GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS

Harvard Business Review

The Harvard Business Review has one goal: to be the source of the best new ideas for people creating, leading, and transforming business. Since its founding in 1922, HBR has had a proud tradition as the world's preeminent management magazine, publishing cutting-edge, authoritative thinking on the key issues facing executives.

HBR's articles cover a wide range of topics that are relevant to different industries, management functions, and geographic locations. They focus on such areas as leadership, organizational change, negotiation, strategy, operations, marketing, finance, and managing people. While the topics may vary, all HBR articles share certain characteristics. They are written for senior managers by experts whose authority comes from careful analysis, study, and experience. The ideas presented in these articles can be translated into action and have been tested in the real world of business. Proposals for articles demonstrating fresh thinking that advances previous knowledgewhose practical application has been thought through in clear, jargon-free languageare those most likely to meet our readers' needs. When evaluating an idea, our editors often look for two things firstwhat they call the aha!How compelling is the insight?and the so what?How much does this idea benefit managers in practice?

The best way to inquire about HBR's potential interest in a topic is to prepare a proposal. It can be submitted by mail or electronically and should answer the following questions:

1. What is the central message of the article you propose to write (the "aha")? What is important, useful, new, or counterintuitive about your idea? Why do managers need to know about it?
2. How can your idea be applied in business today (the "so what")?
3. For which kinds of companies would the idea NOT work well? For which kinds of companies would it work especially well? Why?
4. What research have you conducted to support the argument in your article?
5. On what previous work (either of your own or of others) does this idea build?
6. What is the source of your authority? What academic, professional, or personal experience will you draw on?

It need not be long and it certainly need not be written in question-and-answer format. The important point is to cover the topics the questions raise.

Then please write a two-to-three page (500-750 word) narrative outline laying out the structure of your article and describing each important point in a separate paragraph. Give us a sense not just of the ground you will cover but of how the logic will flow. Please illustrate your points with real-world examples or provide one extended, detailed example.

Some of the questions we will ask ourselves when evaluating your proposals are:

1. Is this idea new? If not, does it offer a new and useful perspective on an existing idea?
2. What is it based on? What are its antecedents?
3. Did it persuade me?
4. Did I find it interesting? Would HBR readers find it interesting?
5. Does it address an issue that matters to managers?
6. Could it be put into practice?
7. Is the author trying to sell the reader something? To use the insights in the article, would the reader need to consult the author?
8. Are there good illustrations? Have I seen the same company examples used to illustrate a multitude of other models, theses, or points of view?
9. Where are the holes in the thinking?

Each issue of HBR contains both feature articles and departments:

Each feature is an in-depth, rigorous presentation of a significant advance in management thinking and its application in the real world of business. These articles help business leaders establish an intellectual agenda for discussion - and change - within their companies.

Each issue also has a spotlight section which includes feature articles on a particular topic.

Idea Watch is the opening section of the magazine that focuses on new ideas and research in progress. It is largely data driven and highly visual. The section leads with a timely piece, about 1,000 words with accompanying visuals, that represents a thought-provoking, often surprising new idea in business. Shorter pieces, about 200 to 600 words with accompanying data visuals follow. Each month we'll also ask a researcher to "Defend Your Research" for research that includes surprising, sometimes counterintuitive findings. Each month also features a two-page information graphic called "Vision Statement" which presents an immersive, visual representation of business and management data and ideas.

The Big Idea features one article on a profound, up-and-coming idea which could have groundbreaking repercussions in the world of business.

The Globe features one article in every issue on - and, usually, from - countries outside the US. These articles are either macro or micro-focused, but they will all be of practical relevance to senior executives the world over.

How I Did It is a first-person account by a CEO of the inside story of a tipping point moment or decision for his or her company. The goal of How I Did It is not a rose-colored view of a past glory, but rather a peer forum for CEOs to share experiences learned the hard way.

The HBR Case Study is a fictional account of a business dilemma with advice from several experts suggesting how to solve that dilemma.

Managing Yourself explores new ideas about the personal development of managers and leaders.

Life's Work is a short interview with an extraordinary figure from the worlds of art, science, sport, and politics about his or her career, focusing on decisions, challenges, and experiences that resonate for business leaders.

