Write For Us

We invite contributions providing helpful analysis and commentary in support of innovation ecosystem creation, progress and resilience.

Please read our requirements before submitting an article.

The purpose of this guide is to set you up for success if you choose to contribute to The Groundbreakers.

The Groundbreakers was launched to explore the world built by research and innovation.  We invite contributions that provide helpful analysis and commentary in support of innovation ecosystem managers–the people charged with the responsibility to create the best possible conditions for researchers and innovators to thrive, leading to commercialization, entrepreneurship, and social progress. In the big picture, this work encompasses the built environment, digital transformation, innovation management processes, and the strategic connection between their organizations and external stakeholders.

Innovation strategy is a greatly discussed topic. There is no shortage of content on the subject, so why The Groundbreakers, and why now? Because, to borrow a term from the world of economic complexity, “the whole knows more because individuals know different, which is to say that the growth of know-how happens thanks to specialization.” From thought leadership to research summaries and subject matter expert interviews, The Groundbreakers is bringing together insight and expertise from around the world to more expertly manage innovation ecosystems.

For this reason, we want to publish authoritative, insightful, and authentic perspectives on the built environment, digital transformation, innovation management processes, and the strategic connection between the organization and its external stakeholders.

We prefer to publish submissions by practitioners hailing from a range of innovation related activities, including research, commercialization, infrastructure, economic development and partnerships. This often means leaders from universities and colleges and their institutes, labs, centres, academies, and libraries. It also means leaders from research parks, innovation zones, clusters, and economic development regions; as well as government ministries, departments, NGOs, alliances, foundations, and chambers of commerce.

The Groundbreakers aims to provide content in a form that is engaging for experts, useful for policymakers, and accessible to the educated public. Below are some important tips for writing an article we will publish and our readers will read and share:

Read ‘About Us.’ This is the best way to understand the kind of articles we are interested in.

Pitching and Submitting. Sending a short pitch to me at ibarker@thegroundbreakers.net. Please summarize your main argument and where appropriate connect your own experience to the topic you are tackling. We will get in touch if we’re are interested in you submitting a full article. For accepted contributions,  it can take as long as two weeks to review and editing.

Please also note that if we ask you for a submission, that does not mean your article will be accepted. The Groundbreakers is building a thorough review process; we would be remiss in offering guarantees of publication.

There are no restrictions on the software used to author content. Word is fine, as is Google Docs.

No double submissions. Please do not send us an article that has been submitted elsewhere unless you have formally withdrawn it. And if you submit to The Groundbreakers and later change your mind, tell us before you submit it elsewhere. Formally withdrawing a piece requires you to contact the publication to inform them of your decision before you take it to another outlet. 

Recommendations. Open your article with a provocative question, engaging anecdote, shocking fact, or humorous observation. Catch the reader’s attention from the first word. Provide us a strong conclusion that sums up your argument and offers a clear way forward. Don’t just describe, prescribe.

Minimize jargon. We want your articles to be widely read and understood, so please don’t use language that is only comprehensible to specialists.

Use clear and engaging language. Every article can be exciting. Nothing has to be dry.

Do not assume knowledge on behalf of the reader. Our readers are smart, they are all experts. But not everyone runs a research office or a chamber of commerce. Backgrounds vary, and therefore do not share your particular expertise. Please take care to explain concepts and contexts that are basic for your area of specialty — without dumbing them down.

Feel free to insert yourself into the article. Most outlets frown on first person pronouns, but not The Groundbreakers. We put a premium on personal experience, we want you to feel comfortable putting yourself into the article. If your analysis is based on your experiences writing this early in the article is a great way to establish credibility with the reader and signal that you are someone to be listened to.

Cite your work. Any factual statements (speeches, statistics, events, etc.) and arguments of other thinkers should be cited with an embedded hyperlink wherever possible. For a book, a link to its Amazon or Google Books page will do. When citation via hyperlink is not possible because the source is not available online (for example, an interview you conducted or an email exchange), refer to the source in your text.

Embedded hyperlinks are important because they allow us to more easily fact-check your submission and encourage writers to have their facts right. It also allows readers to see the foundations of your argument for themselves. Facts that are common knowledge for you and your peers may not be common knowledge for our readers.

Length. Subject matter and perspective greatly determine word length but a range of 500-2000 words is a fair estimate to plan upon.

Bio. Please include a short biography. This might include what you have done and what you have written, various hyperlinks, your personal website, Twitter handle, or an Amazon page for your book.

Review process. We will often send articles for review by subject matter experts with the objective of producing a great article. We will work with you on any questions or feedback raised by reviewers. Final publishing decisions reside with The Groundbreakers.

Don’t Plagiarize.

Style We usually defer to AP style on questions of style, and citing.

Other notes on style. Please spell out “United States” when used as a noun. “U.S.” is an adjective (for example, the “U.S. government.”) The same rule goes for the European Union vs. E.U. and the United Nations vs U.N., etc.

Format. Submissions should be emailed as attachments (Word or Google Docs) to ibarker@thegroundbreakers.net with “SUBMISSION” in the subject line. Please do not send in the submission until we have given you a thumbs up on the pitch (see above). Again, if you do not hear back within a few days, please feel free to shoot us another note.

Acknowledgement: This guide borrows several elements from the one published by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Contact the Editor. ibarker@thegroundbreakers.net