ConnectABILITY News and ConnectABILITY Articles are great ways to get your information and ideas published on the internet. Here are a few suggestions that will help guide you in writing and submitting a News, Article or Tip Sheet for ConnectABILITY.

Planning your article

• Begin by considering your audience. Who will be reading the information and how will they find it? Consider if the information may be useful to a wide, diverse range of people (age, sex, race, profession).
• Convey the information in a way that considers the readers and their level of understanding.
• Is the information linked to other information and tools in the ConnectABILITY library? If so, it is important not to repeat the same information. You can link the one you are writing to its partner document.
• Begin with an efficient introduction that let’s the readers know, in a few sentences, what the article will be about. Make it known to your audience the importance of following such information and how this may lead to success.
• All articles must be based on “best practice” and should not include personal opinions or advice.
• As ConnectABILITY is a support to many, it is best to avoid references to specific regional services so that your information will gain a wider audience. This is just a suggestion as some articles will require specific regional information.
• Try to narrow the theme of the article. Avoid writing lengthy articles. You can break down broader topics into several smaller articles.
• Don’t give your audience too much information. Boil the information down for them in a short, easy to understand synopsis with enough substance to give the article value.
• Your last paragraph should be a brief summary of the information and should also contain statements of encouragement that will help motivate the reader to try the suggestions.
• Make sure you stick to the topic. Don’t stray off into other areas of discussion.
• Organize the information in a logical, sequential order, as if you are describing steps. Bulleted lists are acceptable within the broader context of the article.
• Give concrete examples to illustrate practical application of the information. This will help the audience understand it better. A picture or some type of visual may also help.
• Speak about the reasons to take an approach to explain the thinking behind the method, and not just the method.

Adjusting the tone of your article

• Make sure your tone of writing is conversational. Try writing like you are talking directly to another person.
• Avoid the use of acronyms and labels, such as “client.” It is best to choose the third-person singular narrative mode, using “he” or “she” as the subject. Please do not write in the first person.
• Make practical, friendly suggestions as opposed to being directive. Try writing about suggestions that your audience can “try” or are a “good idea” instead of a “you should”.
• Long paragraphs are difficult and time consuming to read. Keep sentences short and make use of bullet points. Most readers tend to pass over tips that are too long.
• Avoid jargon, short forms and acronyms. It is best to write in plain language. Think grade 5 or 6 reading level. This will make it easier for everyone to understand.

Final details

• All sources must be referenced.
• Include your list of links to other ConnectABILITY workshops, tools and information as well as links to other web sites.
• The final version should be reviewed, proofed and edited by at least 2 peers with a related background within the field of expertise prior to submission. Their feedback should also take into consideration the tone and content of the article. Review by an audience member is an asset.
• Use Canadian spelling
• Make sure you have consent to use the visuals you have selected

Format

1. Title case
2. Sources
3. Peer Reviewed By (please list reviewers)
4. Connectability “Related information” links to existing Articles, Tip sheets, workshops etc. on ConnectABILITY
5. External web links
6. Disclaimer (if needed)
7. Abstract (short 2 sentence description)
8. Key words (related tags)
9. Age sections your article should appear in (Kids, Youth, Adults, Seniors)

All submissions will be subject to review and final approval by the ConnectABILITY Content Committee.