Writing for Clio and the Contemporary: Submitting and Uploading Your Article

Here is a checklist for preparing your article for publication:

1. Draft your article in Word. When it is complete, email it to the editors to be copyedited.
   ** If you are posting a syllabus or assignment, we don’t require a round of copyediting but we ask that you eliminate from syllabi all institutional information and boilerplate. The goal is to provide a streamlined syllabus that is easy for readers to navigate.
2. While your materials are under editorial review, we’ll ask you to submit 4–6 tags for your post, a featured photo, an excerpt, and any images you plan to use. Examples of tags include “syllabus,” “suffrage,” “politics,” “21st century.” (You can check out existing tags here, below authors. If a similar tag already exists, we’ll opt for that one, so readers can efficiently find similarly tagged posts.) We will also ask you to submit options for a horizontal featured image. This will appear at the top of your post, on our home page, and when we Tweet out your post. We’ll also ask you for a 1–2 sentence excerpt, which will appear on the home page beneath your featured image.
3. After your post has been copyedited and is ready to be posted (you should accept or revised all edits so that your version is clean), copy and paste your piece as a new post on the site. (We suggest keeping a saved copy on your computer as a permanent back-up.)
4. To create a new post, enter the site and click “Write” in the top right-hand corner. (Alternately, you can click Posts >> Add New on the sidebar.) Copy your text and make any necessary formatting changes using our formatting guide. You may need to manually add spacers, create bullets, and format headings.
5. Unless your post is written by multiple authors, you do not need to add a byline. The post will show that you are the author and will display your Gravatar. (If you haven’t already updated your Gravatar, please do so now. Our Gravatar guidelines appear under “1” on this “Getting Started” guide.)
6. Insert images and caption them using this guide.
7. Insert videos. (To embed a YouTube video, click the “+” button, search for YouTube, enter the url, and click “Embed.”)
8. Proofread your post to make sure that the text and formatting are correct. Check that all hyperlinks are working.
9. Click “Save Draft.” After the post has saved, click “Preview” to check spacing, font size, etc.
10. Go back to the draft. Below the “Preview” and “Publish” buttons, you’ll see “Post” and “Block” categories. Click “Post.” From here, you will select your category, add tags, upload a featured image, and include an excerpt. The editors will have already worked with you on choosing these (see #2 above), so please refer to any relevant emails.
11. Within “Post,” select the appropriate category for your post. (Options include Surviving Grad School, Film & TV Reviews, and Syllabi.) Select one of these categories in consultation with the editors.
12. Within “Post,” add tags. Check to see what tags come up as you are typing in case a similar tag already exists. Each post should have at 4–6 tags.
13. Within “Post,” open Featured Image, and upload the image you want as the post’s cover photo. If this is your first time writing for Clio and the Contemporary, the editors will take care of this stage.  Make sure you include a featured image citation at the bottom of your post. See the bottom of this post for an example.
14. Within “Post,” include a short (1–2 sentence) excerpt. This excerpt will appear on the home page in lieu of the first lines of your post.
15. Click “Save Draft” again, then click “Pending Review.” Let the editors know that your post is ready for a formatting check.
16. Congratulations on your post! Let the editors know if you have a Twitter handle or a department Twitter handle so we can include it when we Tweet about your post!