Submissions

The Yale Daily News welcomes all submissions of guest columns and letters to the editor. Columns typically run approximately 600-700 words, while letters to the editor run 250 words. All submissions should be sent to the opinion editors via email at opinion@yaledailynews.com.

Please include your full name, any affiliations with Yale University or other institutions and organizations relevant to the content of your letter, and an evening or mobile phone number so that you can be contacted if your piece is chosen for publication.

All submissions to the News must be previously unpublished. Newspapers and other organizations looking to republish Yale Daily News opinion pieces in print should email editor@yaledailynews.com for further information.

We publish letters that are direct responses to an article or a column that appeared in the News. Opinion pieces, however, are primarily meant to raise new topics for conversation or put forth substantially developed new arguments about an issue already raised in our publication. Though we encourage guest columnists to use prior articles and columns to spark their thinking, submissions that directly reference, quote or paraphrase prior News columns will not be chosen for publication.

We do not publish guest columns written on behalf of an organization, club or group, whether at Yale, in New Haven or on a national or international scale. We furthermore strongly discourage groups of people from submitting articles together except when absolutely necessary. In such cases, we will likely restrict primary authorship to one individual, while acknowledging the additional authors in their contributing role.

As a policy, we do not permit anonymous submissions. However if you believe you absolutely cannot write without anonymity, please email opinion@yaledailynews.com with an explanation of your situation.

The News reserves the right to edit all submissions prior to publication, though authors will be contacted regarding any major changes. Any columnist may be asked to edit their column in-person at the Yale Daily News building (202 York St.) with the opinion editors, or otherwise their column may not be published. The News is responsible for all headlines.

If you are considering writing a letter to the editor or a guest column, please feel free to contact the opinion editor by email at opinion@yaledailynews.com to discuss your topic before submission.

 

How best to increase your chances of publication:

1. Email the opinion editors with your pitch before you submit a draft. We’ll work with you to refine your focus and offer any needed suggestions. Know that we do not make decisions about publication until we see a draft from an author.

2. Read the opinion section regularly. Our staff columns provide a model for quality opinion writing.

3. Adhere to the word limit. In most cases, we simply don’t have space to publish anything longer than 700 words.

4. Choose a relevant topic. Though we’ll consider submissions about everything from international politics to art, as the Yale Daily News, we especially are interested in commentary on life and issues specifically relevant to Yale or New Haven.

5. Be a member of the Yale community. We look forward to hearing from students, alumni, faculty, staff, administrators and anyone else with a connection to Yale.