The Conversation

A non-profit organization

The Conversation started in Australia in 2011 and the Conversation International network has since then launched various editions in for example France, UK, USA, Canada, Africa and Indonesia. The organization is run without profit and is funded by member universities and research funders around the world.

Stockholm University has been a member of the British edition of The Conversation during the years 2019–2025. The university’s researchers can still pitch an article idea to the magazine and also take advantage of material that is open to the public. The articles that Stockholm University researchers have written for the magazine are still available on the magazine’s website.

Who can participate in The Conversation?

Any academic or researcher with a position at a university or a qualified research institute anywhere in the world is eligible to write. However, The Conversation is a membership organization, so although the journal sometimes engages researchers from outside its network of members, the editors spend most of their time working with researchers from member universities.

The most common ways to publish articles in The Conversation are:

• The editors of The Conversation ask a researcher at a member university to write an article on a current topic.
• Researchers propose their own article ideas. This is done via a special form on The Conversation’s website. Note, a short pitch is enough, it is not necessary to have the complete article at this stage. The pitch needs to be approved by an editor before the writing process begins.

What kind of content are they looking for?

Articles in The Conversation should appeal to a general audience and are usually around 800 words. Some examples of text types:

• News article – analyses and comments on current events, trends or societal changes.
• Explainer on how things work.
• Research news – discuss new findings, or comment on other’s research.
• Timeless stories – tell an interesting story or answer an interesting question in your area of expertise.
• List format – “Ten reasons why...”
  

Authors have control over their own article and it will not be published until the author approves. Other media are not permitted to edit the article when republishing it, but must use it in its entirety.

Links

The British edition of The Conversation
Pitch an article idea at The Conversation’s website.