What is the Guest Author Program?
In the spirit of our commitment to featuring diverse viewpoints and fostering dialogue, Overheard in the Capitol is ecstatic to announce the commencement of our Guest Author Program. This program represents the greater manifestation of our foundational goals and values, bringing equally talented and qualified nascent authors’ interpretations of current controversies into direct conversation with our own. It also allows other individuals to hone their critical thinking and articulation skills, integral to their political and intellectual development. Guest author publications will be held to the same academic standard as all other Overheard in the Capitol publications, thus requiring robust research, drafting, editing, and revising. Undergoing this process will hopefully instill in guest authors a similar appreciation for language mastery, comprehensive research, and political engagement that has propelled our founder to learn beyond the classroom every day. Overheard in the Capitol’s platform, with its hundreds of unique monthly viewers, improves guest authors' exposure and reputability, ideally helping them secure publication in larger journals later on. Publishing research also looks fantastic on college, graduate school, and job applications! Everybody has something to gain from participating in the Guest Author Program; find details on how to participate below.
Application Process
01
Submission
Anyone can submit an article, but the program is geared towards nascent authors, generally in high school or college. Submissions can be research papers or argument essays originally written for another purpose, but must roughly adhere to Overheard in the Capitol's formatting conventions. Each must be written with a 'Background' and 'Opinion' section, and citations should take the form of direct links. The goal is to explain a current event(s) in the context of broader political themes and developments. Email submissions to eli.lealschuman@berkeley.edu.
02
Review & Revision
Submissions are reviewed by a panel of student authors. We primarily review for factual accuracy and reliability of the sources cited/linked. Overheard in the Capitol remains committed to publishing diverse views. Articles will never be rejected based on the opinions expressed therein. Authors of any/all political affiliations or a lack thereof are invited to participate in the Guest Author Program. The review process should take no more than 1 week, and tailored feedback will be provided via email communications. The process can be interactive; articles aren't flat-out 'rejected' should they contain content requiring alteration, but are returned and re-reviewed after any recommended changes have been implemented.
03
Publication
You will need to create an account with Overheard in the Capitol to be given publishing access. Once registered, your account will be given 'guest author' status, enabling you to upload your article. Further/more detailed instructions will be given upon completion of steps 1 and 2. Look for your article under the 'Publications' tab after successfully completing all the aforementioned steps!