DHARMA TREE CONTRIBUTOR WRITING GUIDELINES

We want to keep our Dharma Tree's voice consistent but also show your own voice as well, so below are just a few guidelines to keep in mind and follow when submitting your content on Dharma Tree.

Our goal is to create an environment, an online sangha, to help all those who are beginning, curious in, or advancing their Buddhist studies and practices. So we want to provide quality content that is well-researched, relevant, and easy to read for any level practitioner. Dharma Tree does not associate with any one school or tradition of Buddhism, so you have free range in writing for any sect or lineage. However, unless you are writing for specific categories, like Mahayana or Theravada, please keep the content general.

Some specifics:

Accurate and factual: This is the most important for Dharma Tree. If your submissions are not well-researched and educational, they will not be approved and published. Remember, this is not a personal blog or an opinion column, so whatever you submit should not be opinion-based or biased. Everything should be based on the Buddha's teachings and scholarly research.
Equanimity: Dharma Tree is a judge-free zone, which means your submissions cannot be biased or representing that one school/tradition/teachings is higher than any others. Articles in the "Traditions" category must only include content related to that tradition/school and not valuing or degrading any other tradition.
Categories: Dharma Tree has five main categories (General Buddhism, Traditions, Meditation, Books & Reviews, and Interviews). So please write according to these categories. If you want to submit an idea for a new category, please email us (dharmatreeonline@gmail.com) for to submit your idea. NOTE: History & Philosophy, and Arts & Culture are categories that are coming soon.
Word count:
- Articles: All articles in the General Buddhism, Traditions and Meditation categories must have a minimum of 300 words.
- Reviews: All reviews must have a minimum of 100 words. Reviews should be specific, detailed, and honest. Paid or sponsored reviews are not allowed.
- Interviews: Interviews do not have a minimum character requirement, however, interviews must have a minimum of five questions.
Content frequency: We really want you to write some real quality content for your readers, so we just ask that you spend at least 1-3 hours a week researching and writing, and submit at least one article a week or 3-4 a month.
Grammar: This should go without saying, but please make sure you review and edit your submissions before you submit them for publishing. Refer back to your high school and college days and try to follow the MLA/APA style of writing. In short: commas go inside quotations (e.g. "Wake up," said the Buddha.); capitalize; write complete sentences; punctuate; quote when necessary.
Quoting: Please quote sources when necessary. All submissions go through an online plagiarism checker, so please do not copy someone else's work as your own.
Headlines and photos: Please write your own headline. Avoid long or "teaser" headlines that have nothing to actually do with your article. Short and simple is best. Please include an image for your submission. Whether the image is your own or not, please include the source (name and link). Photos should be high quality and measure no less than 500 pixels wide and 500 pixels tall.
Be original: There are literally millions of articles, websites, and content on the web about Buddhism, so even though we will have a few handfuls of the typical history and 101 stuff, we also want to provide content that is original and unique. Whether it's writing something from a different perspective, on a not-so-popular topic or teaching, or whatever it may be - bring "newness" to Dharma Tree.
Write in your own voice: Even though we want to keep Dharma Tree's content fairly "consistent," we do want your own voice to shine and liberate through. So write it in your own voice while following the above guidelines.
Stories and topics: You are your own editor, so no one will be providing you with story or topic ideas - it is all up to you! Be different and think outside of the box. Other than the generic "How to meditate" and "What is Buddhism" articles, we want some really unique and clever stories that will really attract your readers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I write about?
You can pretty much write about anything that falls within one of the categories on Dharma Tree. If what you want to write about is something we don't have a category for, please email us (dharmatreeonline@gmail.com) form to submit your new category idea for consideration.

Do you pay?
We do not. Dharma Tree is part of The International Buddhist Conference, a non-profit organization, so there is no pay-outs. Though you are helping others on their path toward awakening, so just think of their gratitude :)

Should I include links in my piece?
If you need to, sure. Be sure to link any sources you include and a link for the image you submit.

Should I write a headline?
Yes please. Please keep your headlines short and simple and to the point. We don't want readers guessing what your article is about or they won't read it.

Will you be editing my posts?
New contributors will be on a probation period for their first 10 articles that will be reviewed and edited if necessary before being published on Dharma Tree. After you are off the probation period, Dharma Tree will randomly go through your articles to check for edits and will email you if any big edits will need to be made. If we catch too many needed edits, we will unpublish your article and ask that you revise it for republishing.

What happens after my article is published?
Once your stuff is published, we ask that you keep an eye out on it and watch the comments and engage in the comments if applicable. Avoid "fighting" with anyone about what you wrote and trying to defend it. Practice compassion and know that everyone will have their own opinion.

Can I publish my article on my own website or blog?
Unfortunately no. When you submit your article, you agree that Dharma Tree and its parent The International Buddhist Conference has the full right to publish your article and that you are the author of that article. Furthermore, you agree that once your submitted article is published on Dharma Tree, Dharma Tree (representing The International Buddhist Conference) becomes the sole owner of all copyright, publishing, and other rights related to the article’s content. (We will of course give credit where credit’s due when we publish the article, but our legal adviser says we have to have these rights in order to publish it in the first place, in order to avoid potential legal problems down the road.)

A few last things...

All content is subject to approval prior to being published on Dharma Tree. New contributors will be on a probation period for their first 10 articles that will need to be approved for publishing. After the probation period has ended, contributors's content will be automatically published. Remember to always double check your work and edit before submitting them. Too many mistakes will cause your article to be unpublished. Too many mistakes in too many articles can cause your account to be suspended and you will not be able to submit work on Dharma Tree.

Contributors are responsible for their own content and will be held accountable for any misuse or plagiarism. Any content that has been plagiarized will be immediately removed and the contributor will be suspended permanently from contributing to Dharma Tree. All submissions go through an online plagiarism checker, even if your article is already published.

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