If you are interested in contributing to Diabetes Self-Management magazine, you may contact the editors at editor@diabetes-self-mgmt.com. Before submitting a query, please refer to the Guidelines for Authors below to see if your article or idea meets our criteria.

Guidelines for Authors

Diabetes Self-Management magazine is written for the growing number of people with diabetes who want to know more about controlling and managing their diabetes. Our readers need up-to-date and authoritative information on nutrition, pharmacology, exercise, medical advances, self-help, and a host of other how-to subjects. We address the day-to-day and long-term concerns of our readers in a positive and upbeat manner and enable them to make informed choices about managing their diabetes.

The rule of thumb for any article we publish is that it must be clear, concise, interesting, useful, and instructive, and must have immediate application to the day-to-day life of our readers. For that reason, we do not publish personal experiences, personality profiles, exposes, or research breakthroughs. Our audience ranges from the person newly diagnosed with diabetes—who has little knowledge of diabetes—to people who have been intimately involved in their own treatment for many years and often know more about diabetes than well-informed health writers. We do not assume knowledge of our audience, but we do assume intelligence and are careful not to write down to our readers.

Most articles range between 2,000 and 3,000 words. We do not accept previously published material. While we buy all rights, we are extremely generous regarding permission to republish. Articles are published with bylines and payment is made on publication. Payment rates vary depending on the quality of the material and the skill and effort required of the writer. Kill fees are 20%.

Tips

Use plain English; avoid medical jargon, but where appropriate for understanding, explain technical terms in simple, easily understood language. Writing style should be simple, upbeat, and leavened with tasteful humor where possible. Information should be accurate, up-to-date, and from reliable sources. References from lay publications are not acceptable.

Tables, charts, drawings, and sidebars are particularly useful when they are concise and illustrative and help explain the text. Photographs are generally not accepted. Authors are encouraged to include with their article a list of suggested reading to be published as a sidebar to the article.

Query with a one-page rationale and outline, and include writing samples. Reports will be made within six weeks. If your query is accepted, expect heavy editorial supervision. We use computers when editing, and we appreciate receiving article manuscripts via e-mail.