Submissions
Contribute to The Policymaker
The Policymaker invites contributors to explore key public policy issues with a strong focus on solutions. Our audience includes policymakers, experts, and the informed public, and we welcome contributions that are accessible yet informed.
Articles should offer evidence-based analysis and propose practical solutions for addressing significant or emerging policy challenges at the local, state or national level in Australia. While we value critical analysis, we emphasise forward-thinking, practical solutions that expand policy options for the public good.
In keeping with JMI’s broader ethos, successful contributions balance analytic rigour with policy creativity and a pragmatic approach. Articles are typically shorter than a policy brief but more detailed than a newspaper opinion article.
JMI values clarity and constructive dialogue, and we collaborate with contributors to refine drafts. Editing for style, clarity, and length is part of the process. Headlines and presentational elements are the prerogative of the editorial team.
Approximately between 800 and 1,200 words. Our word length is flexible to ensure articles have scope for substantive policy discussion.
Articles should be submitted as a Word document.
We welcome authors submitting graphs, diagrams, pictures, or similar that add or enhance meaning, analysis, or comprehension to your article. For graphs (and other forms of data visualisation), please supply (if possible) source data so we can generate a version consistent with our platform’s style and appearance. Pictures or photographs are subject to appropriate permissions.
Embedded hyperlinks are required for references/sources, where relevant, including official documents (no footnotes/endnotes). Editors may also check for factual information on assertions made in the article.
Authors are expected to take care to avoid any conflicts of interest, or the appearance of such conflict. This includes declaring any potential conflict of interest. Authors must certify that submissions have not been plagiarised. Submissions must not be copyrighted elsewhere.
The Policymaker articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This means they can be copied and redistributed by others in any medium or format, so long as this is done for non-commercial purposes and appropriate attribution and credit is provided.
Resources for contributors
Great articles come in all shapes and sizes. While there’s no single formula for writing a great contribution to The Policymaker, these are our top five tips for turning your research and ideas into a high-quality written product:
- Think (and write) like a policymaker
- Engage with the policy context
- Propositional: focus on policy ideas, recommendations and future directions
- Include tangible examples
- Keep it snappy!
Click here to read the full article featuring our top tips for writing for The Policymaker.
One common technique for structuring an opinion article is to use a four-part formula. This is a resource to assist the writing process when you are preparing your opinion article – but it is not as a prescriptive formula.
Hook (5 per cent of total length)
An attention-grabbing explanation of why this issue is important or topical. It might involve referencing a recent news event, a significant development, an anecdote, or a startling fact. It also needs to set out the main argument in no more than one or two
sentences. (For example, “In recent weeks both rising energy prices and natural disasters have made headlines around the world. For economic and environmental reasons, it’s time to bring on Australia’s renewable energy transformation.”)
Background (20 per cent)
A brief setting of the scene for the reader so they understand the existing state of affairs and the key players. But this should only be as much as is necessary to set up the argument. Often it is best to write this after you have written the argument section so that you keep this as tight and short as possible. (For example, “Australia has a mixed record when it comes to policies aimed reducing carbon emissions, but shifting sentiment among investors and ordinary people means there is now an appetite for
policy initiatives that will dramatically accelerate Australia’s transition to a net zero economy.”)
Argument (60 per cent)
The core of the article in which you make your main argument and lay out the strongest pieces of evidence (including examples) which support it. Care should be taken to structure this part of the article clearly. For example, if you have three key points to support your main argument, each of these points should be clearly stipulated.
Punchline (15 per cent)
A punchy and memorable restatement of your argument, with a call to action if appropriate. (For example, “A comprehensive effort to tackle climate change is not just sound public policy, it is about survival. Policymakers need to think hard and act quickly.”
How to submit
Please send short pitches (1-2 paragraphs) for an article, or entire draft submissions, to thepolicymaker@jmi.org.au. When submitting an entire draft submission, please include a one to three sentence biographical note, highlighting relevant experience, a portrait headshot photograph, and links to your social media profiles (if applicable). We will normally respond within five working days.
