Submission Guidelines
Blogging overview
We welcome written blogs that align with our aim of fundamentally re-thinking mental health theory and practice in Canada, and promoting positive change. Mad In Canada provides an online focal point for people interested in campaigning for a change in the professional and public discourse about emotional distress and unusual experiences; for support, both within and beyond services, which meets people’s real needs; and for social policy which addresses the causes of distress at its roots.
Mad In Canada publishes posts on a variety of topics that have been written from a variety of perspectives (e.g. lived experience, survivor, service user, family or friend, service provider, frontline worker, student, academic). We are also committed to prioritizing pieces that address mental health theory and practices impacting People of Colour, Black, Indigenous, and/or LGBT2SQ communities.
MIC shows respect for people with different thoughts, beliefs, experiences, and opinions. We know that passions can run hot on some topics, but it is our wish to foster an environment and a conversational tone that are civil at all times. It is also our aim to provide the public with clarity and insight into the current state of mental health care services, policies and laws. We need to inform public debate with blogs that are trustworthy, responsible, and supported by evidence when appropriate.
PLEASE NOTE: Mad in Canada will not publish any personal stories that specifically name any individuals (other than the author), professionals, organizations, institutions, businesses, etc. For MIC to consider publishing a personal story, all information that could be used to identify any individuals (other than the author), professionals, organizations, institutions, businesses, etc, must be replaced by anonymised references. For example, “my psychiatrist, Dr. Frankenstein, at the Jupiter Asylum for the Insane” should be replaced by something like, “my psychiatrist at a psychiatric facility on another planet”.
Mad in Canada is happy to consider any personal stories that have been fully anonymised.
Tone and language of blogs
We want Mad In Canada to be a place that is respectful in tone. This doesn’t mean that bloggers shouldn’t write their opinions, but in a sense, blogging on Mad In Canada will be different than writing a blog on a personal website. Think of Mad In Canada as an online magazine. Pieces can be funny, opinionated, etc., but always written in a considerate way. Needless to say, we won’t publish racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic pieces.
Mad In Canada shares the mission of Mad In America. We want to avoid the use of medicalized terminology. We prefer to describe problems using everyday language wherever possible.
Purpose of blogs
While your blog is a forum for making your thoughts known on this general topic of psychiatry, psychology and mental health, you should also think of it as a place to report on what you may be doing in your own sphere of involvement.
We want readers to come to Mad In Canada to learn about innovative projects, success stories, efforts at developing alternative therapies, service user/survivor led initiatives, etc. So your blog might be seen as providing a mix of opinion, insight, and news.
Writing quality and suggested word count
- Please review your blog for clarity, grammar, and spelling. We want our readers to find Mad In Canada to be a home for good writing. At the same time, we recognize that some people are relatively new to writing for this kind of forum, and we are happy to offer support and feedback on drafts.
Before submitting a blog or article please consider the following:
- Please hyperlink all references. Do not include footnotes or academic-style in-text citations.
- Is your submission fresh? Why this blog, article, on this site, for this audience, at this time?
- Please don’t send us blogs or personal complaints that are just rants as we are looking for pieces that succeed at moving from the individual to the universal.
- Please let us know if there are any potential conflicts of interest. If the blog/article is accepted, conflicts of interest can be published along with the article.
We will sometimes edit blogs for clarity and ease of reading before publishing.
We suggest a word count of 500 to 1000 words, but we will consider longer reads.
Simultaneous Submissions
We are happy to accept blogs that have been previously published elsewhere, providing that the previous publisher has no right to the blog that could prevent it from being used on Mad In Canada’s site.
Some submitted blogs may also feature on Mad In America, and possibly on the sites of other MIA Global affiliates. Should you not wish your piece to appear on any of the MIA family of sites, please tell us when you submit your blog. If you do not express a preference, all blogs submitted to us will be shared with Mad in America and the MIA Global affiliates, and their editors will decide which pieces to run.
Submitting Blogs
Please email your blog to info@madincanada.org.
We’re looking forward to reading your submissions!
If you have questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@madincanada.org. We want to hear from you!
Last updated: July 2024