Volume VII Web Style Sheet HOW TO PITCH ARTICLES All articles must be pitched in the Facebook group. This is because only the editor or relevant section editor is aware of what is being covered and could save you a lot of hassle. From time to time section editors will want certain articles and will put out a call for them to be written. It is up to you to take them. WRITING FOR THE INTERNET Writing for the Internet is a bit different to write for print. The audience may only have be reading the website for a few minutes on the bus or could be killing time during a lecture so they need short snappy articles to appeal to them. So the following word counts are best kept to. News (Music, Film, TV, Sports etc) - 300-400 Reviews(Music, Film TV etc) - 300 - 500 Features - 500 - 1000 Current Affairs - 500 - 1000 Fashion & Beauty - 300 - 600 MOTLEY LOVES LISTS And so does the Internet. Take a look at The Daily Edge or BuzzFeed and see how popular they are just from lists of things. Bear this in mind when coming up with ideas for articles . HOW TO CONTRIBUTE 1) Ensure that you’ve registered here http://uccmotley.ie/wp-login.php?action=register 2) Ensure that you’re a member of the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/380184842103118/
3) Either pitch an article or else sign up for one 4) Log into the Motley website http://uccmotley.ie/wp-admin/ 5) Write the article 6) Go through the check list at the bottom 7) Send it in for review
THE BASICS PHOTOS Ensure that you include a number of large photos relevant to the article in the email: you can also provide links to images online where necessary. All images must be attached separately to the email and NOT pasted into the word document. Please credit all your images. If your story relates to the University please be sure to let the Editors know so that appropriate photos can be taken by the magazine’s photographers to suit your piece. QUOTATION Quotation marks should be used to indicate where the interviewee has given a direct piece of information. “Double quotation marks” should be used when quoting the interviewee while ‘single quotation marks’ should be reserved for when the interviewee is quoting someone else. CURRENT AFFAIRS Current affairs is not news. News is given with no time for analysis and this is where the magazine’s current affairs section steps in. The current affairs section this volume will be looking for detailed analysis on domestic and global issues, investigations into issues affecting students and well thought out opinion pieces. Journalism is about telling people about what they didn’t know and you must keep this in mind when writing for the Current Affairs section. Analytical articles cannot contain your own opinions i.e. I believe, I think, In my opinion. Opinion pieces may have your own opinion but both sides of the argument must be presented. FEATURES It is very important to remember that a feature is NOT an opinion piece. It is a narrative which may, for example, present both sides of an argument or serve as a balanced representation of an issue. Features can be satirical ‘Colour’ pieces, profiles, analyses or interviews. For the majority of features articles at least two interviews should be conducted as the body of a feature should mainly consist of content obtained in these interviews. Quotes are your best friend when it comes to feature writing! Features can focus on local, national and international issues so don’t be afraid
to think outside the box when it comes to interviewees. INTERVIEWS Interviews can be conducted in person or by telephone. Please contact your section editor for advice on conducting interviews. Your Section Editor may provide you with contact details for interviewees. However from time to time you may be required to do this research yourself. You may for instance be aware of another contact – familiarize yourself with the relevant directories such as the UCC Staff Directory for example. Remember that a little research can go a long way when it comes to obtaining interviews! Research is also essential before an interview is conducted. Questions must be compiled in advance and should be relevant to the topic. If you have any difficulty in compiling a list of questions feel free to contact the relevant Section Editor or the Editors who will be more than happy to help. Everyone is nervous about their first interview so don’t panic; generally speaking the interviewee is more afraid of you! It is imperative that any individuals who are interviewed are quoted correctly and in context: To ensure maximum clarity all interviews must be recorded and an accurate transcript of the interview must be typed up and included when submitting the final piece. Typing up your transcript may seem tedious and time consuming but it is an incredibly useful reference tool when typing up your article as it allows for easy access to any quotes you may need. When a quote from the University is required the Editors or Section Editors will contact them on your behalf and provide you with the necessary information.
THE NON-NEGOTIABLES ●
When referring to the magazine, the title should be italicised e.g. Motley Magazine for the first occurance and Motley there after.
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When referring to the Students’ Union make sure your apostrophe is in the right place. It is NOT the Student’s Union or the Students Union.
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The President of the Students’ Union is NOT the President of UCC. He/she is the President of UCCSU. The same rule applies when making reference to the Sabbatical Officers.
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There, their and they’re may sound the same in speech but be careful to use the correct one in writing. The same applies for your and you’re. ‘Apologetic’ apostrophes are used when two words are amalgamated as
in “it’s” which is short for it is or it has. Keep this in mind. ●
As a rule, exclamation marks are never used in the Motley. Exclamation marks look trashy and are, according to at least one reputable source, the equivalent of laughing at your own jokes.
