IPA Everyday Psychoanalysis Blog Guidelines


Aims
The IPA blog aims to offer content related to psychoanalysis that is of general interest and written in a style that is accessible to a wide range of readers. The blog fosters broad awareness of psychoanalysis as a living school of thought providing unique perspectives on life and culture.

The blog differs in its aims and style from scholarly psychoanalytic publications, which offer technical scientific or theoretical discussions but may not be accessible to general readers.

Writing psychoanalytic blog posts can be a rewarding experience. Contributors are challenged to translate their psychoanalytic knowledge into language that will be meaningful to the general public.

Contributors are also given a platform to share their perspectives with an international readership and to raise their profile globally among peers and interested lay people.

Writing for the Blog
We welcome submissions that adopt a psychoanalytic perspective, broadly defined, on a range of topics. These include contemporary issues, psychoanalytic concepts, health and social policy, science and research news, and arts and culture.

Blog posts can be written as commentaries, 'how to' articles or guides, explanations of psychoanalytic concepts ('What is X Psychoanalytic Concept?', 'Why Psychoanalysis Matters to Y'), and lists ('Five Reasons Freud's Theory of Dreams Helps Us Better Understand Ourselves').

Whatever format you decide to use, please keep the following in mind:

  • Blog posts should be between 500 and 1000 words in length
  • Choose a brief and descriptive title for your post as well as a subtitle that further explains what your post is about (without repeating your title)
  • Your opening should have an impact, conveying to the reader why you are writing and why the topic is important
  • Keep paragraphs short and make use of lists with bullet points when appropriate. Many blog readers will be using a smartphone
  • To emphasise certain words or phrases, use italics rather than bold or all caps
  • Avoid sentences which are overly long, complex, or that contain jargon without explanation
  • Avoid categorical statements that cannot be defended
  • When you refer to psychoanalytical terms or concepts, consider linking to sources such as the IPA’s Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychoanalysis; if you reference another person’s work, provide a link to the original work, if it is available online
  • Images, graphs, videos or diagrams can be helpful in engaging blog readers; please ensure that you have the necessary licence and permissions to use the content
  • You may write in any of the four IPA languages: English, French, German, or Spanish; if you are writing in French, German, or Spanish, we would appreciate it if you could also provide an English version, if possible

Editorial Process
All submissions are reviewed by the editorial team to ensure that they are consistent with the aims of the IPA blog and that they meet our stylistic and content standards.

Please send your submission to: [email protected]. If your submission is published, we will include a short biography of less than 100 words, a headshot, and a link to your professional website or other webpage, such as a LinkedIn profile.

We are also seeking members to join the editorial team who will help create and edit engaging content on an ongoing basis. Please contact us by emailing [email protected] if you would be interested in engaging in this way.