Submission Rules and Guidelines
After you have decided on a topic and start writing your article, you will want to follow our guidelines.
We try to keep everything simple, but there are still some rules that you must follow to make the process easier for everyone.
Preparing Your Article for Submission
Your article must meet the minimum guidelines to be considered for publication.
- Content: The article must be about Kentucky history, contain a Kentuckian, or explain a genealogical technique.
- Length: All articles must be 400 and 1,000 words and contain a heading.
- Artwork: Each article must include at least two pieces of artwork that are credited.
Artwork can include photographs or screen captures of a map, document, or a letter. We can help you find artwork if you are stuck or unsure.
- Style: Your article must not contain any spelling or grammatical errors. We suggest using a free online tool, such as Grammarly or ProWritingAid, to make it easier on all.
- Sources: Cite your sources using the Chicago Manual of Style. If you are unsure, just be consistent in the way it is presented. As an alternative, supply a link to the source and cite the page.
- Re-Publishing: If your post has been published elsewhere on the Internet or in a magazine, please provide the information to us. We consider these articles on a case-by-case basis.
- Plagiarism: All submissions must be free of plagiarism. Before publishing an article, we use a plagiarism checker. Anyone who violates this policy will not be considered for future submissions.
- Author Bio: Include an author bio that is two-four sentences long. Authors typically share how long they have researched their family history, where they live, or where their ancestor lived. You may include a link to your blog or online profile.
Submitting Your Article
Once you’re ready to submit a draft, use the Permission to Publish form.
As you can tell by the name, this form gives KYGS permission to publish your work to our audiences. It outlines some other details to ensure there are no misunderstandings.
The following guidelines make it easier to move the post through our process. Any articles not following these guidelines may be returned.
- Submit your article as a DOC, DOCX or RTF. Your article should be free of formatting, such as indents, fancy layouts, and excessive spacing.
- Submit your artwork as PNG, JPG, or TIF files.
- Ensure the files are clearly named. Use names like “art01-letter-to-ann.jpg” or "artwork-lincoln-co-map".
- Avoid names like “TX-IMG9302.JPG”, where the editor must guess the content.
- In your article, show where the artwork is inserted and include the artwork filename.
- If you are referring to an online source, then provide the link to the source.
- And for heaven's sake, don’t forget to include your bio!
Here is an example story that is ready for submission. This example is in PDF format to ensure all can view it.
Bluegrass Roots
The fun in researching your family history is sharing it with others.
During our fifty years of encouraging family researchers and budding genealogists, the society has provided advice through the Bluegrass Roots magazine.
