The Contributor Guidelines for Writing Articles

The Contributor Guidelines for Writing Articles for Isrg are designed to support authors, such as copywriters, editors, reviewers, interns, and contributors, in creating high-quality articles. This document provides information and guidance on formatting articles, incorporating images, payment details, deadlines, and other relevant topics. The Guidelines were first published in May 2014 and have been updated on Wednesday, 19 July, 2023 to reflect the current standards and expectations for authors contributing to IR Digital Media, Digital Pradesh News Networks or its affiliates.

Annexure (I) – The topic of an article

Section [1] Articles on your own topics:

At the Isrg, two options are available, the first one is writing an article on your choice of topic which is subject to pre-approval of the topic on which you want to write an article. In simple words, you have to submit your topic for review and once the Isrg review team approves your topic you can write the article on the approved topic. You can request the approval of the topic from the Isrg Article Manager Dashboard under the option “Topics” > “Request New Topic”. Once the team approves your topic you will be informed through E-mail after which you can start writing your article, and if in case of rejection of the topic you will be informed through an E-mail with the reason for the rejection of your topic. The Isrg Team, may take 30 minutes to 12 hours to review your topic.

It should be noted that at the time of the topic approval:

  • The word-limit range will be decided by the reviewer based on the quality of the topic and other parameters.
  • The reviewer will assign keyphrases and keywords that you have to use while framing the sentences.
  • The reviewer may modify, alter, or change the title of the topic.

Section [2] Reasons for rejection of topics:

The most common reasons behind the rejection of the topics are:-

  1. The topics on which an article is already published in detail on third-party websites (such as Wikipedia, Health e-Magazine, Tech and Gadget sites).
  2. General topics of which most audiences are already aware off, or the topics whose answer is available in Google’s knowledge panels or in the Knowledge Graph. You can read more on the same at About knowledge panels.
  3. Topics on which an article or multiple articles are already published on Isrgor Lekhsagar either under the same topic or under a different topic. You should pre-check the topic against duplicacy prior to requesting for review using the Search option provided on the Isrg Article Manager Dashboard under the option “Topics” > “Request New Topic” > “Search”.

Section [3] Writing Articles on the Isrg’s Topics:

The second option is writing articles on the topics added by the Isrg team which can be found at the Isrg Article Manager Dashboard under the option “Topics” > “Claimable Topics”. Before starting to write an article on any of the topics mentioned on the Claimable Topics page, do ensure to claim the topic. The option to claim a topic can be found next to the available topic. Once you have claimed the topic, the topic will be assigned to you and no other writer will be able to write an article on the same topic.

Annexure (II) – Writing an Article

Section [1] Format of your article:

Your article must strictly follow the guidelines or it will be rejected. 

  1. Foremost and utmost your article should be written in active voice instead of the passive voice.
  2. The length of a sentence should not exceed more than 20 words.
  3. The paragraphs should be short and crisp, and should not exceed the limit of 150 words per paragraph.
  4. You should avoid starting consecutive sentences with the same word.
  5. Your article should strictly include the assigned keywords and keyword phrases.
  6. Article should be written in formal and third-person tone.
  7. Article should be plagiarism free, and should not copied from anywhere (e.g. – A newspaper, a third-party website, books, notes, study materials, etc.).
  8. Articles based on poetries, self-written stories, own-observations, own-reviews, own-experiences, or an article with Conflict-of-interest (CoI) which contains links to third-party websites such as affiliate links or sponsored links or a sponsored or promotional article is not permitted.
  9. Your article should be written in compliance with Code of Ethics for Digital News Websites in case of sensitive topics.
  10. An IMMEDIATE AND IRREVOCABLE BAN SHALL BE IMPOSED in the event of (a) submitting spinning articles (b) submitting rogeting articles (c) submitting translated articles, and (d) submitting articles authored using AI technology like ChatGPT or similar tools.

Definitions:

    • j (a) Spinning Articles: Spinning articles refer to content that is generated through an automated process wherein the original text is rephrased or reworded using synonym substitutions, resulting in numerous versions of the same content. The purpose of spinning articles is often to create the illusion of unique material, but it generally lacks originality and quality.
    • j (b) Rogeting Articles: Rogeting articles involve the automatic replacement of words within a given text using a thesaurus, primarily based on Peter Mark Roget’s thesaurus or a similar lexical reference. This process is carried out mechanically, leading to content that may appear different but lacks true creativity or meaningful human input.
    • j (c) Translated Articles: Translated articles pertain to content that has been converted from one language to another. However, in this context, it refers to articles submitted without appropriate authorization, potentially violating copyright or intellectual property rights, and lacking the necessary quality assurance to ensure accurate and reliable translations.
    • j (d) AI-written article: Content composed by artificial intelligence algorithms instead of human authors, mimicking human language based on learned data patterns. Quality varies with the AI model and training data.

      AI written article can be classified at platform.openai.com/ai-text-classifier

  1. There should be a mandatory featured image in your article as well as you may add relevant images in your article for different paragraphs (For e.g. in the Article, Cheapest Self-Drive Cars Provider in India).
  2. You should use images available for fair-use or are copyright free from sources like pixabay.com, pexels.com, unsplash.com, Openverse, stocksnap.io, freepik.com, and flaticon.com etc.
  3. You should avoid writing a colourful article or use of any stylish font etc. It should follow the standard format such as:-
  4. The article should be submitted in Word format with file extension .doc or .docx. You can use Microsoft Word, or LibreOffice Writer, or WPS Office to write your article.

For writers who don’t have a Laptop or Desktop, they can download these apps from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store for Free of Cost.

Advisory or Suggestion:
Your article should answer the questions that may arise in the reader’s mind while reading your article. You can take the help of Google by searching your topic and Google will show you questions related to your topic that people also ask.

Section [2] Categories of Articles:

The Isrg allows you to write articles on any category (such as Education, Lifestyle, Computer Programming, How-To, Science & Technology, Gadgets, Games & Apps, Entertainment, and articles based on Programmes, schemes, or an initiative launched by the Central Government or any State Government of India or an entity that can benefit common citizens, news and updates on competitive exams, etc.

Section [3] Article Submission Period:

Once your topic gets approved or you’ve claimed a topic as mentioned under Annexure (I), you’ve to submit your article within a period of 10 days (if the submission period is not specified), otherwise, the claimed topic will be automatically unclaimed and you will not be able to reclaim the topic and the topic will be released under Annexure (I) Section [3]. Articles submitted beyond the defined period will not be published or considered.

Section [4] How to Submit Article:

Once you’ve written your article, you can submit it from the Isrg Article Manager Dashboard under the option “Topics” > “Submit Article” by clicking on the button “Submit Article” given next to the topic. Please Note- The article should be submitted in Word format with file extension .doc or .docx.

Annexure (III) – Isrg Account Policy

Section [1] Account Creation:

You can apply for a new account from join.isrgrajan.com, once you will apply you will be informed via E-mail for further verification and after the verification, the Isrg team will take an online Knowledge-Transfer (KT)-cum-training session on Google Meet. Once you will attend the KT session your account will be created and you will receive the login credentials through E-mail. For the first time when you will log in, the website will automatically prompt you to verify your Mobile number via OTP and update your account by providing basic information which will be kept confidential and will not be shared with anyone.

Section [2] Application or Account Rejection:

If in case, failure to Annexure (III) Section [1] either by not submitting the relevant verification document or by not attending the online KT session your application is subject to deletion or rejection after which you may not be able to reapply at the Isrg for a new account.

Section [3] Account Ban or Termination:

Failure to comply with the Isrg Contributor’s Guidelines or multiple violations of Annexure (I), Annexure (II), and its sections your account will be liable for the permanent or temporary suspension/deletion or ban on your account. This section further extends to Annexure (X).

Section [4] Inactive Accounts:

Application or account that falls under [sub-section 4-(A)] inactive accounts for a period of 30 days or [sub-section 4-(B)] unverified accounts inactive for a period of 15 days or [sub-section 4-(C)] suspicious accounts with the security breach etc. will be liable for the permanent or temporary suspension/deletion or ban on your account. This section further extends to Annexure (X).

Annexure (IV) – Payment Pay-out

Section [1] Limits & Restrictions:

You can withdraw the payment only after earning at least INR 350 between 21st to 27th of every month. We’ve kept the minimum payout threshold to INR 350 in order to maintain the accounting properly and the withdrawal date is fixed due to our source of income. We rely on advertisements for the source of funding, and the advertisement agencies release the payment between 21st to 26th of every month. There won’t be any delay in your payment even if the advertisement agencies do delay in releasing the payment.

Section [2] Withdraw and Payment Methods:

You can use any of these methods to withdraw the payment for example PayTM Wallet, Bank account (via NEFT, RTGS, or IMPS), UPI (via PhonePe, Google Pay, BHIM, Amazon Pay, WhatsApp UPI, and other UPI-based applications); these are the most common online payment option available for the native Indian contributors whereas for our foreign contributors PayPal and Payoneer is available. To withdraw the payment login into your Isrg account, Go to Payments > Earnings and click on Withdraw button. On Clicking, Withdraw button you will be redirected to a different page where it will ask you to select the mode of payment and provide the essential withdrawal details.

Section [3] Payment in case you want to leave the site:

You will be permitted to withdraw the payment even if your account does not have minimum threshold earnings i.e. INR 350. You can reach out to us at isrgrajan.com/contact for the same.

No payment shall be made in case of account termination, ban, or disability due to a policy violation.

Annexure (V) – Right to Update

  1. ISRG HOLDS THE RIGHT TO UPDATE, ALTER, OR REMOVE ANY ARTICLES FROM ISRG OR ITS AFFILIATES.
  2. IN THE EVENT OF AN ARTICLE UPDATE, ISRG RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE WRITER, AUTHOR, OR CONTRIBUTOR OF THE CONTENT OR THE ARTICLE.
  3. THE CHANGE IN WRITER, AUTHOR, OR CONTRIBUTOR WILL BE MADE ONLY AFTER THOROUGH REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF THE ARTICLE AND ITS CONTENTS.
  4. THE CHANGE OF WRITER, AUTHOR, OR CONTRIBUTOR WILL AFFECT THE COMPENSATION OR PAYMENT FOR THE VIEWS OF THE ARTICLE.
  5. THE ORIGINAL WRITER, AUTHOR, OR CONTRIBUTOR WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE CHANGE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE ARTICLE.
  6. THE PREVIOUS VERSION OF THE ARTICLE WILL BE ARCHIVED BY THE INTERNET ARCHIVE (ARCHIVE.ORG), A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION.
  7. ISRG RETAINS THE RIGHT TO MODIFY THIS POLICY AS PER ITS DISCRETION AND REQUIREMENTS, AND IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL WRITERS, AUTHORS, AND CONTRIBUTORS TO KEEP THEMSELVES UPDATED WITH THE LATEST POLICY.

Annexure (VI) – Payment per Views Policy

  • IN THE REALM OF LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS, THE ESTEEMED AUTHOR OF A PARTICULAR ARTICLE SHALL BE GRANTED REMUNERATION SOLELY FOR THE VIEWERSHIP GARNERED WITHIN A SPAN OF 31 DAYS FROM THE ESTEEMED ARTICLE’S DATE OF PUBLICATION. ALAS, ANY VIEWS RECEIVED ON THE AFOREMENTIONED ARTICLE BEYOND THE 32ND DAY FROM ITS INITIAL PUBLICATION SHALL NOT BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT FOR THE PURPOSE OF COMPENSATION.
  • THE COMPUTED PAYMENT SHALL BE DULY DISBURSED INTO THE ESTEEMED AUTHOR’S ISRG ACCOUNT ON THE 20TH DAY OF EACH ENSUING MONTH.
  • WHILST THE PAYMENT FROM VIEWS (PFV) SHALL UNDERGO REGULAR UPDATES AT INTERVALS OF 30 MINUTES, THE ULTIMATE COMPUTATION FOR THE AFOREMENTIONED REMUNERATION SHALL TAKE PLACE ON THE 1ST DAY OF EACH ENSUING MONTH.

