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RunSociety Contributor’s Writing Guide

Version 3.0, last updated on 1 May 2020.

These online guidelines will provide you with all the information you need to help you get started with your article. Please carefully consider articles recently published on RunSociety: this is the level of quality we expect from you. In order to ensure that your article will not be rejected or delayed, please adhere closely to our editorial standards.

Article Format and Style:

  • Prepare your article in .doc format
  • Language should be in British English
  • Word count for an article shall be more than 650 words and less than 2000 words
  • Single-space the text of your document, and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, RunSociety recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are recognisable one from another. The font size should be 12 pt
  • Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks
  • Include a sub-header after the title in less than 30 words to entice the reader and explain what the article is about
  • Include a “teaser” paragraph related to the article of not more than 30 words, which will be displayed after the title
  • Create header and sub header(s) in your article. Main header of the article should be indicated with the H2 tag, sub-header with the H3 & H4 tag
  • Indicate the section of quotation in your article with the blockquote tag
  • If you have any endnotes, include them at the end of the article
  • Write the title in Title Case (standard capitalisation), not in all capital letters
  • Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text. E.g. Run and Loathing in Singapore as Morality Play; Human Weariness in “After Singapore Marathon”
  • Use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) in the article. 000’s: Site-wide: 888 runners, 8,888 runners, 88,888 runners etc.
  • For pointers, it should be 1. xxxx , 2. xxxxx (series number followed by a dot)
  • Currency format should be, S$1,000. A comma after every 3 denotation and no spacing between symbol and digit. The currency symbol should always be in the front with the abbreviation of the type of currency. It should be in Arabic numerals. Figures should not be in two decimal figure if it’s zero. E.g. S$14 is correct instead of S$14.00
  • Currency, format for common (Use sign): S$, US$, A$, €, £,. In English, the sign precedes the value (for instance, €10, not 10 €, unlike most other European languages)
  • Non-common (Use code behind figure): THB E.g. 200 THB, JPY E.g 300 JPY, RMB, E.g. 400 RMB
  • Date format will be in D/M/Y, spell out for the month. E.g 12 March 2014
  • Use SI unit symbol, km for kilometre, m for metre, cm for centimetre, kg for kilogram, g for gram, s for second, min for minute, h for hour, d for day, L for litre, ml for millilitre. SI unit should be used for short information only. Normal content should spell out the entire word.
  • No full-stop for pointer. E.g. Terrain: Wet and rocky
  • 12-hour clock format: a.m., p.m. H:MM(space)a.m. E.g. 2:00 a.m.
  • Temperature format: °C, E.g. 24 °C
  • Punctuation, use only the en-dash (–), Don’t use double hyphen-minus (–) to replace (–)
  • Spacing between the en-dash and em-dash
    When using the en-dash (–), a space should be placed on either side. When using the longer em-dash (—), no spaces should be used. This is demonstrated below:
    en-dash: I really want that new gadget – and I will do what I can to get it.
    em-dash: I really want that new gadget—and I will do what I can to get it.
  • Bold is only used to highlight keywords in articles; do not bold more than 6 words consecutively
  • Italic is only used to highlight sentences
  • End article with conclusion and a ‘hook’ (ask a question, leave a poll, etc): Encourage readers to take action to give their input and participation
  • Space out articles with simple headers to each main point. Concise, clear language (remember, internet readers ‘skim’ for points of interest). Take – http://www.runsociety.com/2013/12/04/4-big-benefits-of-active-recovery/ as an example

Content Overview

  • The article can be written in the 1st person or 2nd person, formal style of speech to make the reader feel as if he or she is a character within the article and create an intense sense of intimacy between the author and the reader
  • Content must be presented as true and accurate as possible in a professional way, sources should be provided for experts, research, and references with links for credibility when it comes to statistical information. No fabrication or defamation will be accepted
  • Content should not be overly promotional or biased. Any self promotion will be listed in the author bio
  • Content must not promote any hate or illegal and harmful activities. No obscene language or profanities allowed. No discrimination, sexism, racism or discrimination of any kind will be allowed on any individual, brands or organisations

Author Profile

  • You must provide a high-resolution mug shot and a short description of yourself (30 – 50 words).
  • The size of the mug shot should 150px by 150px.

Image Guidelines:

If you have available image to contribute, please follow the following guideline:

  • All articles will need to have at least 1 image
  • Author must own the copyright of the image and have granted RunSociety permission to use the image
  • Images provided must be clear and in high resolution
  • Cover article image size should be 1600px in width and 900px in height, saved in .JPG format
  • In article image size should be minimum 960px in width, saved in .JPG format
  • For list/showcase articles, each example should include an image. E.g. Location, product, workout

Links

  • No malicious or irrelevant links shall be included in the article
  • No affiliate or tracker links allowed in the article
  • Links should be displayed in brackets and the keywords to be embedded for the link – if any – should be underlined beside the link

Product Review

  • It should be written in a 1st person view
  • Include unbiased report of the product reviewed
  • Include section at end of product review: Runner’s Boon (Good), Runner’s Bane (Bad)
  • Product reviewer will have to sign a product agreement before doing their review if product is provided by RunSociety
  • Photo of product review must show unboxing / first impression view, especially accessories
  • High quality photos of lifestyle and casual style shall be taken by the reviewer
  • At least 3 photos shall be taken by the reviewer for product review
  • End the review with a Summary which include details for the product being reviewed, Such as, Product:, Price:, Availability, Type, Colour, Flavour

Race Review:

  • Start with an introduction of the event, why you joined it and talk about any interesting concepts of the race, which may include details such as price, category, location, time, date, race packs etc
  • Include a “Category Participated:21km/42km/etc”, to reflect the category that you ran in
  • Have different sub headers with descriptive words, highlighting different parts of the race
  • Race review should include opinions on how the event was organised, what was done well and what should be improved. The review can touch on these topics: Logistics, contingency plan, crowd management, participant welfare, safety, route, after-race programs, volunteers performance, personal opinions and any other interesting happenings observed
  • As a race reviewer you should also include a statement on whether you would be interested in taking part in the race again
  • Reviewer should also take note of any complaints by other participants and provide constructive feedback for the organiser
  • End each race review with a conclusion – “Event Overview” and list down a summary of highlights of the event in pointer form (Minimum 4 pointers)

Copyright

  • Your article is exclusively for RunSociety.com. It must not be republished on any other media, digital or print
  • You are allowed to publish an extract (not more than 50 words) of the article which should link back to the original article source
  • Articles written for RunSociety must be original, unpublished anywhere else and not plagiarised
  • The author is encouraged to conduct detailed research and gather inspiration. However they should write the article in their own words. Appropriate statistics and data should be credited accordingly in the article

If you are unsure about anything, or have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. We will be glad to assist you.