Everything you need to know about contributing to Work Design.
Work Design explores what’s next in workplace design, research, and culture. If one of our editorial topics fits your expertise, review the guidelines below, then send your pitch to [email protected].
Who we write for
Our readers are experienced workplace design experts and decision makers. They know their stuff, so we don’t publish articles that assume they don’t. Our audience is also increasingly international, so focus on best practices that apply globally.
What makes a strong article
Human intelligence comes first. AI can hep with brainstorming and image generation, but our readers can spot and AI-written piece. Share your own opinions, anecdotes, and insights.
Write for a peer
Take on a problem you’ve encountered or a concept you’ve tested, or think should be. You can feature a recent project, but every piece needs something readers can act on: what can be done, what others have done, or which policies, procedures, and environments actually work.
Write as a practitioner
Authors must be current workplace practitioners. Articles should speak to the commercial architecture and design, facility management, and end-user audiences and offer practical takeaways.
Be original
Pitch approval comes before writing. Everything we publish must be original content that hasn’t appeared elsewhere, in print or online. We don’t repeat topics, so search our site for your key terms before you pitch.
Back it up
Our readers like current research and data. If you use it, you’re responsible for verifying every fact before you submit.
Style
- Voice: Use third person throughout, not first or second. Avoid slang, and give context when describing hypothetical scenarios.
- Acronyms: Spell out the first use, followed by the acronym in parentheses.
- Format: Skip Q&A format unless we’ve approved it in advance. Avoid footnotes and endnotes, and use in-text citations if needed.
- Links: Up to 10 links to relevant, credible resources are welcome. We may add links to previously published Work Design articles where they improve the reading experience.
- Skimmability: Busy readers, search engines, and AI tools all favor clear structure, so use subheads where they help.
Length
Articles run 800 to 1,000 words. Titles must be 75 characters, including spaces.
Images
- At least two to four high-resolution JPEGs
- 300 dpi or at least 1 MB per file, and no larger than 100 MB
- A caption and credit for each image
Using an AI generated image? Label it with a figure number and source.
Example:
What to send with your article
- An article of 800 to 1,000 works, in Word format (no PDFs)
- At least four high-resolution images with captions AND credits
- Author’s headshot and LinkedIn
- A bio of 100 words or fewer
How our editorial process works
After we approve your pitch, the full article can be written. Our process includes several rounds of revisions, and we reserve the right to change an article’s structure and title. When we do, it’s to help your idea reach the readers it deserves.
We receive more submissions than we can publish, and we sometimes decline pieces because our calendar is full, time is short, or the topic is too close to something we’ve already run. A decline isn’t a final answer, so send us your next idea. If your pitches are declines repeatedly, they may not be the right fit for our readers.
After publication
Share it. We ask contributors to share their piece on their organization’s social channels and tag Work Design or use #workdesign.
