write your article as you would like to read it.
aptLearn is mainly interested in authors with a passion for technology. You do not need to have been featured before on any other website. If we like what you’ve written, we will feature you on aptLearn.
EDITORIAL GUIDELINES
You should keep a few things in mind when writing your article for aptLearn. These rules allow us to ensure the quality of our articles.
Unique Content
aptLearn does not tolerate any type of plagiarism. We demand content to be unique and 100% original. Submitted articles will be put through plagiarism check tools, and if found wanting, you may be permanently banned from submitting articles.
Since we are looking for unique content, submitted articles should never have been submitted anywhere else.
Submission, Evaluation and Acceptance
There is no guarantee that a submitted article will be published. If your article gets approved, you will be informed via email.
Themes & Topics
We are open to almost every topic related to technology. aptLearn is always interested in how-to guides, educative articles on tech-related topics, subject-based documentation and more.
We are not interested in clickbait-style listicles. That is not to say you can’t do a list-type article. Comparisons and compilations are often best in a list-type article. We are not interested in articles such as “10 tips and secrets for…” or “5 things you didn’t know about…”.
Know Your Public
Our articles are written for the layperson. Users that visit our website aren’t experts and are probably trying to gain entry-level insight into fields. You shouldn’t use complex language, but you shouldn’t coddle them.
When writing your article, you need to keep your audience in mind. You should simplify complex issues without oversimplifying them. Users do not like to be treated as babies.
Don’t oversimplify, and don’t get too technical. Explain why what you’re proposing works or why users should trust your statements.
Most importantly: write articles as you would like to read them.
Formatting
Your submitted article should include a two or three-sentence long abstract that describes the article and the benefits it will bring to the reader.
The title of the article should not be longer than 9 words (where applicable).
You should always use headings and subheadings for major divisions in your article. Try to use one subheading every three paragraphs. Subheadings need to summarize or explain the following paragraph.
Try to aim for one picture per 1000 words. If you can, use citations as well, since they increase the value of your article.
Keep your sentences and your paragraphs short. Users dislike walls of text. Leave breathing space wherever you can, and don’t forget to use line breaks between paragraphs.
Finish your article with a call to action. A question that encourages comments usually works for us.
Article Length
We expect your article to be between 1000 and 2500 words. You should not use filler content just to hit the word count.
Articles longer than 2500 words will not be accepted (although we can open exceptions on a case-by-case basis, you shouldn’t count on it).
Article Tone
The article should be written with an authoritative tone. Writers need to know what they’re talking about if they’re expecting users to trust them.
Language should be simple and straightforward, but we don’t want you to sound like a robot. Just be yourself.
Edit Your First Draft
Don’t forget that the editor is your first reader. You shouldn’t send him a rough draft. Go through it and revise it as many times as you need.
Use services such as Grammarly and Hemingway to help you self-edit your article so you can impress your editor.
Linking Policy
You are free to link as many times as you’d like to aptLearn’s internal content. Since this is a guest author submission, you’re free to link to your website or blog once.
You can link to other online services or websites as long as it makes sense to do so.
Sharing Policy
You can share your published article with as many people as you’d like. Sharing your content only increases your reader count, so why wouldn’t you?
Copyright Policy
After an article has been accepted and edited, aptLearn will retain its copyright. There might be a need for you to sign a copyright assignment form.