Purpose
Human Writes is a platform for human rights analysis and advocacy, supported by the University of Minnesota Human Rights Program (HRP) and organized by its Undergraduate Working Group. It is an outlet for the student body to express, address, and advocate for issues pertaining to human rights. Human Writes is dedicated to challenging injustice, uplifting the dignity of individuals, promoting inclusivity, and amplifying young and emerging voices within the human rights advocacy movement.
Audience & Writing Style
Human Writes endeavors to publish content that is compelling, empirically grounded, clear, and concise. Submissions must be reflective, analytical, or narrative (when appropriate). It is not enough to simply report that a human rights violation/issue is occurring; the writer should provide their analysis and commentary.
Submissions should draw a clear and thoughtful connection to human rights and be consistent with human rights principles and standards. Human Writes affirms a broad interpretation of human rights and the human rights field; however, the author’s interpretation must be evident, well-explained, and supported in the work.
The style of Human Writes is engaging, persuasive, and can be emotive. It is less formal than academic essays and research. Tone and language should be conversational while still maintaining an appropriate degree of professionalism. Writers should make their submissions accessible to a general audience and avoid excessive jargon and/or define key terms when applicable. See our tips about best practices.
Format & Parameters
- Submissions must be original work in English. Most blog posts will be between 600-800 words. Exceptions may be made depending on the format. For example, a work of poetry may be shorter in length.
- We encourage authors to use section headers in bold font to break up the text and guide the reader.
- Submissions should include a brief title that engages the reader’s attention. As a general guideline, titles should be less than 100 characters and no more than 10 words.
- All sources (including images or videos that are not your own) must be properly cited. Hyperlinks should be used for online sources but must be linked to a corresponding word, phrase, or image and must not be copy-and-pasted in full on its own. If your source is not available online, cite in Chicago style with an in-text citation and the full citation in a “References” section at the end of the work. For more information, please visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab. When possible, avoid using footnotes; instead, integrate material directly into the text. For more information about standards of academic integrity, please review the Student Conduct Code.
- Provide a short biography (no more than 100 words) to be published with your piece. We encourage authors to also send a high-quality headshot of themself for publication, but this is not required. Anonymous submissions will not be accepted.
- All submissions are subject to editing by the Human Writes staff. In making your submission, the author consents to purely editorial changes. Any substantive edits will first be sent back to the author for approval before being published. The University of Minnesota Human Rights Program reserves the right to not publish any piece for any reason.
Photo Guidelines
- Please also include 1-2 images related to your blog topic. Be sure that you either own the rights to the images (e.g. your original photo) or that they have a Creative Commons license that allows them to be publicly utilized for free (e.g. Wikimedia Commons). Include the image citation/link if applicable. Follow any instructions for crediting the creator.
- Please email the blog images and the optional blog headshot as a JPG or PNG in a separate email with "Last Name/First Name Blog Photo Submission" in the subject line. Do not include these images in your blog submission document.
How to Submit
- Please submit your blog as either a Word document or a shared Google document, NOT PDF. Email your submission to [email protected] with “Human Writes Blog Submission” in the subject line.
- Please expect a turnaround time of 7-10 working days to make a publication decision.
- Submissions are rolling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I submit a paper/essay that I wrote for one of my classes?
No, Human Writes is not a place to submit your class essays, assignments, or research. However, writers may submit a blog inspired by or based on classwork and/or edit classwork to meet the blog expectations. See the definition of self-plagiarism.
Can I submit a creative work as human rights commentary to the blog?
Yes, we will accept creative works such as poetry, prose, photography, short fiction, and general thought/opinion pieces. However, all pieces must connect directly to human rights. For more information on guidelines for creative submissions, please contact the Human Writes staff.
Can I submit my thesis and/or research?
No, academic essays or articles, thesis excerpts, academic research, and news reports will not be accepted. Human Writes strives to make human rights dialogue accessible to all people, from every discipline. As such, submissions should be more informal than the average academic piece.
Will the Human Writes staff edit/check my grammar?
Writers should pay diligence to basic writing conventions, including grammar, paragraphing, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and overall effective communication of thoughts and arguments. Works should be polished and thoroughly proofread upon submission.
Can my submission be political?
Submissions can be political but not partisan. Demands for human rights are inherently political, but they are not designed to privilege any specific person, group, government, or political party. Your submission cannot, for example, endorse a specific political party or candidate. Your submission should champion human rights and those who defend them.
What if I have more questions?
For further information, please email us at [email protected]. We also encourage you to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn.