FORUM

FORUM^®, PRSSA’s national newspaper, is an opportunity for you to gain valuable writing experience, expand your portfolio and improve your resume by being published nationally.

FORUM is produced three times each year and distributed to all PRSSA members. Its goal is to offer advice, encourage discussion and serve as an informational resource for public relations students. The FORUM staff seeks articles about industry trends, Chapter and professional development, current events and career preparation.

If you are a student, you must be a PRSSA member or affiliate to contribute to FORUM. PRSSA reserves the right to reject any article.

FORUM Writing Guidelines

To maintain the high quality of FORUM, all writers are asked to adhere to the writing guidelines below and to have their article proofread by at least one adviser and one Chapter member before submitting it to the editor in chief.

Discuss all article topics with FORUM Editor in Chief Amy Bishop before submission to ease the writing and editing process for all parties. To become familiar with the types of articles FORUM publishes, review current and past issues. The FORUM Editor in Chief can also respond to questions about deadlines and other FORUM-related topics.

General Article Guidelines

• Shoot for shorter, 300 – 500 word articles. Quality trumps quantity, so take extra time to edit articles of anything except the most valuable information.
• Include a photo submission with each article if possible (See photo guidelines below).
• Be creative. Incorporate bulleted lists, infographics and other visual elements.
• Follow the PRSSA Style Guide and AP Style.

Style and Voice

• Be professional and conversational in your tone. Stay clear and consistent. Show, don’t tell, your topic.
• Always write in an active voice, using strong, active verbs. (Don’t say: “There was a presentation given by Matt.” Say: “Matt gave a presentation.”)

Citations and Facts

• Ensure accuracy by double-checking names, confirming spelling, and including institutions responsible for, and dates of, any research or surveys cited in your article.
• Attribute all quotes and properly identify the speaker.
• When citing a survey or statistics, provide the proper name of the survey, who conducted it and the release date.

Grammar and Organization

• Stay organized and focused. Be creative with subheads, lists and visual elements.
• Vary sentence structure, providing a mix of simple, compound and complex sentences to avoid being redundant.
• Be aware of agreement. (Refer to a company as “it,” not “they,” because “company” does not take the plural form.)

Photo Submission Guidelines

It is requested all writers consider submitting a photo with your article. Photos may also be submitted by those who have not written an article for future use in the publication.

• Do not submit photos that appear blurry, out of focus or pixelated.
• Do not submit photos with low megapixels or low quality. Submitted photos should be taken at the highest or second highest quality for the camera's capabilities.
• Photos should have a good balance of light (not too little or too much).
• Be active! Get people and actions in the photos.
• Get close. Photos can be cropped, but quality will be lost.
• Try to use the Rule of Thirds for all photos.
• Stay within the regular formats of photos when submitting. JPEG images are preferred.
• Name the photo file in an understandable manner so it can be easily identified (ex. "PRSSA National Conference President’s Lunch.jpg”).
• ALWAYS include a caption. Photos without a caption will not be used. Captions should be written in an active voice and cover the 5 W’s & H. Please include the photo credit for the photographer.

FORUM Distribution Guidelines

Your Faculty Adviser will receive, via mail in September, January and April, a copy of FORUM for each dues-paying member in your Chapter. FORUM articles are also available online at www.prssa.org/FORUM.

To ease the distribution process, PRSSA suggests the following tactics:

• Personally hand out the new issue to members as they arrive at your next meeting instead of leaving FORUM on a table for members to pick up themselves. This can also help “break the ice” at the beginning of the meeting by encouraging conversation early.
• If your Chapter uses a points system, reward members with points for assisting with distribution (as well as contributing content for FORUM).
• If you have extra issues not picked up by members, store them in your Chapter or department office/lounge for non-members to read and/or display articles on your Chapter or department bulletin board.
• Use Chapter emails to promote FORUM’s web edition.
• Post links to relevant FORUM articles on your Chapter Facebook or Twitter pages.If your Faculty Adviser does not receive your Chapter’s copies of FORUM, contact amy.ovsiew@prsa.org.

Download the FORUM distribution guidelines here.

All PRSSA members are invited to submit articles for FORUM. If you have any questions about the publication or for more information on submitting articles, contact FORUM Editor in Chief Amy Bishop at amylbish@indiana.edu.