Contributing to Just Change: Submission guidelines

Development and human rights practitioners and volunteers, activists and academics, we welcome your contribution to Just Change!

 

Just Change is governed by a steering committee and an editorial team. Just Change is published three times per year; the topic of each issue is determined by the steering committee.

 

Dev-Zone is guided by our values of promoting people-centred, sustainable and holistic development, although we do make an effort to publish a variety of views. We are limited, however, by the submissions we receive. We'd like to see our readers more involved in Just Change!

 

Dev-Zone is calling for contributions of articles and opinion pieces for the June 2008 issue of Just Change, which is looking at *Human Rights in the Pacific*. We are interested in critical articles that discuss human rights concepts, their application and impact in the Pacific Islands, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. We may also consider articles on issues in Asian countries.

If your are interested in submitting an article, take a look at the call for contributions or write to justchange@dev-zone.org for more information or to submit an abstract.

 

Before you send in your articles, it is important that you read our editorial policy and submission guidelines.

 

Just Change articles promote and highlight:

  • Indigenous and grassroots voices
  • Global awareness
  • Taking positive sustainable action
  • Providing a sustainable approach to development
  • Gender issues
  • Case studies of grassroots community efforts
  • Human rights implications
  • Critical thinking
  • Opportunities to take action: A call for the development community and the general public to get informed and get involved!

Contributors

  • Individuals working in development/human rights
  • Students and teachers of development studies and related fields
  • Members of the NGO and activist communities
  • Individuals concerned with development issues

Target audience

 

The development and human rights community and the general public

 

Article word limit

750 words, unless editors specifically request otherwise. If contributors submit an article that is significantly over the word limit, they will be asked to edit it to the required word limit. If you are interested in submitting a longer feature article, please email the editors.

 

Article requirements and restrictions

Articles should be factual and well written. Text should be free from development jargon as much as possible, with a view to engaging a diverse audience. Articles need to be analytical in nature, discussing the issues, rather than promotional. We encourage you to provide photographs and other images, but please ensure you have or obtain copyright. Images must fit with Dev-Zone's image policy.

 

     No:

  • Personal attacks
  • Abusive comments
  • Factually incorrect material
  • Poorly written articles
  • Articles from politicians or political parties that advocate a particular party

Reference Guide

References or citations of literature are to appear in an alphabetical list at the end of an article. As we are not an academic journal, we prefer to keep references to a minimum, so only reference literature specifically cited in the body of the text. Do not put references in the text; present them separately, at the end of the article.

 

Please use the following format for references:

    

Books:

Anderson, Robert. The Ultimate War Crime: Children of the Gulf War. RG and J Anderson Books, Tauranga, 2005.

 

     Journals:

Wallensteen, Peter & Margareta Sollenberg, Armed Conflict, 1989-2000, Journal of Peace Research Vol.38, No.5, November 2001, pp. 629-644.

 

     Websites:

Human Rights Watch Report, Human Rights Watch Applauds Rwanda Rape Verdict, New York, September 2, 1998. http://hrw.org/english/docs/1998/09/02/rwanda1311.htm

 

Te Reo Māori

Te Reo Māori is an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand, and it is important to render Māori language appropriately. Dev-Zone supports and encourages the use of macrons. Do not italicise commonly used te Reo Māori. If you think the language you are using may be difficult to understand, only then italicise the language and include the translation in parentheses.

 

Non-discriminatory, inclusive language

The language you use should be inclusive of groups within the community. This means it should be non-sexist, non-racist, and non-ageist. Avoid gender-specific language when it is inappropriate to assign gender, for example by using 'he' to mean 'he and/or she', or 'mankind' to refer to all of humanity.

 

Copyright

Articles printed in Just Change are also available online through our website, www.dev-zone.org. If you would not like your article to be publically available online, please ensure that you specify this when submitting your article. We will ensure that your contribution is only available in print. If we are not notified, then all material will be available both in print and online. 

 

                                                           *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

 

To get a sense of what we're looking for, download previous issues of Just Change.

 

If you have any questions, would like to be informed of calls for contributions, or if you would simply like a free subscription to Just Change , please email the editors at justchange@dev-zone.org.