Research Articles
Articles that aid readers in understanding the social, political, or economic issue. The goal is to provide the landscape for readers to grasp what the problem/issue is, why it is a problem/issue, who is involved, how they are involved, and when/how long this has been a problem/issue.
Articles must be backed by research and evidence and can do one of the following:
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define or explain a social, political, or economic issue (including specific examples)
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discuss the history of a social, political, or economic issue (the origins of the issue and how it has changed over time)
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synthesize the current literature of a political, social, or economic issue, pulling together and discussing current scholarly work on a political, social, or economic issue
Special consideration for articles that connect the issues locally to the Lancaster County region. Maximum length of articles is 10 single-spaced pages (or 20 double-spaced pages).
Impact Articles
Articles that aid readers in understanding what is being done and what can be done about the social, political, or economic issue. The goal is to consider how the problem/issue can be solved by examining theories and practices associated with the issue.
Articles must be backed by research and evidence and do one of the following:
- examine social, political, or economic theories and make concrete suggestions for applying the theories in the Lancaster communities
- discuss current problems/events/activities/ challenges associated with a political, social, or economic issue, how they affect the local community, and how they could be resolved
- analyze and discuss current initiatives/legislation/proposals associated with a political, social, or economic issue, how they (can) impact the community, and how they could work to solve an issue in the Lancaster community
- analyze and evaluate initiatives and projects currently being implemented in the Lancaster community that attempt to address local problems or needs
- analyze, compare, and evaluate politicians’ stances and actions/policies on a political, social, or economic issue, how they affect the local community, and how they could be brought together to address the issue
Special consideration for articles that connect the issues locally to the Lancaster County region. Maximum length of articles is 10 single-spaced pages (or 20 double-spaced pages).
Common Ground Articles
Articles that aid readers in seeing how social, political, and economic issues can be discussed collaboratively and how individuals with different perspectives and beliefs can empathize with each other and find a path toward change. Articles must be written from the perspective of a minimum of two authors with the goal of finding or highlighting common ground on a social or political issue on which authors disagree. This submission requires back and forth dialogue between the authors, stating positions on social/political issues, emphasizing rationales for positions, acknowledging opposing positions, asking questions, responding to questions, and continuing until common ground is found/highlighted. The article must conclude with a reflection that summarizes the dialogue (what authors agree on, disagree on, and where there is common ground) and that discusses the process of writing the article (the difficulty/ease in finding common ground, what authors learned, and the like).
Special consideration for articles that connect the issues locally to the Lancaster County region. Maximum length of articles is 10 single-spaced pages (or 20 double-spaced pages).
Creative Articles
Artifacts that are original and aim to explain, define, or bring awareness to a political, social, or economic issue. Artifacts can include art (drawings, paintings, sculpture, photography), videos, movie shorts, short stories, poetry, scripts (for plays, movies, episode for television show), and the like that depict or share a message about a key political, social, or economic issue. Art artifacts should be submitted as .jpg files. Videos are limited to three-minutes, film shorts are limited to five minutes, scripts and short stories can be a maximum of 10 single-spaced pages. Special consideration for artifacts that connect the issues locally to the Lancaster County region.
Reviews, Recognitions, and Critiques
Reviews:
Articles that evaluate books, films, music, art, television shows, or the like that tackle key political, social, or economic issues. Special consideration for articles that evaluate regional publications, productions, events. Articles are limited to 3 single-spaced pages (or 6 double-spaced pages).
Recognitions:
Articles that recognize an engaged individual, group, or organization doing effective work on a political, social, or economic issue and tells what the individual/group/organization is doing, why it is beneficial, and how to get involved. Special consideration for recognizing individuals/groups/organizations in the Lancaster County region. Articles should first discuss the political/social/economic issue and then tell how the engaged individual/group/organization is working toward that issue. Articles are limited to 2 single-spaced pages (or 4 double-spaced pages).
Critiques:
Articles that identify an individual, group, or organization hampering or impeding a political, social, or economic issue and tells what the individual/group/organization is doing and why it is impeding a political, social, or economic issue. Special consideration for recognizing individuals/groups/organizations in the Lancaster County region. Articles should first discuss the political/social/economic issue and then tell how the selected individual/group/organization is impeding that issue. Articles limited to 2 single-spaced pages (or 4 double-spaced pages).
Perspectives
Articles that aid readers in seeing how social, political, and economic issues impact individuals by giving voice to important or ignored political, social, or economic issues. Articles must share personal stories of how a political, social, or economic issue has impacted the writer personally and specifically. Perspective articles need to use narrative structure to tell a story about what social, political, or economic issue has affected them (and how) and also include reflection on the larger social, political, and/or historical context in which their own personal experience has occurred. Articles can be a maximum of 5 single-spaced pages (or 10 double-spaced pages).