How to write a blog

Title – make it short and snappy, approximately 10 words or less if possible.
Audience – blog topics should be relevant and accessible to those with an interest in ornithology, but not necessarily with an academic background.
Style – make the tone personal and keep it in the first person (I/we). Try to have an active, rather than passive, voice wherever possible. It doesn’t need to be as formal as a scientific paper!
Language – avoid unnecessary academic jargon. Remember to define acronyms and initialisms at their first use, unless they are commonly known, for example ‘UK’ or ‘DNA’.
Grammar – use British English (-ise, -re, -our, ll, double vowels, -ence, -ogue).
Keep it short – 500–750 words.
Break it down – be creative in how you present information. Use short paragraphs, bullet-points, lists and headings.
Add links – instead of citations, embed hyperlinks to direct readers to other information sources which back-up what you are saying. These can be to other webpages and not just academic sources. Try to stick to a maximum of five sources per blog post.
Add illustrations – enhance the blog with captioned images, videos and infographics. Please give appropriate credits and ensure you have the rights to allow use by the BOC.
Sign-off – your name and who you are, and do give some information about yourself and an image if you wish.
Submitting a blog

Please feel free to contact us to discuss whether your proposed topic is suitable for the BOC blog.

When you are happy with your blog please send to britishornithologistsclub@gmail.com who will moderate, format, check any hyperlinks and may carry out ‘light’ editing of the blog post. Please send images separately via email or WeTransfer (https://wetransfer.com/).