Submit an abstract first. While we will look at unsolicited articles, our preference is for potential contributors to submit an abstract or short description of the key points that the article will focus on. This helps ensure that the article will be appropriate to our editorial needs, and the interests of our readers.
Word count: Generally 1,200 to 1,500 words, with exceptions on occasion.
All contributed content must be exclusive to Material Handling & Logistics. This means that articles or columns should not have already appeared elsewhere, even on the author’s own website.
Please attach the article as a Word or rtf document. Send to Editor-in-Chief David Blanchard at [email protected].
Final decisions on acceptance will be made only upon seeing a completed article.
Subject matter: MH&L informs warehousing, transportation and supply chain professionals in the manufacturing, retail and distribution industries about trends, management strategies, technology developments and new products that help them increase speed and improve efficiencies in their operations.
Try to write conversationally. This is not a white paper.
Articles will not be accepted if they appear to be pushing a particular product or service, or are otherwise too commercial or written in a promotional tone. Do not mention your company or your company's products in the article.
The author does not need to be a professional writer. The editors are happy to work with anyone who would like to contribute their expertise.
If your pitch seems like a good fit for us, you will hear from us within two weeks; most likely sooner.
Deadlines: Don’t worry about this. We are constantly looking for good material. However, if you’d like a deadline, we are happy to provide one.
Articles/columns are accepted or rejected at the sole discretion of the editors.
Contributed copy is subject to editing by our editorial staff, who have the final say. That said, we will work with the author to reach a mutually agreeable final version.
Bio and headshot: If the author is new to MH&L, please include a headshot (dimensions at least 375x375 pixels and 72 dpi) and an author bio.
Art or graphics: You are not required to submit art with the story; however, if you have good photos, charts or graphics that help tell a story, we will consider using them. Photos should be at least 500 x 500 pixels (the larger the better) and 72 dpi.
Attribution: We fact-check our contributed pieces. Please clearly state where any outside facts in the article come from, either within the article or through a hyperlink in the text. Attribution should be the original source, not a secondary source that mentions the statistic. We will remove any backlinks in the article body to any promotional/non-verified sources.
Style: We use Associated Press style (with some exceptions). If you are not familiar with AP style, just be aware that some capitalization, spellings, punctuation and references may be edited to conform with AP style.
To get you started:
Here are just a few examples of strong articles to give you an idea of what we're looking for:
Nurturing a Warehouse Culture of Safety
Start Planning Now for the Circular Economy
Optimizing Your Warehousing Operation for E-Commerce Growth
Why Product Packaging is the Next Frontier of Corporate Sustainability