Digital Editorial Guidelines

All members of the Department, including students, are encouraged to develop content for the departmental website, associated blogs and podcasts. 

Good practice

Content should adhere to the same good practice standards that apply to all academic work. This includes the use of evidence to support arguments, and citing (or attributing ownership of) publications and ideas to the relevant authors. The Department is committed to a process of decolonisation; we particularly encourage contributions which challenge existing, dominant frames of knowledge, which provide insights outside of a strictly Eurocentric and North American frame, and which draw on work from a diverse range of authors.

Use of critical sociological imagination

Contributions should be original, and written or recorded in ways appropriate for the publishing platform (brevity and clarity are especially important). They should seek to engage a critical sociological imagination to help readers understand society in new and challenging ways, to interrogate or extend existing debates, or to point readers towards new directions and questions, within the discipline and beyond. 

Caring for our community

Care for members of the Department and the wider community should underlie the development and publishing of all content. Critical engagement is encouraged, but should be constructive and must illustrate respect for others. This means avoiding personal criticism. 

The editorial process

If appropriate, blogs may bear the disclaimer that they represent the opinions of the author(s). Editorial oversight by the Communications Co-ordinator will be very light-touch.

Students are very welcome to submit blogs.  A member of staff will be asked to approve and review the post before it is published.

Please contact communications@sociology.cam.ac.uk if you have any queries about our digital editorial guidelines.