With a Network of over 450 past, present, and future European leaders and a website averaging 10,000 viewers per month, the ELN offers a platform for current and emerging experts in our field to impact the security environment. An ELN commentary should discuss a policy problem and provide practical, real-world solutions to political and security challenges. ELN commentaries do not represent the views of the ELN, which gives authors autonomy to discuss a policy issue with freedom. Commentaries can be used to encourage dialogue and launch policy debates among a wide range of leadership figures and experts.
If you are interested in writing for the ELN, please start by sending a short (200 words max) pitch to the ELN’s Commissioning Editor Esther Kersley ([email protected]), with “PITCH” in the subject line. The pitch should include your main argument and why your experience makes you well-suited to address the topic in question. We recommend reading our commentaries to understand the kind of pieces we publish. In keeping with our commitment to improving diversity, we encourage submissions from underrepresented voices.
If you are invited to submit a full article, please read our writing guidelines in full:
Keep it short. Try to make one clear point.
ELN commentaries should be around 800-1200 words. Try to focus on one idea or issue. If you cannot summarise your argument in two sentences or less, you are trying to cover too much ground.
Lead with the best: Place your argument upfront.
State your argument in the opening paragraph, don’t leave it to the end. Come down on one side of the debate, and don’t equivocate. Give enough background for a non-specialist reader, but don’t provide excessive information.
Keep the language simple. Use short sentences and short paragraphs.
Using simple language doesn’t mean simple ideas. It means successfully conveying your ideas to people who may lack your expertise. Use short paragraphs made up of four or five clear sentences. Keep the language simple and direct, avoid unnecessary words, and try to use the active rather than passive voice.
Keep your audience in mind.
Commentaries should be written with a relatively broad audience in mind, including policy-makers and other non-specialists. We recommend that you avoid jargon, acronyms, and specific terminology that may not be well-known outside expert circles. Only use technical details where they are essential to the argument. Don’t assume knowledge on behalf of the reader – explain concepts that might be basic for your area of speciality without dumbing down.
Provide the reader with clear recommendations.
Include workable policy recommendations that can be actioned by decision-makers, particularly European governments and international organisations.
Sell your piece with a catchy title and a strong ending.
The title is the introduction to your piece. For readers to quickly grasp your idea, draw them in with a strong headline which emphasises your central message. We use narrative titles, i.e. a single sentence that sums up the main argument of the article. The more descriptive and catchier the title, the more likely the article is to be read. Try to avoid questions or general topics. Your final paragraph should summarise your argument with a catchy, thought-provoking final sentence which communicates to decision-makers what action they should take.
Use links rather than citations for references.
Links should direct readers to more detailed reports or other pieces of research, news items or other blog posts. Open access sources are preferable to those behind paywalls. Please insert a hyperlink at the relevant point of your argument that you’d like to reference or simply put the URL in parentheses where you would like it to be placed.
Make use of the ELN’s copyediting and peer-review service throughout the writing process.
Your commentary belongs to you, and we do not expect heavy editing to be required. However, we offer this service to ensure that authors feel supported throughout the writing process.
Provide your social media details.
In addition to our website audience, which averages 10,000 visits per month, and our newsletter, which has 6,000 subscribers, including government officials, we will promote your article across all our social platforms: Twitter (X), LinkedIn, and Facebook. Provide your social media details, and we will tag you wherever possible. Please help to promote your piece in your own networks!
To ensure commentaries have as much impact as possible, we will identify the most opportune moment to publish them. We reserve the right not to publish even commissioned pieces if they fall decisively short of our publishing standards.