Thank for agreeing to write for the National Catholic Reporter. We look forward to your work being in our virtual — and possibly actual — pages.
To facilitate the editing and production process, we ask that NCR writers follow these guidelines:
Work with your assigning editor: He or she will describe the topic and scope of the article; discuss photo and/or multimedia ideas; and confirm the word count, payment and deadline.
While reporting the story: Request permission to record interviews; check quotes carefully for accuracy; request photos from sources, if applicable, as well as caption/credit info for photos. Our style is based on AP Style, with some specific uses from Catholic News Service and NCR. When in doubt, use AP Style.
Before submitting your manuscript (as a Microsoft Word doc or Google doc):
- check proper name spellings
- include list of sources interviewed at the top
- embed links for non-interviewed sources (other pubs, people, studies, etc) within the text
- include a one-sentence author ID at the bottom and author contact info (email/phone) at the top
- suggest a headline
Photos and multimedia: When requesting high-resolution photos from sources, be sure to get details on how the photos should be credited. Captions/photo credits must accompany ALL photos and should reference the title or number of the photo. Please send captions as a separate document and photos as jpegs attached to an email or through Google Drive. Check your assigning editor on format / suggestions for brief video or audio clips.
New writers: If this is your first time writing for NCR, we will need you to fill out a W-9 form before payment and submit it to your assigning editor. Also please provide headshot and oneparagraph bio with your first submission for the author's page that runs with major stories. NCR pays upon acceptance. Your assigning editor will alert you when your article is published online.
After your article is published: Please share widely on your social media sites. Also, we recommend contacting sources to let them know the story has been published and sharing the link with them.
Thanks again for working with us and for being part of NCR's mission of independent journalism.
— NCR editors