Annexure (VII) CONTENT TRANSFER POLICY FOR ISRG

THIS POLICY OUTLINES THE PROCESS FOR TRANSFERRING OWNERSHIP OF ARTICLES WRITTEN FOR ISRG.

  1. TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP
    1.1 UPON PUBLICATION OF AN ARTICLE, ALL RIGHTS TO THE ARTICLE WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO ISRG.
    1.2 THE AUTHOR RETAINS NO RIGHTS TO THE ARTICLE AFTER IT HAS BEEN PUBLISHED.
  1. USE OF ARTICLE
    2.1 ISRG HAS THE RIGHT TO USE, PUBLISH, DISTRIBUTE, AND PROMOTE THE ARTICLE IN ANY MANNER THEY SEE FIT.
    2.2 THE AUTHOR MAY NOT USE OR REPUBLISH THE ARTICLE WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF ISRG.
  1. RESPONSIBILITY FOR CONTENT
    3.1 THE AUTHOR IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THAT THE CONTENT OF THE ARTICLE IS ACCURATE AND DOES NOT INFRINGE ON ANY THIRD-PARTY RIGHTS.
    3.2 ISRG ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR THE CONTENT OF THE ARTICLE AND RETAINS THE RIGHT TO EDIT OR REMOVE THE ARTICLE IF IT IS DEEMED TO BE IN VIOLATION OF THIS POLICY.
  1. DISCLAIMER
    4.1 THIS POLICY IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE AND IS BINDING ON ALL AUTHORS WHO CONTRIBUTE TO ISRG.
    4.2 THE AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS POLICY UPON SUBMISSION OF THEIR ARTICLE.

BY SUBMITTING AN ARTICLE TO ISRG, THE AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES TO THE TERMS OF THIS CONTENT TRANSFER POLICY.

Annexure (X) – Content Ownership

  1. INTRODUCTION
    ISRG IS COMMITTED TO PROTECTING ITS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND THE CONTENT IT CREATES AND USES. THIS POLICY OUTLINES THE OWNERSHIP AND USE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND CONTENT CREATED BY ISRG AND ITS EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AND PARTNERS.
  2. OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL
    PROPERTY ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CREATED BY ISRG, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO TEXTS, AUDIOS, VISUAL IMAGES, TRADEMARKS, LOGOS, PATENTS, AND COPYRIGHTS, IS THE SOLE PROPERTY OF ISRG. EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AND PARTNERS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO USE ISRG’S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF ISRG.
  3. OWNERSHIP OF CONTENT
    CREATED BY EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS CONTENT CREATED BY EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS WHILE WORKING FOR ISRG IS CONSIDERED A “WORK-FOR-HIRE” AND IS THE PROPERTY OF ISRG. EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO USE OR REPRODUCE THIS CONTENT FOR PERSONAL OR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF ISRG.
  4. THIRD-PARTY CONTENT
    ISRG MAY USE THIRD-PARTY CONTENT IN ITS PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND MARKETING MATERIALS. THE USE OF THIS CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE THIRD-PARTY LICENSING AGREEMENTS. EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS MUST COMPLY WITH THESE TERMS AND OBTAIN THE NECESSARY PERMISSIONS BEFORE USING ANY THIRD-PARTY CONTENT.
  5. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
    ISRG CONSIDERS ALL CONTENT RELATED TO ITS BUSINESS OPERATIONS, CLIENTS, AND EMPLOYEES TO BE CONFIDENTIAL. EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS MUST MAINTAIN THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF THIS INFORMATION AND NOT DISCLOSE IT TO ANY THIRD-PARTY WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF ISRG.
  6. CONCLUSION
    ISRG TAKES THE PROTECTION OF ITS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND CONTENT SERIOUSLY AND WILL TAKE APPROPRIATE LEGAL ACTION TO DEFEND ITS RIGHTS. EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AND PARTNERS MUST COMPLY WITH THIS POLICY AND RESPECT THE OWNERSHIP OF THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND CONTENT CREATED BY ISRG.