Folia is always looking for UvA students and employees ánd alumni who want to write opinion articles on topics that are relevant to science, higher education or studying in the capital. This could be about anything from canteen prices to staff workload and from gaps in the curriculum to science policy.
Those wishing to submit an opinion contribution should keep the following in mind:
- An opinion contribution appears under one's own name and a photo of the author will be included. There may be several authors, but they will always be identifiable individuals. So no organizations, parties or anonymous authors.
- Opinion contributions contain between 750 and 1,000 words. This will only be deviated from in exceptional cases.
- Contributions can be e-mailed to Dirk Wolthekker (redactie@folia.nl). The editors will then evaluate whether a contribution meets the requirements.
- The editors reserve the right to shorten or reject contributions if they do not meet the requirements of length, language, style or relevance. The editors also reserve the right to translate Dutch-language contributions into English and vice versa.
- Opinions may be linked to previous articles on the same subject in Folia or other quality media.
- If you would like to write an opinion piece, please notify the editorial team in advance. The editorial team will then decide whether or not to publish it. Each opinion piece may contain a maximum of five links.
- In principle, the rule is: once written, it stays written. Once a contribution has been published on the website, it will not be changed and, with a few exceptions, will not be removed from the site. So think carefully about what you write.
Requirements for writing an opinion piece
1. Preferably connect to current events.
If you respond to news or recent events, the context is clear and recognizable to the reader. As a result, it is likely to have more impact. However, also get behind your keyboard when you want to raise an urgent issue about something that has not yet been in the news. Good opinion pieces are news an sich.
2. Be specific
An opinion piece is not a scholarly essay that requires you to go through the entire history of a topic or all the articles of law related to a topic. Be specific about the issue and pointed in your argument.
3. Give examples and make comparisons
Don't overshoot in concreteness. You are not writing a news article, but an opinion article in which you support your opinion with arguments, comparisons and examples.
4. An opinion piece is about a personal opinion
It sounds like an open door, but an opinion article is not a diplomatic solution to a problem. Too much ado or soothing terminology lead to a piece becoming unclear or woolly.
5. Not specialist, but generic
Keep in mind that an opinion contribution should in principle be understandable and accessible to everyone at the UvA. Overly specialised contributions, whether or not full of jargon, will not be posted.
Folia also takes submitted brikeven. The following rules apply to these:
1. Length
Letters have a length of 200-300 words. The editors reserve the right to shorten letters.
2.Content
The editors are not responsible for the content of the letter submitted. The letter must refer to an issue raised in Folia.
3. Style
Swearing letters, hate letters and similar epistles will not be posted.
4. Sender
Like opinion posts, letters are never anonymous. Letters are signed with the sender's name and place of residence and his or her relation to the UvA.
5. Who
The letters section is open to students, employees and alumni of the UvA and (external) affiliated institutions.