The Conversation Story Formats

In addition to our standard 800-1000-word stories, The Conversation has a few different formats that stories can take. Some of these formats can be a great introduction to The Conversation for a new scholar or a good option for a scholar with limited time.

Research Briefs

Research Briefs are short takes on interesting research and academic work. These stories focus on new research as well as research that is about to be published. They run under 600 words and follow a simple, structured format that emphasizes what the scholars found and how they found it, as well as why it matters. The first sentence always expresses the key finding(s) in a broadly accessible way that’s free of jargon.

Think of them like mini-journal articles written in a lay-friendly way (like all of our stories) to be accessible to the general public. Research in the hard sciences must be peer-reviewed. Social sciences have more flexibility and can be based on working papers or reports published by the university. Find our Research Briefs here.

Significant Figures

True to its name, Significant Figures are stories driven by a single interesting statistic or numeric figure that’s currently newsworthy. The significant figure should be the driving force of the story. Here are a couple examples:

• $11.65: the hourly wage for a child care worker in the US
• 82% of Americans want paid maternity leave

This format can work for many desks, including but not limited to Philanthropy + Nonprofits, Science + Technology, Economy + Business, Education, and Health + Medicine. Interesting or surprising figures from new research, survey data or government/trade group/industry reports often make for excellent Significant Figures stories – if they are relevant to the lives of a general reader. These stories can originate from both pitches and the daily Expert Request. They are generally short, ranging from 500 to 600 words. Find our Significant Figures here.

Significant Terms

Significant Terms articles define something that is in the news or relevant to life in the U.S. in a brief, simple and engaging way. The top section defines the term and the next section explains why it matters. An optional third section may explore growth or other related numbers. Here are some examples:

• What’s a 990 form? A charity accounting expert explains
• What is the metaverse? 2 media and information experts explain

This format works well for all topics. These articles are extremely short, ideally no more than 400 words and written with the goal of remaining timely for as long as possible. Find our Significant Terms stories here.

Curious Kids

Curious Kids are stories that answer questions submitted by real kids from around the world in a simple and engaging way. Here are a few examples:

• Why do I need anything other than Google to answer a question?
• When dogs bark are they using words to communicate?
• Why do burps make noise?

This series explores topics across all desks. You can find the Curious Kids stories we are chasing in the daily Expert Request. These stories are generally short (the shorter, the better!) at 600 to 800 words and written in a lively way to help make them accessible to younger readers. Find our Curious Kids stories here.

Panels

In general, panel stories are reactions or analysis from multiple sources (typically three to five). They may be related to an event, such as a political address, or another timely topic or issue. Panels seek to provide different perspectives on one event or topic, based on the authors’ expertise. Panels can also bring together experts from different fields, such as an education expert, a psychologist and an Asian Pacific American Studies scholar answering the question: Are America’s schools safe for Asian Americans?

Each scholar writes 150-250 words. These kinds of stories often require a fast turnaround. For example, a scholar might be asked to watch a televised event and then immediately begin working with editors on their portion of the story after the event is over. A panel can be an excellent opportunity for a scholar who has never worked with The Conversation.

Q+A

We use Q+As in a variety of ways. This format can help editors and scholars explain complex topics in a lay reader-friendly way. It can also be used to highlight important information the public urgently needs — like questions about the coronavirus and public health. Q+As can often be a lighter lift for scholars and editors, making them perfect for news analysis we want to publish quickly. Find our Q&A stories here.

Scientists at Work

Scientists at Work articles are first-person narratives about how research is done. They focus less on a specific scientific finding and more on the process and experience of investigating a scientific question. One goal is to share with readers the excitement, joy and passion the author feels around his or her work. Good candidates for this series would take a reader behind the scenes to an amazing fieldwork location or an inaccessible lab and provide day-in-the-life-type details about how the researcher spends his or her time. Cool photos to illustrate are a bonus. Find our Scientist at Work stories here.