Writing Guidelines
The Young Writers Project is currently open to students from Vermont and the greater Lebanon, N.H., area.
The Young Writers Project expects that all writing and communication on this Web site -- including comments, blogs, forums AND submissions for outside publication -- be civil, accurate and respectful of others. YWP expects that all work is the author's own, original work unless noted. Violations will result in banishment from participation.
In order to publish student work in as many venues as possible, YWP retains the copyright to all work submitted or written on the Web site; HOWEVER, all authors and artists retain all commercial rights to the work forever and therefore has the right to sell the work whenever and wherever and to anyone and is not obligated to compensate YWP for such republishing. For more, click here.
TO SUBMIT WRITING To submit writing for possible publication in the YWP newspaper series, you must login (registration required) and create an entry. This entry will be reviewed by judges (who will decide whether it gets published in the newspaper and/or on this Web site) and by college mentors (who will offer feedback on many of the submissions.) The author (or submitter) will receive notification if feedback is given or a piece is selected for publication. For more, click here.
TO SUBMIT ART Registered users are free to post photos and scanned art on the site. To submit work for consideration for outside publication, however, YWP must have high resolution photos or scans of art -- at least 200 dpi and at least 8" by 10" in size. Send those submissions, WITH information about the artist and the piece of art, to Geoffrey Gevalt by clicking here. For more, click here.
PLAGIARISM Plagiarism is defined as using someone else's ideas and words without clearly acknowledging the source of those ideas and words. It doesn't matter if you don't intend to do it, it is still plagiarism.
The Young Writers Project is extremely strict about this policy. Our credibility -- and the credibility of the other writers -- depends on students' awareness and compliance with our policy. We define plagiarism as using:
- * using, word for word or partial phrasing, another person’s written or spoken words;
paraphrasing the essence of another person's written or spoken words;
using another person's drawing, artwork, graphics, idea or facts that are not common knowledge.
An easier way to determine this is to ask yourself: "Am I using someone else's words or phrasing or ideas in my piece?" If so, "Have I given them credit by attributing those words, phrases or ideas?"
We take this matter quite seriously. We see the use of someone else's work as a major breach of faith and something that compromises this project and the publications in which we publish.
If we discover that something has been plagiarized we will request a conversation with the student with his parent or guardian present if desired. We will seek to determine what went wrong or how the situation evolved. We will then determine a course of action that will generally require, if the piece was published, a published correction and a ban for a year from participation in the YWP.
EDITING. We reserve the right to edit pieces for clarity, space and the guidelines of the publishing entities. We will make every attempt to contact the author if editing changes are substantive. We expect, and hope, that all submissions have been checked to ensure that basic grammar has been followed and words are spelled correctly.
We ask that students participating on the Web site make sure their pieces have accurate spelling and grammar and that the content respects others; the latter would include refraining from using profanity, words of hate and any mention of specific individuals not in the public eye.
GOOD SENSE. While all this sounds ponderous, it is good to remember that what you write should reflect who you are and what you are. Be respectful.
