EngineersPlanet – Guest Author SOP and Good Practices

1) Purpose & Fit

EngineersPlanet publishes practical, ethical, and student-friendly content that helps engineers move from learning to earning. We welcome articles that align with:

• Engineer’s life & style: productivity, campus life, study systems, portfolio building, budgeting, internships, and wellbeing.
• Career guides: roadmaps, role explainers, interview prep, online assessments, ATS-safe resumes, LinkedIn strategy.
• Study help: exam strategies, concept explainers, lab manuals, viva prep, past paper walkthroughs.
• Assignment & project ideas: domain-specific (software/AI, electronics/embedded, mechanical, civil/env, data/cloud), with outcomes, KPIs, and ethical boundaries.
• Tooling & tutorials: Python, MATLAB, CAD, Git/GitHub, cloud basics, simulation tools, with runnable snippets and screenshots.
• Scholarships & opportunities: verified programs, application tips, timelines.

We are education-first and integrity-driven. We do not publish ghostwritten assignments or anything that promotes academic dishonesty.

2) Eligibility & Ethical Standards

• Originality: 100% original. No plagiarism, no article spinning. We screen all drafts.
• AI-assisted writing: Allowed for brainstorming/drafts only if the author (a) verifies facts, (b) rewrites in their voice, (c) cites sources, and (d) discloses “Assisted by AI tools for drafting; facts verified by the author.”
• Conflicts & disclosures: Disclose affiliations, sponsorships, or product relationships.
• Safety & legality: No medical, legal, or financial advice without credentials; no unsafe instructions; follow export and copyright laws.
• Community standards: Respectful tone, no hate speech, harassment, or discriminatory content.

3) What We Don’t Accept

• Adult, gambling, payday loans, nicotine/vapes, crypto coins/promos, casinos, counterfeit, malware/spyware.
• Academic-misconduct services (doing assignments/theses for hire).
• Thin affiliate content, doorway pages, or content written solely for backlinks.

4) Voice & Style

• Clarity over jargon. Define acronyms on first use; prefer examples.
• Actionable structure. Show steps, code, diagrams, checklists, and templates.
• Student-centric. Speak to Bachelors/Masters/PhD learners; show “what to do next.”
• Global + India/UK context. Prefer SI units, link to global sources, and call out India/UK specifics where helpful.

5) Article Structure (Recommended)

• Title: 60–70 chars, value-first (e.g., “45 Project Ideas in Computer Vision (With Datasets & Rubrics)”).
• Subtitle/Deck: 1–2 lines that set expectations.
• Intro hook: 90–120 words with a clear problem/outcome.
• Table of Contents: For long posts (>1,200 words).
• Body: Short paragraphs (≤120 words), scannable subheadings every 200–300 words.
• Visuals: Figures/tables/diagrams where needed; compress images.
• Takeaway/Checklist: Close with actions, templates, or downloads.
• References: 3–8 credible sources; use official docs, standards, and reputable journals.

6) Formatting & Typography

• Headings: H1 (title) once; H2 for sections; H3/H4 for nested topics.
• Lists: Use bulleted/numbered lists for steps and key points.
• Code: Use fenced blocks with language hints (python, sql). Keep lines ≤80–100 chars; include outputs where helpful.
• Callouts: Use blockquotes for definitions/notes.
• Tables: Use simple HTML tables for comparisons/feature matrices.
• Quotes & dashes: Use proper quotation marks and en/em dashes where appropriate.
• Accessibility: Add descriptive alt text; avoid text baked into images; ensure color contrast.
• Shortcodes (EngineersPlanet):
  • Use Use
    Spoiler title

    Spoiler here
    sparingly for answers, long examples, or solutions sections.
  • Unique, SEO-friendly anchor per spoiler on the same page.
  • Example:

7) Evidence & Citations

• Data claims: Link to sources (standards, docs, govt/stat portals, original research).
• Images/figures: Only use media you own, is public domain, or licensed (CC BY). Provide credit lines.
• Copying rules: Paraphrase; no close paraphrasing from a single source. Quote sparingly with attribution.

