The Leiden Islam Blog is a Leiden University-based platform for researchers and publicists from Leiden and beyond. Our objectives are:
- To shed substantiated light on contemporary topics surrounding Islam and society;
- To share academic research surrounding Islam and society with a broader audience;
- To inspire debate: the blog is meant as an interactive forum where readers and authors have the chance to discuss the topic at hand via the comment section.
| Language | Dutch or English |
| Length | 600-800 words |
| References/annotations | Footnotes are prohibited. Hyperlinks to articles, videos, websites etc. are allowed. |
| Format | Background article, analysis, opinion piece |
| Title | Short and captivating |
| Trailer | Short intro to the blog, meant to catch the attention of the reader. What are they about to read? Max 300 characters, spacing included. |
| Images | Each blog is accompanied by an image (880x320 px). Please select an image to fit your text and send it over with a short description. It is possible to add further images to your text, as well. |
Process
- If you are interested in writing a blog, please send an email to leidenislamblog@hum.leidenuniv.nl to propose your idea. We will give you some pointers to improve your chances of getting published.
- If you’re feeling confident, you may also just send us a text straight away.
- After sending us your text, the editors will discuss it and decide whether it is suited for the blog or not.
- If so, we will send you our feedback with possible alterations and suggestions for improving the text.
- The process repeats itself with subsequent versions, until we reach a final text everyone is happy with.
Please note:
- Whether the blog requires just one or multiple rounds of editing, depends on the blog in question.
- We publish a blog every two weeks, and blogs related to current events may have priority over more general blogs. Your blog may be ‘on the shelf’ for a while if there are other blogs already in line for publication.
Rules
- An invitation to write a blog is not a guarantee that your blog will be published.
- The editors reserve the right to make slight changes to the text without consulting the author.
- The final title and trailer are determined at the discretion of the editors.
- The final version is a cooperative effort between author and editor(s); both approve of the text to be published.
Writing tips
- Stick to one topic.
- Make sure you have fact-checked your claims and provide sources where necessary.
- Keep your writing active and concise.
- Use paragraphs to structure your piece.
- Do not go off on tangents.
- Avoid jargon and archaic language.
- Be consistent: do not veer from the topic as announced in the title and trailer.
- Keep the audience in mind – your readers are diverse in age, occupation, and background.
- Keep track of the comments on your blog and reply to them.