Training Journal welcomes contributions from all those interested in workplace learning and development and associated issues. You can write for TJ, speak on a podcast and in the future we will be planning webinars – including commercial opportunities for all of the above.
TJ is a website dedicated to supporting all those involved in workplace learning, a group of people has expanded dramatically over the past 5-10 years as learning is delivered in a variety of ways by a growing number of people.
We publish topics that learning and development specialists, leaders and managers along, with some learners, would find useful.
Editor
Jo Cook – Jo.Cook@TrainingJournal.com
Contact me about writing for the TJ website: blogs, news, podcast and video content, and social media.
The word count
Word counts are guides and not exact. We no longer have the monthly magazine and instead run pieces on the website throughout the whole month, so we don’t have to worry so much about word counts!
- Short, focussed pieces around 500–800 words for an article/opinion piece
- Book reviews of around 600-800 words that should explain the angle and content of the book, along with your experience of reading it and it’s potential application
- Around 1,200-1,500 words for a feature
- Blogs are also around 800 words and are regular, usually monthly – please email the Editor if you’d like to start a blog series
Those considering submitting an article should run their ideas past editorial staff by submitting short outlines of their proposed contributions.
Writing for TJ
Areas covered
TJ’s editorial covers three broad areas: communication and people, learning theory and practice, technology and understanding business and organisations. These areas reflect the key skills of successful learning and development practitioners.
1. Understanding business and organisations
Requires practitioners to have good understanding of their industry, their own organisation and the competition to the organisation. This also is part of the horizon-scanning and problem solving that many L&D people see as part of their role in supporting leaders in the organisation.
2. Communication skills
Without great communication skills L&D practitioners are not going to be able to connect with leaders, managers and employees to find out what their organisations needs to fulfil their goals. Often acting as internal consultants they work across departments to ensure change is implemented and new practices embedded.
3. Learning theory and practice
Understanding how people learn, and increasingly how learning is delivered is the final cornerstone of our editorial. Keeping readers abreast of new ideas, techniques and ways of delivering learning is a vital part of the learning practitioner’s role.
5. Technology
Without technology much of the work of L&D would be very different. We want to focus on the here and now for tools and tips to help people, but also look to the future and understand how learning and technology work together.
Topics currently being featured include:
- Artificial intelligence and large language models
- The future of work
- Talent, skills and apprenticeships
- Leadership and management
- Change and change management
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- Coaching and mentoring
- Technology’s role in learning
- Wellbeing and mental health
- Creativity and innovation.
What we look for in a submission
All submissions need to be:
- Exclusive to Training Journal and not have been published elsewhere
- Targeted for the needs and interests of our audience
- Provide market information, analysis or explanations that will interest and inform our readers, helping them in their working lives
- Non-promotional or commercial – we have paid offerings for that content
What we do with content
We review content and will confirm a publication date if we are able to go ahead.
We will published content on www.TrainingJournal.com and promote it out to our significant social media and newsletter audience, providing a public profile for you and your message.
Some top TJ tips
Do:
- Link to studies if you cite them. Any statistics, analysis, or research data must have a hyperlink to the original source – this ensures objective and traceable evidence informed material
- Ensure all links to reports, research and so forth must be open – we cannot use references that requires the reader to provide their details before accessing the report. Opportunities for lead generation is available from our sales department
- Write in the third person – first person can come across as too promotional and not independent
- Include author credits at the end of articles in this format:
- [Name] [job title] [organisation]. We can also link to a website landing page
- Write in clear United Kingdom English (e.g. “organisation” rather than “organization”) without excessive use of technical jargon or ‘business speak’, please explain all of your acronyms the first time you use them
- Submit all copy as open Word documents and not PDFs
Don’t:
- Include anything about learning styles – there’s no empirical evidence of it and it will be removed from an article or the article rejected
- Write directly about your own work however there can be links to case studies that illustrate a broader point
- TJ is keen to share with readers our contributors’ expertise and experience in relevant fields, but this rule helps minimise the submissions in which private businesses write in uncritical and self-serving terms about their own products and services
- Send pictures or logos unless requested by editorial staff, we have a bank of images
We welcome ideas for TJ please send a short synopsis to Jo.Cook@trainingjournal.com
Publisher
Total Politics Ltd
Registered in England and Wales under Company number 07291783.