Submit an Article
Submissions to Quest are welcome, but please refer to the Author Guidelines below.
Submissions to Quest are welcome, but please refer to the Author Guidelines below.
Send your submissions to
The Quest Editor
Email: Quest-Editor@assaf.org.za
Author Guidelines
Quest – Science for South Africa is a popular science magazine aimed specifically at Grades 10 – 12 learners taking sciences, as well as undergraduate students. It is also distributed to universities, libraries, science centres, government departments, parliamentary committees, embassies, NGOs, TVETs and resource centres.
Format
Quest is published on a quarterly basis, and each issue has a theme, which is generally decided six months in advance.
The content will consist of:
• At least three theme-related articles
• At least two feature articles unrelated to the theme
• At least two shorter news items
• Other pertinent material (e.g. interviews, profiles, pictorial)
• Regular features (books, puzzles, subscription).
The content will therefore be a mix of articles over three to five pages (typically 1500-2000 words), double-page spreads (600-1200 words), one pagers (400-600 words), and shorter items (200-400 words). Longer articles should be discussed with the Editor, and split into sections and/or boxes.
Before writing your article
Send your idea for an article in a ‘pitch’ of a paragraph or two, outlining the subject and approach. What is the story, and how is it significant?
Writing your article
Write with the target readership in mind, and avoid using complicated language and technical jargon as far as possible. The article should appeal to a wide audience, so ask yourself why a reader from outside your specialist field would care about your topic.
Try to show potential applications and/or ‘real world examples’. ASSAf’s motto is ‘Science for Society’ and its vision is ‘to generate evidence-based solutions to national problems’. If the research has direct benefit to society, explain how.
Try to include an opening ‘hook’ that immediately engages the reader’s interest. If writing about somebody else’s research, a few quotes would be beneficial.
As a general rule, do not include references. If really necessary, a ‘further information’ bullet with one reference or a website link to your organisation/department can be considered.
At the end of the article, please insert a bullet with a sentence or two about yourself, i.e. your current position and/or research focus.
Images
Articles should be accompanied if possible by high-resolution images, suitable for printing (ideally 1 – 10 MB for photographs). Please indicate any credits that need to be inserted for photographs or graphics. If images are not your own, please ensure that any copyright issues are resolved before submission.
Please note
The Editor reserves the right to edit articles submitted, or reject those deemed unsuitable for the target readership. Quest does not pay for contributions.