Progressions

Submissions

Progressions is a way to share experience, offer advice for other students and share resources while building your portfolio.

Topics

Acceptable topics for submission include advice for internship and career success; discussions of current events and public relations issues; best Chapter practices for fundraising, recruiting and connecting with professionals; advice for planning meetings and events; or other topics that are relevant to students.

Each post should either share advice and ideas that the reader can use, or analyze an issue readers can respond to and discuss. Bloggers are encouraged to end their article with a question that can stir dialogue in the comments.

Guidelines

Blog copy should be more conversational than writing for a publication. However, basic journalistic principles still apply.

To maintain the high quality of Progressions, all writers are asked to adhere to the writing guidelines below and to have their article proofread by at least one adviser and Chapter member before submitting it to the editor in chief.

General Post Guidelines

• Articles should be 500 – 900 word.
• Be creative. Incorporate bulleted lists, infographics and other visual elements. Non-traditional formats such as photo essays, infographics, video blogs and podcasts are strongly encouraged.
• PRSSA does not typically accept previously published material.
• Make posts thought-provoking and spark a conversation.
• Follow the PRSSA Style Guide and AP Style.
• Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Progressions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of PRSSA.

Style and Voice

• Be professional and conversational in your tone. Stay clear and consistent. Show, don’t tell, your topic.
• Always write in an active voice, using strong, active verbs.

Citations and Facts

• Ensure accuracy by double-checking names, confirming spelling, and including institutions responsible for any research or surveys cited in your article.
• Any references should be hyperlinked.
• When citing a survey or statistics, provide the proper name of the survey, who conducted it and the release date.

Grammar and Organization

• Stay organized and focused. Be creative with subheads, lists and visual elements.
• Vary sentence structure, providing a mix of simple, compound and complex sentences to avoid being redundant.

Submit your topic to progressions@prsa.org before completing the post to ease the writing and editing process for all parties. With the submission, include:

• A 30-40 word biographical summary for yourself, which will appear at the bottom of the post if published. Remember to include your preferred pronouns.
• Your headshot.
• Your PRSA ID number – it can be found on your MyPRSA account.