Submission Guidelines

Aims and Scope

Kritikos aims to reveal how intellectual freedom and democratic debate are gradually and systematically undermined. We bring together fearless minds to expose the nuanced mechanisms that threaten our collective and individual intellectual life force. Kritikos publishes research articles, critical reflections, and art forms that are disruptive and transformative. Our content tackles complex challenges, contributing to a society that is genuinely committed to community vitality, individual wellbeing, ecological resilience, and an active political mass.

Kritikos seeks submissions from international writers, researchers, and artists with an expertise in any of our five research areas;

1) politics, culture & society;

2) human rights & justice;

3) news, media & ethics;

4) AI risks & governance, and;

5) knowledge, truth & enquiry.

We are particularly interested in contributions that expose systemic, technological, corporate, state, and legal interference in social resilience, democratic debate, intellectual enquiry, ancient wisdom, peaceful coexistence, and ethical media. We also welcome artistic contributions, philosophical interjections, and personal narratives.

Pitches and articles are reviewed under the guidance of our theme leads, editors, and advisory members, comprised of experts in each of the research areas.

Author Guidelines

  • All work must be original and fall within the author's established area of expertise.

  • While an affiliation with an academic institution, research body, or media organisation is not required, all work must be the author's own and within their area of expertise. 

  • Transparency is essential: authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, and we reserve the right to decline pitches and articles with clear vested interests. 

  • Please note that all contributors work on a volunteer basis and are not paid. 

  • Additionally, authors are required to disclose to our editors if artificial intelligence tools were used in the preparation of their pitch or article.

  • Authors must share a short biography and 'byline' to be used on our publication platform, Substack.

  • Artists must share Copyright holder information for illustrations and/or videos.  

Pitch Review Process

  • We welcome pitches up to 300 words. 

  • Pitches should explain relevance to our research areas or, when concerned with a new, emerging matter not covered in our work, should explain its importance. 

  • We publish for a global audience—pitches and articles can refer to local matters but should be contextualised in a global context. Ask why does this matter to people in other, similar contexts? 

  • Consider clarity over prose and use short sentences (no more than 30 words). A clearly written pitch is more easily assessed by our editors and can help them understand your story.

  • All pitches should include a clear statement on how the topic of research relates to intellectual freedom and/or democratic debate. 

  • Pitches should also include a mention on the type of article—personal narrative, investigative piece, thoughtful analysis.

  • For art forms, we ask pitches to include a short 300 word description of the art form and how the artists is intended to complement the piece with a short-form or long-form article. 

  • Pitches should include whether the final article is short-form (750 words) or long-form (2,000-3,000 words). 

  • Pitches are reviewed every first week of the month with a turnaround time of 1-2 weeks. 

Article Guidelines

  • We welcome both short-form (around 750 words) and long-form (2,000-3,000 words) pieces that bring clarity and urgency to the fight for open democracy and intellectual freedom.  

  • Your article can take the approach of a personal narrative, investigative piece, or thoughtful analysis. 

  • Articles need to adhere to a logical progression in argumentation, ensuring premises are clearly articulated and any conclusions are coherently formed. 

  • Investigate articles require a strong empirical foundation, following thorough evidence identification, source verification, and data accuracy. 

  • We appreciate articles that include emotional transparency and a compassionate intent, integrating open-mindedness to other lived experiences and perspectives, and a consideration of emotional reasoning.   

  • We value articles that embrace complexity and can illuminate contradictions. Articles that do not seek simple solutions, but engage with the nuances, inconsistencies, and uncertainties of life.

  • Visit our website for more information on our Discernment Model and how to apply it.

Style Guide

  • Kritikos follows standard British English. 

  • Please use single ' ' commas and include hyperlinks for quotations, when available. 

  • Prioritise plain language and an active, conversational voice. 

  • Keep paragraphs short and avoid using headings.

  • Your title should be clear and shareable for an international audience external to Kritikos.