Inside Indonesia welcomes contributions. Please read the Inside Indonesia Style Guide and then contact our commissioning editor to pitch your idea.
Why write for Inside Indonesia?
- A unique format – Inside Indonesia offers a format that differs both from daily news reportage and the typical academic journal. Many of our writers are academic researchers who want to write about an aspect of their research in a digestible and immediate way. Few other media dedicated to Indonesia offer this service.
- Quality and reputation - Inside Indonesia has a long history and is well-respected. We strive to maintain high editorial standards. Every author works with a member of our team of editors, and all articles are submitted for review prior to publication.
- Reach – Inside Indonesia has tens of thousands of unique visits per month. All articles on the site are available free of charge, as are our archives of back issues.
We accept articles from a diverse range of people – academics, journalists, students, travelers, NGO activists and people who have an interest in Indonesia. What is important is that you have something to say about Indonesia.
We cannot pay you for your contribution – your reward is the pleasure it brings to our readers.
What types of contributions do we accept?
Inside Indonesia publishes original, informative, analytical and/or reflective short and medium length pieces on a wide range of political, social, environmental and cultural issues in Indonesia.
Inside Indonesia is not an academic publication. This means we do not follow the normal conventions of academic writing (e.g. no footnotes or bibliographies) and we strive to avoid jargon and abstractions. However, many of the people who edit and write for us are academics and students and we strive to maintain high editorial standards.
Inside Indonesia also publishes
- reviews on books published about Indonesia
- photo essays featuring aspects of Indonesia.
With rare exceptions, we do not publish opinion or op-ed pieces (pieces where the main thrust is explaining why a particular government policy or other development is wrong, needs improving, or should be changed in some other way). Instead, most of our articles are 'information-rich'. They are based on in-depth research or investigation and, as well as presenting opinion and analysis, provide detailed information and background about a recent event, organisation, trend or personality. They contribute something new or different from what is available in the mainstream media.
Please note, you are responsible for guaranteeing:
- that your work is original
- that your material not been published elsewhere (you are free to reproduce it elsewhere as long as you acknowledge that it was first published in Inside Indonesia)
- that your work does not breach copyright or defame others.
How long can submissions be?
Articles are generally between 800 and 1600 words long. Occasionally longer articles (up to 3000 words) are published. These articles require special consideration on submission.
Please consult with our editorial team regarding the length of your proposed piece.
How do I submit an article?
- Look at articles previously published by Inside Indonesia to get a sense of our style and the type of content we publish
- Write a 150 word pitch about your idea and send it to the commissioning editor at editor@insideindonesia.org
- If the commissioning editor feels your idea is suitable, write your article
- Download the Inside Indonesia Style Guide and make sure your article follows the style guide
- Submit your article. The commissioning editor will assign an editor for the article. The editor will review the article. If the content of the article is sound, the editor will work together with you until the article is ready to be published
- The article will then undergo final review to determine whether or not it is publishable
NB. Our rigorous review process means that the turnaround for publication of articles can range from weeks to months, depending on the levels of revision required.
What other information do I have to send in with my article?
We like to include brief biographical information about our authors with their articles, so please send us a short two sentence description of yourself as well as links to any organisations you represent or work for. If you agree to us putting the link to your organisation on our website, we would appreciate if a link to Inside Indonesia could be made on yours.
Who owns the copyright of my article?
You retain the copyright of your article except when it is reproduced directly from Inside Indonesia (for example in university teaching packs). You are free to republish your article elsewhere, as long as you acknowledge that it was first published in Inside Indonesia.
The small amount of money raised by Inside Indonesia from copyright fees for direct reproduction of articles by educational institutions is the primary source of income for our entirely voluntary organisation. If you receive a copyright notice for direct reproductions of something you have written for us, please do not make a claim.
What is Inside Indonesia's AI Policy?
Inside Indonesia is monitoring ongoing developments in this area and will review (and update) these policies as appropriate.
AI authorship
AI-generated content does not satisfy authorship criteria and is prohibited.
AI-assisted improvements (ie. for ‘AI assisted copy editing’ purposes) is permitted. In this context, we define the this as AI-assisted improvements to human-generated texts for readability and style, and to ensure that the texts are free of errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation and tone. These AI-assisted improvements may include wording and formatting changes to the texts, but do not include generative editorial work and autonomous content creation. In all cases, there must be human accountability for the final version of the text and agreement from the authors that the edits reflect their original work.
Generative AI images
The fast-moving area of generative AI image creation means there is significant uncertainty related to legal copyright issues. As publishers, we strictly follow existing copyright law and best practices regarding publication ethics. While legal issues relating to AI-generated images and videos remain broadly unresolved, Inside Indonesia is unable to permit its use for publication.
Exceptions are made for images and videos that are directly referenced in a piece that is specifically about AI and such cases will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. *All exceptions must be labelled clearly as generated by AI within the image field.
As we expect things to develop rapidly in this field in the near future, we will review this policy regularly and adapt it if necessary.
Please note: Not all AI tools are generative. The use of non-generative machine learning tools to manipulate, combine or enhance existing images or figures should be disclosed in the relevant caption upon submission.
Editorial use
Inside Indonesia may occasionally use artificial intelligence tools to support the generation of accessory content (captions, summaries) and in some cases, translations. These are always edited and fact-checked by the author and/or editor to meet our publication standards. Any substantive use of artificial intelligence beyond accessory content will be declared on an individual article basis.
We look forward to receiving your contribution!
