Guest Post FAQ

Here are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions on writing guest posts for the Biofortified Blog.

Can I write about whatever I want?

Yes and no. We let our contributors come up with ideas on what to write about, but generally we will only publish posts that are in line with the topics that we regularly discuss on the blog. See What to Write About for topic ideas, but the topic you pick will need to be approved by an editor first. If you are unsure, please ask!

Can I submit a post I wrote for my own blog?

Yes! Republishing articles and posts you have written is a great way to bring more people into the discussion. Make sure to link to the original source in your post, and if you wrote it for someone else, make sure you have their permission as well.

Can I republish something that someone else has written?

Perhaps, but you will need to secure permission from the copyright owner. As with republishing posts and articles from your own site, you will need to link to the original source within your post.

Do I get paid to write guest posts?

No, like posts from our regular authors, guest posts are not paid. We are a non-profit organization with a very small budget, so that would just not be possible. Write because you want to write! In the future, we may be able to commission specific pieces about important issues, but these will be handled in a different format than guest posts.

Can other people pay me to write guest posts?

NO! If you write a guest post, you are agreeing that you are not getting paid by others to write it. Otherwise, our blog becomes a vehicle for potential devious marketing strategies. (You also cannot pay us to post your articles.) However, if you are paid to write by a news organization or another blog, you can re-post those same articles with permission from them, and you must link to the original source within the post.

I work for a biotech company, can I write a guest post?

You are certainly open to contribute a guest post, but make sure to consult with the public relations office in your company to make sure you have permission to do so. Also, we require that contributors write with their real name and disclose any financial conflicts of interest in their profile. This should be your own personal views and not the views of your company, see below.

I represent a biotech company, can I write about our new product?

That’s great that you would like more people to learn about your product, but the Biofortified Blog is not a place to advertise. However, if you are interested in answering questions about it in an interview, contact us and let us know.

I work for the government, can I write a guest post?

Depending on what branch of government you work for, even if you are writing about your personal opinion about a topic in agriculture or science, as with companies you may need to get permission to do so from your supervisor. Sometimes people can misinterpret personal opinions as public policy, so make sure to delineate that in your post. If you work for the government and would like to promote a new policy, congressional bill or amendment, etc, this raises similar issues with promoting company products. It would be best to let us know about it, and if you are interested in doing an interview about it.

I do not care for genetically engineered crops and I think they should be stopped. Can I write a guest post?

Yes, you can! But keep in mind that we are interested in a fact-based discussion. As with all contributions, you will need to fully reference any claims you make that could be challenged by editors and readers. Be sure to differentiate between established fact and your opinions. We are interested in promoting civil discussion, and guest posts that seek to contribute in this way and are original and interesting may be accepted to be published on the blog.

I think genetically engineered crops are going to fix all our problems. Can I write a guest post?

Yes, you can! But keep in mind that we are interested in a fact-based discussion. As with all contributions, you will need to fully reference any claims you make that could be challenged by editors and readers. Be sure to differentiate between established fact and your opinions. We are interested in promoting civil discussion, and guest posts that seek to contribute in this way and are original and interesting may be accepted to be published on the blog.

I just published a peer-reviewed paper on a topic related to what is discussed on the blog. Can I write a post that describes this research and its implications to non-scientists?

Yes! This is a great way to communicate your research to a wider audience, and we would be happy to help you get a discussion going. It is good to talk about where research is headed, but please be careful to delineate between what your paper demonstrated, and things that have yet to be demonstrated. Be careful about over-reaching with preliminary data.

I have conducted groundbreaking research that demonstrates that ________ is really ________ and is going to cause everyone to ______. Can I publish this on the blog?

As a science-based blog, we encourage you to first seek publication in a peer-reviewed journal, and validation of your results with a 3rd party. We regularly criticize non-peer-reviewed scientific research, and poorly-conducted peer-reviewed research as well. Some of our contributors have crunched numbers with publicly-available data to write interesting posts exploring some topics, but if the claims are extraordinary, a journal will be the proper place for it, not the Biofortified Blog.

I read something on the blog about a topic I know a lot about, or something I wrote. I disagree with what was written, so can I write a rebuttal?

Yes, the first step would be to join the discussion in the comments on the offending post. We strive to make sure that the information on our blog is accurate, and if there are many errors we may ask the author to address them, post a correction, or pull it entirely. Feel free to contact us and outline exactly what the errors are with sources for the correct information. If the disagreement is a matter of opinion, and you have a lot to say, a guest post may be the best way to continue the discussion.

Can I call someone a liar, a fraud, or a paid shill or lackey in my guest post?

To accuse someone of intentionally being deceptive is a heavy charge, one that we do not take lightly. It tends to make discussions go downhill very fast, and there may also be legal consequences for yourself and our blog if these claims are false. As per our Comment Policy, please avoid making such accusations. If someone is being intentionally deceptive, you should have very specific, verifiable evidence of this, which is difficult to obtain. If it needs to be said, it needs to be backed up. You post may be rejected if you go too far.

English is not my primary language. Can I write a post in a different language?

Currently, most of our readers understand English, but we are interested in reaching a wider audience. Perhaps you are more comfortable writing in your native language, or the people you want to reach speak a language other than English. You could write in this other language, and then translate it to English. We could then publish both versions. Please contact us to ask about the logistics of this, but it can be done. There are also language-specific places to post in the Forum.

I don’t understand how to submit my guest post. Help?

You will need to be registered for the blog, and contact us to get your account changed to Contributor status. For more information on how to write and submit your post, see the Guest Post Tutorial.

Still have Questions?

Do you have any other general questions about writing guest posts? Feel free to contact us, or ask them in the comment section below. We will address questions on this page and delete comments after that has been done.