8) SEO Best Practices (Must-Do Checklist)

• Search intent: Specify target reader (e.g., “final-year ECE student”) and intent (how-to / comparison / ideas).
• Primary keyword: In title, H1, first 100 words, and naturally in H2/H3s.
• Semantic terms: Include related phrases (e.g., for data science: “model evaluation,” “cross-validation,” “feature scaling”).
• Slug: short, lowercase, hyphenated (e.g., data-science-interview-roadmap).
• Meta title (≤60 chars) and meta description (140–160 chars) supplied with draft.
• Internal links: 3–6 links to relevant EngineersPlanet posts/pages (question banks, abstracts, interview prep, study guides).
• External links: 2–5 authoritative sources (docs, standards, gov/edu).
• Images: Descriptive filenames (pandas-merge-cheatsheet.png) + alt text; compress to webp/jpg.
• Schema (editorial use): We may add Article/FAQ schema where appropriate; include an FAQ section if it fits.
• Avoid: keyword stuffing, link stuffing, auto-generated boilerplate.

9) Length, Readability & Quality Bar

• Feature guides/tutorials: 1,500–2,500 words.
• Idea lists/curations: 1,000–1,800 words with categorization and mini-briefs.
• Explainers/op-eds: 800–1,200 words with clear thesis + evidence.
• Readability: Aim for Grade 8–10; short sentences; active voice.
• Verification: All commands, code, commands/flags should be runnable or clearly labeled as pseudo-code.

10) Links & Promotions Policy

• Contextual links: Up to 1 do-follow author link in the bio + up to 1 contextual brand link if it genuinely adds value. We may set links nofollow/sponsored at our discretion.
• No affiliate/referral links from authors.
• No competing commercial CTAs inside the article body.

11) Media Guidelines

• Images: 1200×675 hero (webp/jpg), inline images ≤1200px width. Provide captions where relevant.
• Diagrams: SVG/PNG preferred; include source files if possible (draw.io/fig).
• Code screenshots: Avoid when text suffices (prefer copyable code).
• Video/GIFs: Optional; supply embed code or files with usage rights.

12) Submission Package (What to Send)

1. Google Doc (comment access) or Markdown/HTML.
2. Meta title + meta description + slug suggestions.
3. 5–8 keywords/phrases + target audience.
4. Image assets (zipped) with filenames + alt text.
5. Author bio (40–60 words) + headshot (1:1, 400×400) + 1 link.
6. Disclosure statement (sponsorship/affiliations, if any).

13) Review & Editorial Process

• Initial screening (3–7 working days): scope, originality, value.
• Edits: We may request revisions for depth, accuracy, or structure.
• Fact-check & polish: Our editors may add internal links, optimize for SEO, tweak headings/slug/meta.
• Acceptance: Final approval, scheduling, and author notification with live URL.

14) Rights & Licensing

• License: By default, articles are published under CC BY-NC-ND (or the site’s current policy). We may discuss alternatives (e.g., CC BY) for research content.
• Exclusivity: First-publication rights on EngineersPlanet. Republishing after 14 days allowed with canonical link and attribution (ask first).
• Edits after publish: We may update for accuracy/SEO; substantial changes are noted.

15) Quality Checklist (Print this)

• Fits theme (engineer’s life, career, study, projects, or tools).
• Original; AI-assisted work disclosed; facts verified.
• Clear H2/H3 structure; paragraphs ≤120 words; code formatted.
• Internal links to EngineersPlanet; external authoritative citations added.
• Images compressed, named, and have alt text; tables accessible.
• Meta title/description/slug provided; FAQ (if relevant).
• Final read-through for grammar, clarity, and actionable takeaways.

16) Contact & Submission

• Email: editorial@engineersplanet.com
• Subject line: Guest Post Submission — <Proposed Title>
• Optional: Suggest a publish window and where it fits (e.g., “Interview Prep,” “Abstracts & Ideas,” “Study Help”).

Optional Add-Ons (we can provide)

• Internal TOC block, FAQ schema, downloadable checklists/templates, and “
  Spoiler title

  Spoiler
  ” sections for deep dives.
• Visual support (cover image, diagram cleanup).
• Light technical verification for code/commands where feasible.