Conter provides anti-establishment news and analysis in Scotland. We don’t have big funders, and that means we primarily rely on voluntary labour from people like you. 

There are lots of ways you can get involved, but the easiest way is to write for us.

We welcome:

• short articles (600-1500 words) reporting on or analysing contemporary events
• features (1500-5000 words) that systematically engage with topics like capitalist development, history or strategy in greater depth
• book reviews (we should be able to provide free review copies).
• videos and audio content. If you have an idea for a video, podcast, or anything else, please contact the editor to discuss how to take it forward. If you aren’t familiar with video and audio production and editing, we would be very happy to help you, and teach you all the skills needed if you want to do it again in the future.

Send a short abstract introducing the topic you intend to write about. We try to respond as quickly as possible, but receive a large volume of submissions. If your draft needs to be considered or run within a week include “[time-sensitive]” in the subject heading.

Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to pay for content, although this is something we are working towards. Conter is a not for profit organization, and apart from our editor, who is employed on a part-time basis, the editorial team are all volunteers. In the future we hope to provide payment to all our writers. All financial support we receive is used to further develop the site.

Style guide

With few exceptions, written articles on Conter follow the Guardian and Observer style guide. This is an industry standard that is designed for ease of reading. We invite contributors to consult this online guide when unsure of what style conventions to follow.

Typical conventions include the suppression of capital letters (abbreviations spoken as words to be downcapped – ie Nato instead of NATO), the removal of full stops from abbreviations (IMF instead of I.M.F), the introduction of persons and organisations by their full title before the use of abbreviations, and single rather than double spacing after full stops. We don’t expect you to follow every convention perfectly, but trying to follow them helps with the editorial process.

In general writers should avoid academic jargon and specialised or obscure language. Words like “interpolation” and “literalization” should be avoided. Use “working class” instead of “proletariat”. If specialised words are used – eg “postmodern”, “ontology”, “metaphysics”, “reification” – they should be explained.

Conter’s mission is to develop the skills and expertise of everyone engaged in the project. If you aren’t a confident writer, we want to help you develop this skill. The editing process can sometimes seem extensive. We may ask you to chat to us about your ideas on a zoom call, to brainstorm how to most impactfully present your argument. You may be asked to rework sections, before a draft is finalised. This should never be taken as a slight – we think this is a great way for you (and us) to develop our ideas and writing.

Please send all submissions to editor@conter.scot