A word on attributions: HBR has its roots in the world of academic journals, where detailed citations are de rigueur. HBR articles should be similarly punctilious about giving credit to all direct quotations, paraphrased statements, and borrowed ideas. To improve the flow of the prose, we prefer to incorporate attributions into the text whenever we can. In the meantime, please be sure we understand exactly which ideas, and what language, are yours and which ones are drawn from someone else. We would rather see source notes than not, for example. Then, if your submission is accepted for publication, we will work with you to determine which sources need to be cited and in what way.

In addition, please tell us about any financial relationship you may have with companies cited in the proposed article. We need to know if you have a consulting relationship, for example, or if you serve on a board of directors.

Nearly all HBR articles undergo extensive editing and rewriting, and HBR typically holds copyright on the finished product. Authors continue to own the underlying ideas in the article.

Please e-mail your proposal to hbr_editorial@hbr.org or mail it to Christine Jack, Harvard Business Review, 60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163.

If you think your idea is better suited for a blog post, please peruse our web guidelines for the HBR Blog Network and follow the instructions you see there. 

HBR deeply appreciates the time and energy required to prepare a proposal for our publication, and we are grateful to you for that investment. We are always looking for new sources of solid, useful ideas that can improve the practice of management. Because of the volume of submissions we receive, we are not able to respond substantively to every one, but we do read them all closely, and we will do our best to respond within six to eight weeks. We thank you again for your interest.

The Editors

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Tips on Writing

Decide What You Think First

When working on a challenging task — writing a speech, preparing an important presentation, or developing a new idea — it's helpful to get feedback from others. Do they think it's any good? In what direction do they think you should take it? But sometimes, too much feedback can drown out the most important opinion: your own. If you feel like you're getting too much input or are no longer sure what you think of your own work, take a break from the feedback. Decide what you think. This will build your confidence and trust in yourself. Once you've articulated and refined your own perspective, reach back out to your trusted advisors to get theirs.

Adapted from "How to Teach Yourself to Trust Yourself" by Peter Bregman.

Three Ways to Tighten Your Writing

Writing today—a report, memo, or email—must be short if you want people to read it. But succinctly expressing yourself can be tough. Here are three ways to trim your writing and say what you want in fewer words:

• Refine it. Take a hard look at the structure of your writing. Only include sections that are necessary to support your points.
• Consider an informal tone. Just because you're writing a report doesn't mean you need to be formal. Writing like a bureaucrat makes you use longer words and a complicated sentence structure. Adopting a more informal tone often helps you be direct and concise.
• Cut and then cut more. Look over your document sentence by sentence. If a sentence doesn't serve an important purpose, get rid of it.

Adapted from Guide to Better Business Writing.

Choose Clarity over Brevity

Writing experts emphasize the importance of using as few words as possible to deliver your message. The evolution of technology has supported this trend toward brevity; see tweets, status updates, and text messages as examples. But we may have gone too far. Sometimes messages that are too brief sacrifice clarity and leave out crucial information. When crafting your next message, choose clarity over brevity; include all relevant information and be sure it is logically organized. This is as true for PowerPoint presentations and research reports as it is for emails. Being brief is important but not at the risk of being misunderstood.

Adapted from "When Clarity is Not the Same as Brevity" by David Silverman.

Three Tips for Writing Reader-Friendly Memos

In business today, readers are time-pressed, content-driven, and decision-focused. To write effectively, remember that they want simple and direct communications. Here are three tips for giving readers what they want and need:

• Avoid complex phrasing. Writing elegantly is not important; delivering smart content is. Let the message stand out more than your language.
• Be concise. Many memo writers get hung up on "flow." But flowing sentences tend to be long and dense. You don't need choppy sentences, just hardworking ones that deliver content concisely.
• Skip the jargon. Jargon can be a useful way to communicate among experts, but you should never use jargon if it's meaningless, if you don't understand it, or when your audience isn't familiar with it.

Adapted from Guide to Better Business Writing.

Three Rules for Making Your Writing Clear

In business writing, you get points for clarity, not style. Instead of trying to wax poetic about your division's plans for the next 60 days, just make your point. Here are three ways to do that:

• One idea per paragraph. Novels hold several complex ideas and emotions in a single paragraph. In business writing, limit your thoughts to one per paragraph. When you have another suggestion, thought or idea, start a  new paragraph.
• Put your point in the first sentence. Don't entice your readers with background information and build-up. No one has time for that. Make your primary point first. Then go into supporting detail.
• Make it "scannable." Few people read every word in an email. Use headers and bullet points so that your audience can quickly scan your message and understand your point.

Adapted from "How to Succeed in Business Writing: Don't Be Dickens" by David Silverman.