PATC Blog Submission Guidelines

Please carefully review the guidelines below before submitting blog content. PATC editors are happy to discuss ideas on topics and any inquiries you may have. Blog submissions should be sent to communicationssup@patc.net with the subject line: “PATC Blog Submission.”

Focus

• At PATC, our focus is on creating access in outdoor spaces, educating the public on outdoor recreation and conservation, and preserving trails and lands in the mid-Atlantic region.

• PATC welcomes topics related to hiking, backpacking, climbing, ski-touring, trail maintenance, conservation, diversity and inclusion in outdoor spaces, and more.

Audience & Writing Style 

• Our audience includes outdoor enthusiasts and experts of all ages, along with people who are brand new to outdoor recreation.

• The article should be written in a blog format with plain language (think 8-10th grade vocabulary). We encourage you to write in a narrative structure, telling a story about your experience or a topic you find important.

•  Use colorful and interesting quotes. Summarize the rest. Do not overuse quotes. 

• Please submit written works as standalone pieces—even if it is part of, or summarizes, a larger body of work or journal article. 

• If you wish to have your piece published on our website, but it is already published elsewhere online, please clearly state so in your email. You must include a link to the original source for reference. We also ask that you seek permission from the original publishers before reproducing content.

 Referencing 

• Please use hyperlinks in your text to direct readers to online sources.

• If citing an external source that is not available online, please make sure that your references are done in the American Psychological Association (APA) style. For more information, please visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Length & Format

• For readability and accessibility purposes, we will mainly consider submissions that are between 500 and 750 words in length. Exceptions may be made if deemed appropriate by the editors.

• Please submit your post as a Word document (.doc, .docx) or a link to a Google document. PDFs will not be accepted.

• If possible, please include 1-2 high-quality horizontal images/photos (JPEG/PNG/TIF format) with your submission. These may be ones that you have taken yourself, or that you have the rights to. When submitting, please provide an appropriate caption, with date taken and appropriate credit. The editors reserve the right to approve or dismiss the image(s) that accompany every piece. Please include photographer credits and proof of consent to use photos.

• Keep your title brief, ideally no more than 10 words and/or less than 100 characters. Titles are what grab a reader’s attention. Please ensure that the title clearly communicates the topic and conveys the essence of the piece to the reader.

• We encourage authors to use section headers in bold font to break up the text and guide the reader.

Editing Process & Publication 

• Submitted works will be reviewed by the PATC editorial team. If we are interested in your blog post, you can expect to hear back from us via email within one week.

• Once a submission is approved, there tends to be a brief back-and-forth period before posting any content. In some cases, editorial feedback may be provided to enhance readability and accessibility. If substantive changes are recommended, the editors will send the author(s) a final version to review prior to online publication. 

Thank you! We look forward to reading your work.