Submission Guidelines
Healthy Debate publishes commentary and longer reported features about the Canadian health-care system and related subjects.
We welcome unique and insightful submissions from anyone, and especially those who have a connection to the health-care system, such as patients, physicians, caregivers, researchers, and advocates. If you don’t have much writing experience, don’t worry; we’ll provide you with the editorial support you need.
We are looking for articles that have a clear, well-developed angle; are thoroughly researched and reported; and are written in clear, engaging prose. Please read several of our recent articles to get an idea of the structure, tone, and level of research and analysis we expect to see.
Submission guidelines:
- We accept both pitches for stories and fully written submissions.
- Please send story pitches with the word “PITCH” in the subject line to jack@healthydebate.ca or seema@healthydebate.ca. Please send completed articles with the word “SUBMISSION” in the subject line to contactus@healthydebate.ca.
- Please include the full names, profile photo, one-sentence bios and social media handles (optional) for each author who contributed to the article.
- Please hyperlink all references. Do not include footnotes or academic-style in-text citations.
- Please declare any and all potential conflicts of interest. These will be reviewed and if the article is accepted, conflicts of interest will be published along with the article.
- Authors are free to publish their articles elsewhere. All Healthy Debate articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license. Please see our republishing guidelines for more details.
Student submissions and electives/internships
As part of our partnership with the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, we have introduced a four-week elective for medical residents who want to write about health care for the public. Residents within the Department of Medicine will have preferred access, but the elective is open to any residents enrolled in a Canadian medical school available for at least four contiguous weeks. The elective can be done virtually with flexible scheduling and hours as required. It is structured similarly to a research elective.
Residents will work closely with our editorial staff and Seema Marwaha, editor-in-chief. They will also participate in weekly editorial board meetings via conference call and collaborate with members of the board.
Over the course of the elective, participants will publish at least two pieces on our site. There may be opportunities for other activities, such as involvement in podcasts on larger themes. Every product will recognize the residents’ contribution in such a way that can be referenced in their curriculum vitae. Impact analytics (like page views) can also be provided upon request, If you are interested in participating, please contact seema@healthydebate.ca or contactus@healthydebate.ca.
We ask that you submit a two to three story pitches or ideas with your request to do the elective. In addition, please provide us with a sample of previous written work if applicable and any other relevant material that illustrates your ability to write for a non-expert audience. Electives will be approved by the editor-in-chief.