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Books, albums, other notable publications should be italicised. When referring to a section within a publication use single quotation marks i.e. Abbey Road by The Beatles contains ‘Come Together’.
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When describing things please try to avoid using terms such as ‘good’, ‘bad’ or ‘nice’. It doesn’t hurt to be a little more descriptive. Remember, most good word processors have an in-built Thesaurus: do not be afraid to right click and see if you can find something more suitable!
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Using coarse or vulgar language degrades the magazine, thus it should be avoided at all costs. A notable exception to this is in quotation.
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Doubtless you will all have heard of plagiarism at some point in your academic career; we take a similar line to UCC. For anyone who is unsure what this means, we simply do not tolerate plagiarised articles.
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Ages should be in brackets and should be mentioned just once. For example: Jane Creedon (21) not Jane Creedon, 21; however 21-year-old Jane Creedon is also acceptable.
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Titles – Mr, Dr, etc. do not take a full point
The following style recommendations come courtesy of The Irish Independent. Capital Letters In copy, lower case should be used whenever possible but use capital letters for all bodies, buildings, structures, airports, railway stations, schools, etc when named in full. Do not use capitals when the title is incomplete (usually at subsequent mention) – the tribunal, the council, the region, the monument, the castle, the airport, the assembly, the synod, the convention, the festival, etc. Similarly it’s the Department of Health but subsequently references should be to ‘the department’. For example ‘Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Mahon Tribunal…’ but subsequent references
should be ‘Mr Ahern told the tribunal…’ Also, refer to ‘Education Minister Mary Hanafin’ at first reference. Subsequently, refer to her as ‘Ms Hanafin’ or ‘the minister’, not Minister Hanafin. Please note, it’s ‘Education Minister Mary Hanafin’ but it’s ‘the Department of Education’ NOT the ‘Education Department’. QUOTATION MARKS AND COMMAS Use double quotation marks for direct quotes in text. Do not use single quotes, even for partial quotes. Single quotes are only used for the titles of films, TV programmes and plays. For example: He said: “When finished, it will revolutionise travel.” He said when finished it will “revolutionise travel”. A full point at the end of a quotation goes inside the quote marks if the material quoted is a complete sentence, outside if it is not. For example “The gunman escaped,” he said; NOT “The gunman escaped”, he said. Please note the following style point. “Something happened,” Dr Murphy said; NOT “Something happened,” said Dr Murphy; NOT “Something happened,” declared Dr Murphy. NB: There is no ‘By’ in the byline. So at the top of your story should be ‘Joe Bloggs’, NOT ‘By Joe Bloggs’. Also: Do not use exclamation marks unless it is in a very expressive quote. Otherwise, we will send your copy back to you!!! No kidding!!!! NUMBERS NUMBERS, FIGURES, FRACTIONS AND PERCENTAGE POINTS Numbers one to nine are spelt out. Figures are used for numbers from 10 upwards with the following exceptions: ● ● ●
percentages; measurements and distances; or when specifically enumerative (Section 2, Formula 1, Clause 6, Article 9, Page 3).
Do not use figures in common phrases where numbers are expressed: ‘forty
winks’, ’Twelve apostles’, ‘eleventh-hour meeting’, etc. We use %. However, where a sentence begins with a number or a percentage it is always spelt out (as is percent): For example: Four percent of the adults drink beer. For money, abbreviate million and billion to €2m and €10bn - do not use rows of noughts. Please use the euro sign ‘€’. ● But, please note: it’s 20 million people. ● Also, our style is Stg£5,000, IR£5,000 and $5,000 ● Do not use fractions. Instead use decimal points, as in 2.5m (not 21⁄2m or 2,500,000). Use commas in numbers of four figures and more, but not for page, room or street numbers. ● ●
DISTANCES AND MEASUREMENTS For distances, all abbreviations are all singular, close up to the figure – 4yd 2ft 6in; 64km; 3.5cm; 25mm. Same for measurements of length, height, weight, time – 3hr 5min; 10lb; 6kg; 5ft 2in; 15km. In the case of metres and miles it is better to spell out both to avoid confusion - 3 metres or 12 miles. Please note, it’s also km/h to denote kilometres per hour. DATES January 17, 1974 (Month, Day, Year) but January 1974 (Month and Year, no comma). Referring to decades write “in the 1960s” or “in the Sixties” not “’60s” or “60’s”. Specific years should be written in full - 1984, not ’84.